LeftyBassist.com

Decided to buy a set of Aquila polyurethane strings for my U-Bass. As I strung them up to pitch, the "A" string suddenly snapped out of the hole. The wrap-tie on the end of the string had slipped off. I searched through my junk drawer, found another, and put it on as tightly as I could. I was able to pull the string out of it as well. found another, and looped the end, and that felt solid. This is what it looked like, and as a comparison, a new replacement of OEM LaPahoehoe strings are shown next to my fix. As you can see, the OEM strings have much more solid end anchor, with a small red-plastic bushing to help it butt evenly on the underside of the top-and-bridge area. Here's a pic....



After stringing it back up to pitch, a curious thinning of the rubber began... it came up to pitch, but seemed to buzz more than the other strings. Can't help but wonder if the thinned diameter moved more on the saddle as it oscillated, causing it to buzz more readily on the fretboard. Here's two pics of what it looks like...




I've sent these pics back to the eBay seller, but for now I'm going to get a better tie or grommet of some sort, reverse the string from the tuning end, attach my new "anchor" without putting the loop in, tune it up and see if the taper disappears.

Other than this anomaly, the strings feel and sound very good. Maybe this is just a bad section of string coming from the extrusion process. If flipping the string doesn't work, I'll have to see if the seller is willing to send me a replacement. Will let you know how this plays out.....

You likely have gotten a set from the first defective run of strings. I had the same issue and Mimmo Perufo at Aquila replaced mine, and fast. Email him those pix. If he's slow to respond its because he's at NAMM. Good luck and keep us posted.

Thanks Matt! I was going to send an email to them, but couldn't locate it on their website. Do you still have the email address, or know where it is on their site?

I don't remember, I'd have to go on the site too.

Do you still have the packaging from either the old strings, or the new ones? I took a picture of the barcode, which I'll send on, and hopefully that will tell them what batch-run my strings were from. Here's the pic of the barcode to compare to yours in case you still have the package...

No i don't sorry

No problem Matt, I'll send all of the info and pictures on to Aquila. And I'll find that email address - I love a challenge!

So I found an email address on the site, and sent a message. I was hoping to find one that would allow me to send the pictures shown above, but asked them to send me an address that will allow me to send pics if they want to see them. I'll let you know how this turns out.

Other than that, I played the bass last night, and was impressed with the feel and sound of these strings. Plus, the white strings against the dark fingerboard makes it easier to see what I'm fretting. All-in-all, good strings, and worth the extra effort to get this "anomaly" sorted out.

They are now being shipped with no zips on the end, so you have to knot them. They still hold great though.

Matt, I'm curious, how did you install yours in regards to the length past the tuner? I had to wind-and-unwind, and adjust the strings several times in the slot to get the correct amount of windings. Would be nice to how much to start with next time, although at this point, the next time I replace them, I'll have them for a guide! (Duh Moment!)

Had to do an over-and-under winding on the G-and-D strings to keep the string from popping out of the slot. The A-and-E strings are fat enough to stay on their own. Here's a pic of that...

It's still a bit trial and error for me too as far as # of windings. But check out the Upton YouTube vid for ubass stringing. With the Aquilas you can install the G string in the same manner you install the D. Hope that helps.

Looks like your D & G are on the right track, but be careful. Too many windings around the post can break the tuner. We aren't dealing with much tension on these basses, so try to ignore what you know about stringing a bass guitar.

Good to take note of that. I thought of that yesterday when I came up short on the windings, then adjusted the string to get the "break" over the nut. Will watch the video too... thanks for the input!

So, after watching the video ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0aVEzhjXaTc ) I realized my technique for keeping the strings pinned is correct, but the amount of windings I have is too much. I'll have to take a wind or two out so I don't put too much tension on the tuner barrels, and potentially break them. Plus, his method makes for far much less winding or the tuning peg. In the future I won't need this, but it sure came in handy doing it (the wrong way) my way!

Just found this U-Bass stringing video from Aquila as well....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P6PGtFS2gMA

Hey Matt, according to the eBay seller I bought the strings from, they are from the second batch. Still waiting for word back from Aquila, but in the meantime, I reversed the string, and at this point, the string hasn't thinned out at all over the bridge saddle. I also re-strung the strings after watching the Upton video, and have less windings around the posts. I think I'll be fine now. Thanks for the tips and links.

I do like the sound of the Aquila strings. Some of the musicians I play regularly with have noticed and commented on the sound improvement. They actually have a bit of sustain to them! Besides they look cool, and are easier to see (obviously) against the fingerboard. All-in-all, a worthwhile initiation....

That's great man. If I can be of any more help let me know. I've been through the wringer with this bass.

Oh, and the strings.

Wow... props to you guys and your patience.

I think at this point I would have already given it to my kid and said to hell with it.

Well I did the first time around. Then they fixed the bridge issue and everything turned out great. The string experimentation has been a whole other issue