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Permalink Reply by Roger Morin on May 17, 2011 at 12:14pm

I went to the strumstick site an looked a the head stock and blew it up extra large. It's not the tuners bing redrilled he has something that looks like plexaglass imbeded in fron of each hole for the tuner and notched in the place where he wants the string to go. You could do the same with small screws guildeing the string to the correct place that you want the strings to go.

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Permalink Reply by Clock The Wolf on May 17, 2011 at 1:02pm

I've got a very early McNally Strumstick that doesn't even bother with the imbedded plate. It just uses the notch, and is fine after several years of playing... at least, with rather light strings(@ 20 wound, 12 and 10 plain, or there abouts) Just guide the direction the string is being wound---left, right, or center---and it works fine. The plate looks like a good idea, though...

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Permalink Reply by Diane in Chicago on May 17, 2011 at 2:09pm

That is a Stew-Mac 3-on-a-plate guitar tuner, and it has two sets of holes drilled in each post, so you can get more flexibility on how it wraps on.  I just ran the strings over the zero fret in shallow nicks I filed in with a triangle file.  Others I've made like this have had a bit of slippage, so I've put in two tiny guide screws for the highest and lowest strings to keep them in the slot.

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Permalink Reply by Richard G Caudill on May 17, 2011 at 2:16pm

Diane ,, I see in ur photos that u use the "zero fret" a lot ..  Seems to b taking the place of the "nut".. Would u pls advise on the why fors on this   ???

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Permalink Reply by Diane in Chicago on May 17, 2011 at 2:30pm

I use jumbo fretwire for the zero, it makes it really easy to get nice low action, and is much easier than cutting a nut with proper slots that don't vibrate or are too deep.  I did one, and I never did another!

 

When you use the zero fret, though, you want your tuners to line up with the path of the strings as much as possible.  That goes for a  slotted peghead like above as well as a scarf joined head or cutaway head.  You also need a pretty good break angle over that zero fret, or some sort of string tree if you find the angle is not enough.

 

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Permalink Reply by Richard G Caudill on May 18, 2011 at 8:13am

That makes good sense ,, looks like much easier ,,  I have trouble getting the nut at correct height .. always seem to b having to adjust ... I trust ur builds and saw u did that a lot ,, asked an u answered ,, tks much  !!

Diane in Chicago said:

I use jumbo fretwire for the zero, it makes it really easy to get nice low action, and is much easier than cutting a nut with proper slots that don't vibrate or are too deep.  I did one, and I never did another!

 

When you use the zero fret, though, you want your tuners to line up with the path of the strings as much as possible.  That goes for a  slotted peghead like above as well as a scarf joined head or cutaway head.  You also need a pretty good break angle over that zero fret, or some sort of string tree if you find the angle is not enough.

 

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Permalink Reply by Clock The Wolf on May 18, 2011 at 11:05am

Your work looks a lot better than McNally's!
Diane in Chicago said:

That is a Stew-Mac 3-on-a-plate guitar tuner, and it has two sets of holes drilled in each post, so you can get more flexibility on how it wraps on.  I just ran the strings over the zero fret in shallow nicks I filed in with a triangle file.  Others I've made like this have had a bit of slippage, so I've put in two tiny guide screws for the highest and lowest strings to keep them in the slot.

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Permalink Reply by Diane in Chicago on May 18, 2011 at 12:08pm

I found the McNally fingerboard to be too narrow, and the back of the neck too round -- the strings slip off the sides of the fingerboard and the instrument rolled under while I was playing mine.   Plus the scale length was too long for me.  And that is what started me building CBGs!

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Permalink Reply by Andy Gascoigne on March 7, 2012 at 1:05am

Hi Diane, you say that you thought the McNally fingerboard is to narrow, I agree most strum stick type instruments seem very narrow to me as well. What width would you sugest for the fingerboard and what scale length would you suggest considering I would like to make one thats tuned D-A-D.

I also like the way you've done the pegboard, I might just steal your design!!!

 

Andy in U.K 

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Permalink Reply by Bird on May 18, 2011 at 12:38pm

Thanks for your suggestions guys - really appreciated.  I like  the idea of the double drilled tuners a lot but if I can't get any in the UK I guess drilling shouldn't a problem.

 

Dianne - is that an extra thick fretboard to give a better string break - great idea.  Seems like it make construction of the headstock real easy.  A bit of fretboard on the back of a straight piece of beech perhaps?

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Permalink Reply by Diane in Chicago on May 18, 2011 at 2:23pm

Yup, I just stick a piece of fretboard on the back of the headstock, and you've got a dogleg neck.  You can see how they line up, the zero fretline is aligned with what would be a zero line on the back of the head - if you were goofy enough to put frets on the back of the head.

 

I think that one is maple and a cherry fingerboard/head.

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Permalink Reply by The Phrygian Kid on March 7, 2012 at 11:04pm

I love you Dianne from Chicago. Will u take me to the prom xx

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