Bigguy2017 Posted August 27, 2022 Share Posted August 27, 2022 (edited) So, reading the post on 'lumped strings' got me to thinking... Taking hold of the trusty Mustang and some solder I tried an experiment. First I wound 200mm of 1.5mm solder round the E string near the saddle. This lowered the pitch about a semitone. Tuning to pitch showed the E was louder but the note was varying in pitch oddly. Next I cut back the solder to 100mm and pushed it as near the saddle as possible. This actually plays OK, string tension is a tad higher and again the string is louder... Try this for yourselves, people - what does it do to a low B ? (I don't have a fiver). Edited August 27, 2022 by Bigguy2017 typo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reggaebass Posted August 27, 2022 Share Posted August 27, 2022 Never seen this before, I’m guessing it has something to do with the vibration of the string? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quatschmacher Posted September 2, 2022 Share Posted September 2, 2022 It looks a bit like the tuning spring on Rhodes piano tines. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alyctes Posted September 3, 2022 Share Posted September 3, 2022 (edited) Lowering the pitch seems weird... surely you'd be shortening the effective length of the string? That ought to raise the pitch, surely? The pitch wavering makes sense, because the free-floating solder coil would move and that would change the string length. Did it change the tone of the note? I think it might make it softer, more fretless-ish? Edited September 3, 2022 by alyctes Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bigguy2017 Posted September 3, 2022 Author Share Posted September 3, 2022 I think the increased mass lowered the pitch. Tone surprisingly unchanged. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean-Luc Pickguard Posted September 3, 2022 Share Posted September 3, 2022 Surely this is not changing the length of the string but changing the mass. I wonder whether it would have the same effect when the additional mass is added to the string behind the bridge saddle? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alyctes Posted September 3, 2022 Share Posted September 3, 2022 1 hour ago, Jean-Luc Pickguard said: Surely this is not changing the length of the string but changing the mass. I wonder whether it would have the same effect when the additional mass is added to the string behind the bridge saddle? I think it might do both, depending on how tight the winding is. And, good question! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baloney Balderdash Posted September 12, 2022 Share Posted September 12, 2022 (edited) It's actually a thing, and here's a bit on the theory behind it: https://www.premierguitar.com/pro-advice/bass-bench/bass-strings Done right it is supposed to improve intonation apparently. Edited September 12, 2022 by Baloney Balderdash 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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