Where to cut new P Bass strings

[dmc79]

Just wondering what people’s rule of thumb is for where to cut each new string for 4 inline tuners, well specifically for a P bass. 
 

For this kind of thing, I use a combination of following a printout of Fenders own setup guide, notes I’ve made over the years & advice from YouTube videos. 
 

Fenders setup guide (4 string) says to cut the E string 3 inches past the tuning post, then the A, D & G strings 3 & a half inches past. I’m guessing they say to cut the E shorter simply so because it’s the thickest one and there’s no need to go crazy with too many wraps around the post. But doing this I often end up with barely any silk showing once tuned up, sometimes none at all, which just seems wrong. The A, D & G silks line up reasonably well, but the E just seems a bit off, following Fenders guide. 
 

I’ve seen a few videos, some just go 2 tuning pegs up (which is about 3 & a half inches) then cut. Others go around 1 & a half tuning pegs up then cut. Then some leave considerably more string before the cut. 
 

Have you found a method of P bass new string cutting that works well and lines up all 4 silks fairly well?

 

Edited 4 hours ago by dmc79

[Bigwan]

I'm a 2 tuning peg man on all my basses and it's always worked for me, although that can leave a lot of excess on the G string tuner on a P bass... When you talk about lining up silks I think "there be dragons"... You're only a step away from wanting all your tuning keys lining up...

Edited 3 hours ago by Bigwan

[police squad]

to be honest, I've never cut strings for a P bass

I make sure they wind down the post, nice a neatly

Keeps a good break angle over the nut

[BigRedX]

IME for angled headstocks and strings that go under retainers to set the break angle you want roughly 2 full turns around the machine head post which is 8-9cm from the centre of the post to the cut point depending on the post diameter.

 

For non-angled headstocks where the break angle over the nut is determined by how far down the post the winds go you want as many as will fit comfortably on the post which is normally about 4 complete turns. 

 

Also IME it is completely impossible to get the silk ends to line up no matter what bass you are stringing so I no longer worry about this.

[dmc79]

Thanks for replies so far. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not obsessed over the silks lining up perfectly, I’d just like them to be close, and for there to be a bit more silk showing on the E once tuned. 

 

[chris_b]

I cut the E string just past the A string tuner, and a similar distance for all the other strings. Looks like that is 2".

 

Gives me 2 turns of string on every post.

[Reggaebass]

I cut mine a bit longer than Chris so about 2 1/2 inches which gives me 3 winds or so, it doesn’t matter how short or long you have them it wouldn’t change the silks lining up I don’t think, most of my labella’s just line up as it’s the way they are made 

[dmc79]

Interesting stuff. Here’s mine right now, following Fender’s advice of 3” for E, and 3.5” for all others. GHS Pressurewounds. 
 

 

This is what I mean when I say it somehow doesn’t seem quite right not having any ‘spare’ silk on the E once tuned up. Here’s a P bass I received with La Bellas on. Nicely lined up and plenty of silk on the E:

 

 

I wonder when I restring soon (with Fender 9050 flats), whether to just cut an inch longer on them all (that would be 3.5” for E, and 4” for others). I’d love to get it looking like the La Bella pic, but is it just the case that they have longer silks to begin with, so it’d make little difference? 

 

 

 

[jrixn1]

5 minutes ago, dmc79 said:

Here’s a P bass I received with La Bellas on. Nicely lined up and plenty of silk on the E:

 

Was the first bass top-loaded, and the second through-body?

[dmc79]

11 minutes ago, jrixn1 said:

 

Was the first bass top-loaded, and the second through-body?

The black silks (top pic) are top loaded, and from memory as I didn’t keep the bass long, the red silks (bottom pic) were thru body strung

Maybe GHS Pressurewounds just have a particularly short silk on the E, just done a bit of searching and other photos of them are very similar to mine. Which means I’m most likely overthinking it anyway! 

 

 

Edited 2 hours ago by dmc79

[Reggaebass]

4 minutes ago, dmc79 said:

but is it just the case that they have longer silks to begin with

Yeah I think so dmc, could just be different manufacturers, just looked at mine out of curiosity both labella 

[Stub Mandrel]

2 hours ago, dmc79 said:

Thanks for replies so far. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not obsessed over the silks lining up perfectly, I’d just like them to be close, and for there to be a bit more silk showing on the E once tuned. 

 

 

The start of the silk will end up the same distance past the nut wherever you cut the string.

 

Tipv do the 90-degree bend for the post-hole  before cutting to stop the string outer unravelling.

[fergs40]

1 hour ago, dmc79 said:

I wonder when I restring soon (with Fender 9050 flats), whether to just cut an inch longer on them all (that would be 3.5” for E, and 4” for others). I’d love to get it looking like the La Bella pic, but is it just the case that they have longer silks to begin with, so it’d make little difference? 

I may be wrong, but isn’t the amount of silk showing at the tuner not completely dependent on the length of string from bridge (or ferrule if through body) to the tuner? Having more string wound round the tuner will make no difference to that - no?

[fergs40]

3 minutes ago, Stub Mandrel said:

The start of the silk will end up the same distance past the nut wherever you cut the string.

Yes, what he said 🙂

[Lozz196]

I cut mine at

12cm for D & G

11.5cm for A

11 for E

 

[Supernaut]

5-6" past the tuning peg, 90 degree kink, snip the string with around half an inch for the capstan. Plenty of winds to keep the string low and seated properly.