TheRev Posted November 17, 2011 Share Posted November 17, 2011 Afternoon chaps. I've just got some nice new strings for my newly acquired laminate bass and I thought that I might as well change the solid tailpiece wire for a braided version at the same time. Obviously, this means removing all the strings and releasing the pressure on the soundboard and in order to stop the soundpost falling over, the general recommendation is to put a heavy weight on the soundboard to hold everything in place. Is the soundpost likely to be that loose? If so, does anyone know how heavy is 'heavy'? The soundpost in my Eminence is glued in place, so I've never had to worry about this sort of thing before. Ta. Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geoffbassist Posted November 17, 2011 Share Posted November 17, 2011 I put the bass on it's back, usually on my bed. Then change one string at a time. Unless the soundposts really loose it should be fine. Good luck! I know what a pain it can be when you hear that sound! Clank! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marvin spangles Posted November 17, 2011 Share Posted November 17, 2011 Yes +1 put the bass on its back on a bed or soft furnishing. You could place a few heavy books or get someone to apply some light pressure. The odds are that the post will stay in place anyway . I've done it a few times for various reasons. It'll only take a few seconds to put on the tailpiece. Good luck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geoffbassist Posted November 17, 2011 Share Posted November 17, 2011 Sorry I misread the OP. I didn't realise u were changing the tailpiece wire. I guess give it a go and if it falls then take it to a luthier to put back. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheRev Posted November 17, 2011 Author Share Posted November 17, 2011 [quote name='marvin spangles' timestamp='1321556128' post='1440664'] Yes +1 put the bass on its back on a bed or soft furnishing. You could place a few heavy books or get someone to apply some light pressure. The odds are that the post will stay in place anyway . I've done it a few times for various reasons. It'll only take a few seconds to put on the tailpiece. Good luck [/quote] Cheers - that's pretty much what I was hoping. I use a laptop bag to carry my LMII, cables etc, hopefully that shoud be heavy enough. I think it's going to take more than a few seconds to replace the tailwire, the existing one is a 4mm diameter solid wire that looks like I'll need to hacksaw apart to get it off the tailpiece. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marvin spangles Posted November 17, 2011 Share Posted November 17, 2011 Sorry you're right re the time needed to replace the tail wire. I thought you were replacing the tailpiece and wire. However I think the principles still apply. I once put on one of those Marvin (no relation) tail pieces without a hitch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rockabillybob1 Posted November 21, 2011 Share Posted November 21, 2011 if the sound post falls over get it out of bass get a peice of stiff wire drill a tiny hole in centre of soundpost and a bit of jiggling you will get it back in place look at the position before you start Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheRev Posted November 21, 2011 Author Share Posted November 21, 2011 Cheers chaps. Did the change today with no soundpost related disasters. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marvin spangles Posted November 21, 2011 Share Posted November 21, 2011 good to hear ....Does the new tailpiece make a difference? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheRev Posted November 22, 2011 Author Share Posted November 22, 2011 [quote name='marvin spangles' timestamp='1321917600' post='1444506'] good to hear ....Does the new tailpiece make a difference? [/quote] Difficult to say as I replaced the existing Thomastik Superflexibles (lovely for arco, hard work for pizz) with a set of Velvet Blues at the same time. The bass is noticeably louder and more open sounding, though again, that could be due to the much lower tension Velvets allowing the table to vibrate more. The old tailwire looked like a oversized bit of coathanger wire and was pretty rigid, so replacing it with something that allows a bit more resonance can only be a good thing. Right? This is a new bass to me, so I'm still experimenting with the sound. The Velvet blues are a bit zingy at the moment, but are a lot closer to the sound I'm looking for than the superflexibles. I'll need to find someone to do a proper set up at some point as there's a couple of dips in the fingerboard, (one right under the D on the A string ) that will need sorting out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marvin spangles Posted November 23, 2011 Share Posted November 23, 2011 [quote name='TheRev' timestamp='1321960950' post='1444770'] The bass is noticeably louder and more open sounding, though again, that could be due to the much lower tension Velvets allowing the table to vibrate more. The old tailwire looked like a oversized bit of coathanger wire and was pretty rigid, so replacing it with something that allows a bit more resonance can only be a good thing. Right? [/quote] Sounds like you're heading in the right direction. Good luck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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