taking all the strings off?

[tom18222]

i need to put on some pickup covers that i bought. is it bad to remove all the strings? i've heard that it is, but i'd like to know for sure.


thanks...

[Whale Bone]

Don't sweat it. The neck will be fine. It's not like you're not talking about a double bass or other string instrument that has a sound post that could fall. Think about all the Fenders whose necks have to be removed to be adjusted. You can remove all tension, remove the neck make an adjustment and put it all back together and see the results you expect, i.e. the neck didn't adopt a bow that the replacement of the strings couldn't instantly reverse. When I routed out the bodies of my Fenders so I wouldn't have to remove them for future adjustments, the necks were off for a day with no ill-effects whatsoever.

If you have a hollow-body guitar with bridge that isn't attached, then you need to note/mark the postition.

Also be careful if you have a bass with bridge saddles that fall out without the string on; you'll want to make sure you can identify each one to restore them properly.

You'll also find out if the nut isn't glued in...

[Light]

Originally Posted by tom18222

i need to put on some pickup covers that i bought. is it bad to remove all the strings? i've heard that it is, but i'd like to know for sure.


thanks...

That's an old wives tale. Don't even think about it. Or, to put it another way; in 37 years of business, we have never seen a single neck which was damaged by NOT having strings on it.



Light

"Cowards can never be moral."
M.K. Gandhi

[muttley600]

The only time you need to be careful removing all the strings is if you have a floating bridge and thats just because you want to get it back in exactly the same place. I have never swapped strings one at a time and I've changed thousand sets in the last thirty years. If ever you do have a floating bridge its best to change one at a time or just mark the bridge position with a strip of masking tape.

You wont harm your neck by the way.

[tom18222]

well, i have a hardtail bridge, so no worries.


one more question, what are the proper pickup heights? JB/Jazz combo, btw.

thanks

i love this place.

[ggunn]

Originally Posted by muttley600

The only time you need to be careful removing all the strings is if you have a floating bridge and thats just because you want to get it back in exactly the same place. I have never swapped strings one at a time and I've changed thousand sets in the last thirty years. If ever you do have a floating bridge its best to change one at a time or just mark the bridge position with a strip of masking tape.

You wont harm your neck by the way.

Maybe I don't understand what you mean by "floating bridge". My Strat has a floating bridge (meaning the string tension is counterbalanced by springs), and taking all the strings off is not a problem. When I replace the strings and bring them up to pitch the bridge moves back to where it belongs.

[WhiteStrat]

Removing all the strings at once has been an integral part of what my wife calls "The Ritual" for me for years. When I restring (or at least every other time I do so) I clean/polish/oil (depending on the isntrument) and taking 'em all of is the only way I feel like I'm getting it REALLY clean...

And no, it's never presented a problem for me either.

[zazz]

floating is the bridge that is mainly held in place by tension like the jazz boxes.

[zazz]

one thing that puts it all into perspective is dive bombing ...if taking all the strings off was a problem then doing the evh bit a 1000 times a night would also be a no no..

[Thurgood]

hey ggunn, floating bridge is like the type on an archtop gtr that is not affixed iti is just held in place by the tension of the strings, so if you take off all the strings at once and don't mark the placemnet there goes you intonation. Ibanez strats have "floating bridges" by misnomer reeeally they do "float" in a sense but they wont jsut fall off literally, they remain affixed to the gtr and merely receed due to the springs, they then rise "float" back into position once string tesnsion returns. No worries change all at once. See mutttley post. He's right and so is Light.
I do the tape trick on my archtop. no need on ye old strat.

[Thurgood]

Sorry but I forgot to mention that the Floyd Rose is different crittter and requires diff technique. But standard strat your ok to do all at once.

[Thurgood]

Damn, I reread my first post and realize i said "ibanez strats" wihtout comma in between. A floyd will come off, strat no. Sorry. As I have said before I can't type worth crap. In my business commas can mess you up. (if misplaced). They are like smoking cigs while preparing pyro.

[zazz]

interaction is a wonderfull thing

[muttley600]

Originally Posted by ggunn

Maybe I don't understand what you mean by "floating bridge". My Strat has a floating bridge (meaning the string tension is counterbalanced by springs), and taking all the strings off is not a problem. When I replace the strings and bring them up to pitch the bridge moves back to where it belongs.

