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iiiiiii learned to string my bass from a guitar player i played with i think? when i was about 13? was changing strings today and wondering if i'm doing The Weird Shit.

i change a string at a time, when it's tightened down to the right note i use the hand by the bridge to pull up and down on the string while running the fret hand up and down the board pressing down. was taught to do that to stretch out the string about 4 or 5 times so it would stay in tune better.

.... is that dumb?

it IS pretty relaxing and zen.

That's what I do! I always get a little nervous while doing it but it's worked for me for this long, so.

I always do that. ALWAYS. You can't intonate new strings right away because they stretch and change.

Additonally....Once I stretch them a few times I take needle nose pliers and just go around the string at the tuning post to make sure they're all snuggly wuggly.

Then stretch again. Leave overnight. Repeat.

URRR DOOIINNG IT RIIIIIIGHT

YAY!!! i WIN!!

lol. yeppers Skull Skull. i get a little nervous with the right hand pulling too.

"don't break a string don't break a string shits is too expensive to DON'T YOU FUCKING BREAK A STRING."

an endorsement from Dinger would be beauuuuutiful. another bass would be nice but free/cheap butts strings? GIMME.

good to know. two solid, SOLID endorsements of the Pull And Wiggle method.

Hahahah yeah. I think I'm only scared cause I've snapped a few high E strings on myself doing that, but now I just don't do it as much as I had previously haha

murrrrrr yeah. the high C is the only one that really frightens me. at least a string snappy issue. the thicker ones i get a-skeered of hurting the hardware on the bass.

Yep! I know that feeling. When I had my first guitar when I started playing, I was stretching strings and chipped the cheap nut and didn't realize what I had done for a few years until I realized why that string never sounded quite right thereafter haha

You gotta stretch them strings, get the slack out, or they'll never stay in tune. You should be moving the pulling hand tho and keeping the fret hand in place.

Start by bringing the new strings to pitch. For each string, fret at the 5th, then stretch the string by pulling up at the bridge and sliding your way down to that fretted 5th. It will go flat so bring to pitch after. Repeat while fretting at the 3rd, bring to pitch. Now fret at the 2nd and repeat. You gotta do this whole cycle 2-3 times usually until stretching no longer makes the string go flat. Then you're golden.

And yeah, go a little gentler on the high strings.

innnnteresting. i do it the opposite way. hold my hand steady at the bridge, lifing up and down, and pushing doen with the fret hand sliding to around the 12th fret? abouts there.

why the difference?

I've tried it all different ways and the results are still the same...The one thing it needs is TIME. I usually pull up on the strings starting at the bridge and slide down the neck.
It will also vary too depending on the wrap. Some strings are smooth (as in same as the rest of the string) but a lot have those knurled or zig zaggy ends that could need more stretching before they finally settle into pitch.

I usually leave them for at least a day after any stretching to start intonating.

yeah. i try to change at least a week before anything where Pitch MATTERS, a show, recording, whatevah.

Yeah string stretching is very important. I got taught that by a guitarist from a surf band. That's when surf music was new. So his years of experience was valid in my opinion.

why fret?
real question
i grab the string by the bridge
across the insiide of my 4 regular fingers
hand kinda closed
(dont wanna make a dirty reference,but like solosexytime)
then push at the string with my thumb
work it from bridge up the neck
didnt know fretting was important
i saw a video way back of a guy setting up like that