Removing Bass Strings

[btrout@desupernet.net]

Hi Newton,

Something that came to mind with reading your post... it's not meant to be critical,
just a few thoughts.

I'm kind of fussy.  When I remove strings, wound or not, I try to be careful not to
scratch up the plate.  Sometimes spinning those tuning pins in the drill can wreak
havoc on the surface of the plate.  And if you're worried about what the job will
look like when you're done, it's important to take a little care to prevent
unnecessary damage.  I typically don't do the refinishing part of it. I have, but
it's technically "not my department".  But I've seen what goes into repairing the
scratches and gouges that can happen with a haphazard type destringing operation.
(No accusations here, just general observations.)  I'm plenty slow about a lot of
the things I do, including string removal.  But when I'm done, if I've been
successful, there won't be a scratch on that plate, and it'll look good, refinished
or not.

I've never used a becket breaker.  A friend of mine (the guy that does most of the
refinishing...) said that he tried using them and ended up chipping the plate a lot
when the coil would break and slam down onto the plate.  Perhaps there's a
technique?

For what it's worth, I usually turn the pin out so that the coil loosens about as
far as it can without 'deforming', usually that's about 1 full turn, then pop the
becket out of the hole and off of the pin with the needle nose pliers, (sometimes a
sharp screwdriver can help)  then cut the string somewhere where it'll do as little
damage as possible to the surrounding area (while holding it so it won't go
flying!).  Sounds like a pain, but I have it worked out to a pretty neat little
system.

Just my 2 cents.

Best wishes,

Brian Trout
Quarryville, Pa.

Newton Hunt wrote:

> Removed them how?
>
> You can use a becket breaker but lowering tension a little helps this
> by allowing the coil to release it's hold on the pins.  If you are
> cutting the strings with a wire cutter then you should lower tension.
> With 300-400 pounds tension you don't want those strings flying
> around.  Or you can use an _electric_ drill and trun the pins out
> until the becket breaks then take then pin out, cut coils off and pull
> strings out.  Becket breaks allow you to pull the pins out without
> removing strings first.
>
>                 Newton