You know what really grinds my gears?

[amigarobbo]

When you see a bass and the strings are like this:

This one upside down, AND STILL WRONG!

It looks even worse with wraps:

:evil4: :evil4: :evil4: :evil4: :evil4: :evil4: :evil4:

Worse of all is the Rotosound red wraps like that, but I can't bring myself to post any pictures of that...

 

[ghotiphry]

I can imagine two scenarios. 

One, no one has "informed" them about the correct way to string a bass.  "Dude, can I help you with that string job?  Because it's all messed up, and bound to cause you problems with slippage as your strings are not anchored to the tuning machines.  Not to mention you should bend the end over before cutting to keep the core from slipping inside the wrappings.  No?  You like it that way?  Okay.  Whatever."

Two, they don't care.  If they don't care, neither do I.  It's your bass, have at it.  Again, whatever.  It's not my bass.  Just don't spread your disease to others.

 

[swarfrat]

I'm not sure what I'm looking at - what's wrong? Not poking the ends down into the hole? Not all tuners have that.

 

[ghotiphry]

I'm not sure what I'm looking at - what's wrong? Not poking the ends down into the hole? Not all tuners have that.

I guess I've not seen a bass tuning machine without the hole.  I'm sure they are out there.  I wouldn't buy one.  Bass tuners are large.  They need the hole.

Another thing I do is this.  Before I cut the end of the string, I put a 90 degree bend where I want the string to end.  Then I cut the string a half inch past that.  Then I finish the bend by folding it over parallel to the rest of the string.  This keeps the core and the wrappings anchored together.  Bass strings can go dead because the internal core wasn't anchored and slipped inside the wrappings.

 

[amigarobbo]

I'm not sure what I'm looking at - what's wrong? Not poking the ends down into the hole? Not all tuners have that.

I guess I've not seen a bass tuning machine without the hole.  I'm sure they are out there.  I wouldn't buy one.  Bass tuners are large.  They need the hole.

I don't know if they need, but they are a better design.

 

[Logrinn]

Bass strings can go dead because the internal core wasn't anchored and slipped inside the wrappings.

Hm, I never thought about that. I presume that it could happen with guitar strings as well ...

 

[ghotiphry]

I'm not sure what I'm looking at - what's wrong? Not poking the ends down into the hole? Not all tuners have that.

I guess I've not seen a bass tuning machine without the hole.  I'm sure they are out there.  I wouldn't buy one.  Bass tuners are large.  They need the hole.

I don't know if they need, but they are a better design.

Touche, now I've seen one.  Okay, I'd own a Hofner.

 

[swarfrat]

He's old enough now that I don't worry so much, but for the past 3 years I always carefully curled my sting ends under so my kiddo wouldn't cut himself playing with my guitars. (He was about a year old when he poked himself on a string end and bled all over my guitar.)  Sorta wish guitar tuners had those too.

 

[amigarobbo]

They do, don't they?

 

[swarfrat]

Definitely not all guitar tuners have the center hole.

 

[musicispeace]

Anything that has the old, garden variety tuners I approach like i am about to pick up a snake. Vintage style "safety post" tuners are definitely better, I have those as well as a couple with locking Schallers.

 

[BigSteve22]

No being a bass player, I didn't know about the tuner wrap/stability issues associated with those huge, (to me, anyway), strings. I always thought that something that big HAD to be stable! Learn something every day.....

As a guitarist for many years, I've seen many absolutely astonishing ways people have wrapped the string ends around their tuners. Even those with locking tuners sometimes have no idea what to do with them. I might ask someone if they have any tuning stability issues, and if they do, suggest alternative methods, but if they like their wraps to look like a misused spinning reel, well that's fine with me too!

:icon_jokercolor:

 

[Wolf Follower]

I had a friend who woudn't even trim the strings so the end of his guitar would be a big flopping mass of wires that you needed safety glasses just to approach! He could outplay me with one hand tied behind his back so I couldn't really say much.

WF

 

[DustyCat]

One thing that irritates me consistently is whenever you see music related merchandise where the notation is blatantly incorrect.
Or when you see a picture of a guitar and the pickups are whacked.
Or any music related picture or notation where the picture was ALMOST PERFECT, yet all they had to do was look online and fix like 2 stupid little things and they didn't.

Cheers to the turtle and W for going back over their logo with a detailed and knowledgeable eye.

 

[bagman67]

It always bugs the hell out of me when I see an ad for guitar stuff and you have some hot chick holding a guitar who obviously has no idea what to do with the instrument.  Don't get me wrong, I'm a big fan of attractive women.  But I'm not going to pick up a piece of gear just because some hottie with a nice figure is holding it.  Mostly I feel insulted by companies that choose to market their wares that way.  It underestimates my intelligence, and more importantly, it ignores that many women are consumers of musical gear (the sausage festival going on around this board notwithstanding).  Screw that noise.

 

[ghotiphry]

What bugs the hell out of me is "standard" parts that aren't.  There's always something that's different.  Size, placement, shape... something is out of whack.  Mind you, I'm not blaming anyone, because that's the way it goes.

Take for example the Warmoth jazz bass pickguard.  I've bought other pickguards in the past that have been so far off to make them unusable.  The Warmoth ones at least have the neck pickup where it should be.  But I always have to modify where the pickguard meets the control plate.  (Warning, huge picture!)

 

[Cagey]

USB connectors are starting to piss me off. What are there now, 439 different ones?

 

[amigarobbo]

 

[DustyCat]

Tailgating really grinds my gears (no pun intended).

(Looks in rearview mirror)
Hey!
boom-boom!
See that red light up ahead? That means we can't go no further until it changes to Green, so chill out, sit tight, relax, and since you can't pass because its double yellow median, why don't you try doing what I do: take your foot off of the accelerator and let the vehicle coast, and maybe if we're in the groove, and maybe we got our timing down, the light will change and we won't even have to stop, we'll just roll right on through!  :rock-on:

 

[amigarobbo]