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Does anyone else find it a PITA when changing strings on a Strat type guitar when the ball ends of the old strings get jammed right down inside the long holes in the vibrato block under the bridge unit?

Sometimes they come out easily, but most often they can sometimes be damn difficult to extract..

Or is it just me?

Have you tried a tiny bit of Vaseline down there 'Roach? - works for me. No rude comments please.......................



Pete

The tiny Allen key used for the bridge saddle height adjustment screws can be used to push the string out of the block (from the top, of course!).

I found this to be more usually necessary with the original bridge on my Marquee.

pjr wrote:Have you tried a tiny bit of Vaseline down there 'Roach? - works for me. No rude comments please.......................



Pete

You could oil your ball end before fitting (ooh arr missus) with a touch of machine oil on a cotton bud.

cockroach wrote:Does anyone else find it a PITA when changing strings on a Strat type guitar when the ball ends of the old strings get jammed right down inside the long holes in the vibrato block under the bridge unit?

Sometimes they come out easily, but most often they can sometimes be damn difficult to extract..

Or is it just me?

Use a short section of one of the heavier strings to push out the ball end- (this is something that almost always happens)

Thanks for the suggestions chaps!

I've tried most of them (but not vaseline....

Usually I eventually manage to extract the string, but it can take quite a while fiddling about...

Amazes me that these days when there are so many innovative upgrades and gadgets available to improve or correct such faults or issues with guitars- especially 'classic' models like Les Pauls, Strats etc, something as basic and obvious as assisting changing strings is overlooked..probably because such problems are not as 'sexy' and fascinating as pickups, vibrato units etc..I would think that a simple redesign of the string cavity holes in the vibrato block could work..

...which is why I always have a spare guitar close by when playing gigs...long ago I gave up on that business of keeping playing on five strings until the set break then faffing about changing broken strings in the limited time between sets etc..usually in the dark, backstage etc..

Another vote for the allen key, or allen wrench as our friends across the pond call it - I've been doing this for years. Just use the smallest one you have, and the longer side.

It's usually only necessary on the plain strings, which if you try to push them through, just bend. Most of the time the wound ones aren't a problem.