String retainer on Bass neck?

[Mapleg4]

I'm about to order a G4 with a 13°Angled Peghead. I have a cheap Yamaha RBX bass with a similarly angled headstock and it has a string retainer to make the strings stay better in the nut(?). It could just be that that it has something to do with the nut and the Fender-style bridge of the bass (I'm putting a Schaller 463 on the G4) but I suspect that the reason for the String Retainer on my cheap Yamaha has to do with the cheap parts on it. Other RBX basses with another type of bridge doesn't have a string retainer.

 

[Shmoopie]

13 degree heads don't need a retainer, thats partly the reason for angling the head stock. they do it to even out string tension on the neck.
if you want a retainer, gofer this

http://www.hipshotproducts.com/cart.php?m=product_list&c=26

twos and threes in chrome gold and black.  better than the circles.

 

[Alfang]

The rule of thumb lately has been, don't put on a string retainer unless the strings are popping out of the nut.  Some manufacturers put them on just in case

 

[Mapleg4]

The rule of thumb lately has been, don't put on a string retainer unless the strings are popping out of the nut.  Some manufacturers put them on just in case

Thanks guys! I'm definetly not getting one!

 

[SkuttleFunk]

they do it to even out string tension on the neck.

buzz - wrong answer

simply put: string diameter + string tension + given scale length = pitch of string



string retainers are installed to give the string downward pressure onto the nut so that it stays firmly within its slot. for strings on a Fender style headstock that have a short nut to tuner distance (like the E and A strings) there is no real need for a retainer. for those strings with a longer nut to tuner distance, the downward pressure is less and so there is potential for the string to pop out of the nut while playing - this is especially true for thinner strings which sit in a shallower nut slot.

an angled headstock eliminates the need for a string retainer because the headstock angle imposes additional downward string pressure onto the nut causing the string to sit firmly seated.

all the best,

R