Doing Things Wrong

Alice Bass Strings

Today I got my set of Alice bass strings, 105-85-65-45. They were packed in individual sealed plastic sleeves, similar to every other kind of string. The diameters are all within 0.001" of spec. The lengths are as follows:

  • E: 37-1/2" ball to leader, 42-1/2" overall
  • A: 37-1/8" ball to leader, 44-1/2" overall
  • D: 46" overall
  • G: 48" overall

This should fit almost all instruments. The strings are bright and shiny. So far, so good.

The strings went on with no problems, and seem ok unplugged - no buzzing or dead ones.

To be continued ...


The key is the shallow angle between the saddle and the string. A proper guitar bridge has a sharp break between the saddle and the string. This shallow angle causes the classic sitar buzz. This is a very easy part to make from any decently hard wood. A scrap of fretboard blank is ideal. A little experimenting, and you will get it. Then you can convert any guitar into a "sitar".