A true floating bridge is a bridge that is held to the guitar only by the downward force of the strings. It is different from a floating tremolo block that is fixed to the guitar. Your guitar has what I call floating tremolo block/bridge but is not a floating bridge if you see what I mean. Its one of those unfortunate situations where both bridge types have adopted the same name. Wrongly in my opinion by that's besides the point. I was talking about an archtop style floating bridge.

[goldtopchas]

What kind of covers? If you're talking about putting enclosed covers on a "open coil" pick-up, you need to pot them or they'll go microphonic. Just put the covers on. Then bend them slightly at the bottom where they meet the base plate. Tack them with solder to the base plate (you might need to scuff them a little first).and dip them in melted wax to fill the voids in the cover.

[Light]

Originally Posted by tom18222

well, i have a hardtail bridge, so no worries.


one more question, what are the proper pickup heights? JB/Jazz combo, btw.

thanks

i love this place.

It depends on the sound you are after. Generally, I'll raise the neck pickup so it is about an 1/8 of an inch from the low E string when you fret the string at the highest fret. Balance the two E strings (use your ears - that's what they're there for), then use the screw poles to balance the rest of the strings. Then you do the bridge pickups - I usually like to have the bridge just a hair hotter than the neck so you get a boost when you go for the "solo" tone.

Other than that, make it sound good to your ears.


Light

"Cowards can never be moral."
M.K. Gandhi

[stevieb]

Sure, take 'em all off, just DON'T CUT THE TIGHT STRINGS WITH WIRE CUTTING PLIARS. This is horrible trauma to a guitar. Detune them to remove them.

[ggunn]

Originally Posted by stevieb

Sure, take 'em all off, just DON'T CUT THE TIGHT STRINGS WITH WIRE CUTTING PLIARS. This is horrible trauma to a guitar. Detune them to remove them.

It can be dangerous to the person doing it, but I don't see how it could hurt the guitar.

[muttley600]

Originally Posted by ggunn

It can be dangerous to the person doing it, but I don't see how it could hurt the guitar.

It won't really cause any damage to either. Not really a big time saver though.

[ggunn]

Originally Posted by muttley600

It won't really cause any damage to either. Not really a big time saver though.

I used to do that (cut the strings under tension), but one time the cut string whipped out and hit me in the side of the face. If it had got my eye it would have been bad. I don' do dat no mo'.

[zazz]

?? if you have had a string go on you ..especially the top e ..it can be murder on the eyeball...this experience alone would tell anyone who has been around the block a couple of times not to cut the strings!!

[muttley600]

I have to say I have had hundreds of strings break on me over the years and each time its recoiled along its length as thats the way the energy is pointing. I guess you guys were just unlucky.

[Light]

Originally Posted by muttley600

I have to say I have had hundreds of strings break on me over the years and each time its recoiled along its length as thats the way the energy is pointing. I guess you guys were just unlucky.

Well, I've had a few of them pierce the skin. The worst is when they break further up the tuner post, and the windy bit spirals into the hand.




Light

"Cowards can never be moral."
M.K. Gandhi

[rayc]

OUCH,
Snapping strings do have a freak out factor! The coil in the hand - my bass has done that a couple of times
Floating also on banjo, mandolin, cello, violin, my two lovely Bruno Royal Artists & my Emperador semi acoustic bass but not my Epi Sheraton though as it's a log with hollow wings.
Lucky the ol' jonah doens't have a floater - imagine snapping a string inside that!
Here's an idiot move for you (being taht I AM an idiot) - I was using a little string winder to take up the slack when re stringing a nylon acoustic - wasn't paying attention and wound the button/knob off. Cursed myself with the task of repairing that later & proceeded to the next string - became distracted & whamo - did it again.
Now I've had that guitar & a new set of machines waiting to be done for three years - I'm too embarrassed by it to even look at it.

[muttley600]

Originally Posted by Light

Well, I've had a few of them pierce the skin. The worst is when they break further up the tuner post, and the windy bit spirals into the hand.




Light

"Cowards can never be moral."
M.K. Gandhi

Oh I'm always stabbing myself with the sodding little bits left round the tuner. If I think about it I tackle those with long nose piers. Most times I can't be bothered and end up with a pin hole in the tip of the finger. The worst are those idiots that tie the string on the post. Hate that.