How to String an Acoustic Bass
The acoustic bass refers to the acoustic bass guitar, not to be confused with its larger acoustic cousin, the upright bass. Acoustic basses serve to bridge the gap between the upright and the modern electric bass, offering players the ease and ergonomics of a guitar but with an approximation of the woody tones found only on the upright. Maintenance for the acoustic also differs from that of its cousins, in this case, restringing the bass with a fresh set of strings.
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Instructions
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Lay the bass out on a flat and stable work surface (if desired, place a towel underneath the body to prevent accidental scratches). Turn the tuning peg of the thickest string (E for four string basses, B for fivers) to loosen the string. Once loose enough, pull it free from the peg head, and down across the fingerboard.
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Stop at the bridge. Press down on the pin on the bridge to loosen the attachment, then, if needed, use the pliers to gently pull the pin up and out of the bridge. Discard the old string, then repeat the process for all the remaining strings.
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Insert the end of the new string down into the appropriate hole on the bridge, stopping around four inches or so. Gently but firmly insert the pin back into the bridge and press down, the pull the string up across the fingerboard for the appropriate peg head on the headstock. Make sure the string is laying securely in the correct nut slot.
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Watch to make sure the pin doesn't loosen as you pull the string. If so, remove it, re-insert the string, and repeat the process. Once it's securely in the bridge with no pin movement, snip the last inch to two inches from the end of the string, then insert into the top of the peg head and use a tuning key to coil the string around the pole. Repeat for all the new strings, then tune to pitch.
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