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Joined:
January 2004
Posts: 648
Location: Florida | You gotta forgive me, coming from the vast wastelands of trans-Fullerton-Corona, where all the guitars are slotheads! That is, six on each guitar (except for the rare twelve string anomolies), and the slots are one per tuning machine, with a tiny wee little hole to fill with the otherwise errant string end.
Fast forward to 2004. My only other guitar is an old SG (the Heritage is still working on the strings that came with it). Like my Ovation, it has normal tuners.
I've always tried to get the string to about the right length that fills the narrow part of the tuning peg. This is anyplace from what...three to maybe ten turns depending on the string gauge? The Ovation came strung more or less that way - less turns that I'd have used on the small strings, but pretty much the same concept.
Then I got looking at another way to make that string not-slip on the post, that involves making the string lock down over itself, and once you have that, its set. Seems like one full turn is all you need to lock it, and really, the tigher you tune the string, the better it locks itself.
I can see pros and cons of each method - in terms of ease, slippage, and maybe tone.
So, was wondering which way y'all do it..!! |
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Joined:
June 2002
Posts: 6202
Location: Phoenix AZ | I always string the wound strings "normally" using 1" for low E, and graduating up to 1-3/4" for G. I double loop and lock the plain strings. |
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Joined:
May 2002
Posts: 3005
Location: Las Cruces, NM | I stick the plain through the hole on the tuner twice and try to have the protruding end locked under at least 5 or 6 wraps, wound I stick through the hole once and as Standing says, wind from maybe twice on the low E to no more than 4 on the rest. I have never had any problem with the guitar going out of tune on an evenings gig. We also did one other thing when we were playing, and that is get there a little early, open our cases and let the instruments adjust to the conditions before final tuning. When I had my own band I was very very serious about never never tuning through the PA or even on stage. Tune in private like going to the bathroom, not in front of the audience.
My brother taught me this with a story about playing on the Wheeling Jamboree just ahead of the Osborne Brothers. My brothers band mates were twiddling and tuning all the way to their performance, the Osborne Brothers just sat there and when the time came, whipped out their instruments and immediately went into their act.
Why, good instruments, and lots of experience.
Bailey |
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Joined:
March 2002
Posts: 14842
Location: NJ | I usually make one turn around the peg and THEN through the hole, with the remaining "slack" wrapping around the post underneath the inserted string, tightening it up against the top of the hole. I had read somewhere (many years ago) that making the initial "gradual" turn (as opposed to an abrupt bend) helped to keep the string from breaking and helped them sound better longer.
(Probably pure "bunk", but it's the way I learned . . hence, the way I do it). Now, it's become "second nature" in that I instinctively know how much "slack" to leave before making that initial turn, ensuring that there's enough turns to "lock it up" when it's up to pitch. I've gotten to the point that when I break a string in the middle of a song (which I do OFTEN) I can repalce it and get up to pitch by the song's end.
When I used to play with the full band, I did what Bailey suggested and tuned in the bathroom.
Whenever it came time to "tune up", for some inexplicable reason EVERYONE had to tune at the SAME time! Mine being the only acoustic instrument (and being susceptible to "sympathetic vibrations" - especially the (usually too loud) bassplayer), it was just easier (and more relaxing) in the quiet confines of a tiled bathroom.
. . . . plus, the walls made for interesting reading . . . |
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Joined:
April 2004
Posts: 265
Location: Warrenton, Virginia | i do 3to 4 turns on the non-wound and 2 turns on the wound. Agree with Baily, I always was taught to tune in private...not infront of an audience.
I do a lot of alternate tunings.....so try to arrange tunes in the key I'm most tuned to. Also, this approach involves almost always 2 guitars...sometimes three...so as to stay professional in front of the audience |
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Joined:
September 2003
Posts: 782
Location: Waurika OK | I used to go through all kinds of methods trying to loop the string through itself or pulling the first turn over the end. Now I just take one turn around the post, to create a little initial friction against the post and insert the end through the hole, then wind it up. After the initial period of stretching, I don't have any problems with going out of tune.
I like to have several wraps, which pushes the string down on the peg. This creates a steeper break angle over the nut, especially for the strings that go the fartherest back; i.e. D G on a 3 and 3 setup. May not make any difference, but, just my preference. It also would seem to relieve some of the string pressure on the peg as more of the tension would be on the bushing and not trying to pull the top of the peg over.
(hope I didn't make any mistakes here, Steve C. will "get me".
noel |
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Joined:
December 2003
Posts: 13997
Location: Upper Left USA | Bailey,
Caused a flashback of the "Four Way Street" Albums where David Crosby tuned amidst the start of Right Between the Eyes! Ever since then I've thought it natural to tune/talk/play simultaneously. |
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Joined:
March 2002
Posts: 14842
Location: NJ | ". . you don't wanna play Mumblypeg with him . . he'll steal your leg . . ."
Actually, it was Nash that was tuning and Crosby started to say something and "stepped" on Nash's opening vocal.
. . . don't ask me WHY it is that I remember this shit, but for some reason I do . . .
(Woodrow; chek yer e-mail ;) ) |
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Joined:
December 2003
Posts: 13997
Location: Upper Left USA | Cliff,
Like minds may remember:
"I exceptionally was in the right"
or
"That guy was just cruizin for a bruisin"
or
"Of course I'm mad. I've always been mad"
Those are the brain cells that will never die! |
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Joined:
March 2002
Posts: 14842
Location: NJ | Ah! "Dark Side of the Moon"!!
I read that those little vocal snippets were the product of an engineer that passed out little cards with a series of questions written on them, and he in turn recorded the responses.
One of the questions was "When was the last time you were in a fight?". The studio was visited by McCartney & Wings and one of the recorded responses was someone in Macca's band that said ". . . I don't know . . . I was quite drunk at the time . . ." I'm NOT "positive", but the ". . . cruisin' for a bruisin' . . ." line MAY have been Linda McCartney . . . .
Someone correct me if I'm wrong. |
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Joined:
December 2003
Posts: 13997
Location: Upper Left USA | It never ceases to amaze me the wealth of knowledge that comes out of the land of a million stop lights. That is so cool! The Betsy Ross of the Custom Legend herself - permanently imbedded in the "unreleasable" portions of my brain.
Oh yeah, strings. I can always do a fast and wonderful job re-stringing the 1615 slothead on the bass end - but when I go to the treble side it takes some concentation to put the string on the outside! |
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stupid string up question