Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Tom T on February 1, 2016 at 5:50am

I hate gremlins. They defy logic and common sense. They must be rounded up and shipped to Greenland. It's only fitting.

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Permalink Reply by Tom T on February 1, 2016 at 11:37am

Teflon tape!

 Why didn't I think of that before?

It is so thin that I could easily run several wraps through the string hole on the tuner and wrap around any sharp edges and back through the hole.

Wish I had thought of that sooner............

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Permalink Reply by ChickenboneJohn on February 1, 2016 at 8:39pm

Make sure you are fitting the strings correctly. Just feed the string thru' the post hole, leaving an inch or so surplus, and take 2 or 3 full turns round the post, making sure the string coils down towards the headstock with no overlaps. Having about 3 turns on the post means that most of the  the tension in the string is applied as friction between the  string and post rather than the mechanical anchor of the entry point of where the string is bent as it goes into the post hole. 

If the string is binding at the nut, that could be a contributory factor to overstressing that section of the string. 

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Permalink Reply by darryl kernaghan on February 1, 2016 at 9:44pm

good point John,with 3 turns,there is no load at the hole,in fact if ,with 3 turns on the post you could just about cut the string at the hole,especially if the 2nd wrap 'trapped' the 1st

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Permalink Reply by Tom T on February 2, 2016 at 12:18am

Thanks Chickenbone.

I usually push the string through the hole, pull taught, then release about an inch so back through the hole before winding. I agree totally, that with three turns on the post, there should be zero tension of the portion of the string at the hold entry point. Still, the strings all broke right at the post. I can't swear that it is exactly at the entry point, but that's how it looks.

The tuner post is slightly concave up and down it's length and I wonder if that could somehow allow slippage and tension.

Have to see how my countermeasures work out.

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Permalink Reply by JL on February 2, 2016 at 3:07am

non-classic tuner posts are supposed to be a little concave in profile so that the 3-ish wraps below the hole push upwards against each other towards the narrow waist of the post keeping the wraps neat and in friction with each other as well as the post and keeps the leadout at the bottom giving a better break angle.

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Permalink Reply by Tom T on February 2, 2016 at 3:43am

Thanks JL.

I see the concave post on a variety of different style tuners, but these looked a bit more concave than some others. I was wondering if the small post diameter in the concave area created a sharper than normal bent at the hole exit. That being said, I've used this type of tuner several times before with no problems. It is a mystery why these act differently than others.

I think any possibility of the strings being cut on the exit of the post has been addressed at this point. Will be interesting to see if I get any new breaks.

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Permalink Reply by Ron "Oily" Sprague on February 2, 2016 at 8:35am

And just for fun, so this becomes another zombie thread, you can read this:

As The Worm Turns (with apologies to Dr. Suess, Robert Service, Rudyard Kipling, and soap opera TV)

The twangers and bangers did all gather round
To cuss and discuss the details of their sound.
But one thing that stumped both the bright and infirm
Was the why and the which of the turn of the worm.

While some scratched their headstocks, and others their nuts,
The rest filed advice couched in ifs, ands, or buts.
"No skin off my nose," said the one with thick derm,
"I don't give a damn 'bout the turn of the worm!"

"I've never had failures, I've never had breaks;
This ain't like the Parsi Man's dreadful mistakes.
I just pops 'em in 'til they stand proud and firm -
Who cares how the string meets the turn of the worm?"

But then from the back of the crowd of onlookers
A small wispy voice hushed the sinners and hookers:
"My name is Twice Twister, from Hole-Under-Berm;
You must all heed my warning 'bout how turns the worm!"

The fiddle-dee dermed one, whose nose was unskint,
Found his smiling face freezing, somewhat set like flint;
The Twister's alarm gripped his ears like a germ,
With its repeated rubric of how turns the worm:

"The string should swing sweetly, inside of the post,
And go through the hole like a Z, not a ghost,
While the wraps should wrap downward, not curled like a perm,
So the gear, with less stress, teethes the turn of the worm."

"Therefore, the post should stand both firm and proud,
But nearest the nut," intoned Twice to the crowd,
More ingenious than Pratchett's famed Leonard of Quirm:
"The key must be headward to help turn the worm."

The flinty-faced fiddler, that seller of song
Of how it don't matter, that there was no "wrong,"
Responded, half-hissing, full-hoping he'd squirm,
While he twisted Twice Twister's turn-tale of the worm.

"Mister Twister," he said, "if what you say is true,
Then please explain why my way works like it do,
For it violates every Twice Twister term;
It simply don't matter which way turns the worm!"

Like a tennis match, back and forth, all day it went:
The Twisting of Twice Twister's calm argument.
But adamantine, like a rock he stood firm,
Awash in the current of how turns the worm.

Toward sundown, Twice Twister produced a necked box,
And proceeded to twist on some strings, in his socks;
As the twang tension mounted, the hookers did squirm,
For they'd intimate knowledge of the turn of the worm.

Then he handed it, tuned, to the treasonous one
Who, tempted by the crowd, tried to twist Twice for fun.
Twice silently motioned him notes to affirm,
Thus playfully testing his turn of the worm.

The fiddlestick four-flusher sourly complied
Wondering what trick might be hiding inside.
But the notes jangled tuneful, without any Sturm
Or Drang to destabilize Twice Twister's worm.

Abashed, he handed the box back to Twice,
Who proceeded to bend, hammer on, slide like ice.
The lesson thus learned, it was his turn to squirm,
As he choked on his diet of Twice Twisted worm.

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Permalink Reply by Tom T on February 2, 2016 at 12:27pm

Ron "Oily" Sprague, henceforth to be known as "Weird Ron" .

My man, that was very, very creative. I keep asking how long you worked on it (and why).

Thanks for passing along this highly visual epithet. It is one of the things that keeps me coming back to the site.

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Permalink Reply by Ron "Oily" Sprague on February 2, 2016 at 4:02pm

I wrote that about a year ago, in response to a similar thread to this one, where the discussion was both about which way to mount tuners on a headstock, and why (because some people were having trouble with tuner gears binding or breaking altogether, while others weren't). As I recall, it took me about two or three hours, off and on during my workday (it was lots of little 10 minute slices of inspiration as a break from tedious spreadsheet calculations and data entry) to write it.

I wrote it in verse, because I've always written humorous poetry in a variety of styles since I was a kid, and I was an English Major before becoming a scientist and singer-songwriter.

I decided on a Suesslike vibe because to this day, I find Ted Geisel's work strikes a chord within me. My grandfather was a huge fan of Robert Service and Rudyard Kipling, so along with teaching me how to drink and serve single malt Scotch, I imbibed his love of "manly" verse.

I have always been Weird.

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Permalink Reply by Tom T on February 4, 2016 at 12:51pm

Impressive CV, Ron.

English major makes me think of Prairie Home Companion.

Kipling wrote "Manly Man" verse. Never have to hide what you are reading.

Thanks for posting the verse. I read it again. Still like it........

Permalink Reply by RTZGUITARS on February 4, 2016 at 10:32am

cant help but I have always said that the G string is evil its always the G string

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