I have a random question (it's probably been asked 1,803,527 times before...) But when you change your strings, do you tie the string on to the tuning peg, or do you just wind it on with however many windings?

I do something a little different (been doing it close to 35-40 years)... I wind the string on the peg, but yet, I put one single winding above the hole (above the string), and let the rest wind down the peg. It creates sort of a "pinch" effect on string in the tuning peg and makes it stay in tune better. Oh, and I have to post a pic of my favorite strings.


What do you do? Wind the string down the peg, or tie it on with a slip knot type of fashion & a single wind or two?

I do the exact same thing. Put the string through the hole, one wrap above, bend the string up, and the remaining wraps underneath.

I have two very similar strats. One has locking tuners. I tested tuning stability by checking the tuning after going crazy with the vibrato bar. My Strat with the standard tuners were just as stable as one with the locking tuners.

What really surprised me was that both guitars went slightly sharp after bouncing the vibrato around. I was also perturbed that my locking tuners provided no better tuning stability than my standard tuners.

_________________
In my opinion Leo Fender had essentially perfected the guitar amplifier by 1964.

Well, I guess that makes three of us... and I usually have a max of three turns on the peg, less for the E and A on the bottom. And my strings of choice:

_________________
Dennis in CR
Rockin' since 1963

All my electric guitars have locking mechanisms of some sort. Before I added locking tuners to my Standard and Highway 1: Through the hole, make a non-slip single knot, then ensure that there were not more than 4 to 5 winds around the peg.

My favorite strings are Fender pure nickel's with or without bullets (non-bullets on my Fender with the Floyd Rose) 10-46's.

_________________
RK

2007 Fender Highway 1
2012 American Deluxe
2015 MIM Dave Murray HHH
2010 Fender Blacktop
1987 Fender Avalon Acoustic
2012 Marshall DSL 15 watt head

I've always been satisfied with just winding the strings on. I tension and guide the string with one hand while cranking the tuner knob with the other and wind the string very tightly and neatly. On 3x3 and Explorer headstocks I put three wraps around the post on the plain strings and two wraps on the wound strings. On Fenders I aim for 1~1.5 on the low E, 2 on the A, 2.5 on the D, then 3 on the plain strings -- that evens out the break angle over the nut a little.

I've been reading about tie-locking and the over-under thing for decades so I've tried both a few times to see if they worked any better. For me, all they did was make it a little harder to get the strings off. Tie-locking in particular -- I always stab myself at least once when removing a set of tie-locked strings.

It's entirely possible that I have to stretch new strings a few more times, or stretch them a little harder than people who tie or over/under. But after I stretch them I don't have any problems with them slipping.

I don't tie strings on, I think it's pointless. Just think about it, if the knot were going to do anything to increase stability, it would have to be on the last wind, wouldn't it. It's not stopping any string slippage at the end of the string because string slippage happens on the coil round the post. Where strings lock against each other.
My personal thinking towards tied on strings is that it's just something else to slow you down when you have to change strings in a hurry.

As for winds. I go minimal, .75 of a wind on the low E, increasing to about 2 winds on the high E. Next wind under the last.

I don't have tuning issues ever. In fact it was studio time last week. I hadn't pulled these pair out the cases since my birthday, four weeks beforehand.



Notice that all the mess is mine. Mess to the left of the desk, mess of pedals on the floor. It's nice to go somewhere posh and lower the tone a bit.

_________________
No no and no

Nice nice nice LP and strat together, the way it was meant to be I never understood people who held a polarised opinion as to everything being all fender or all Gibson, i think both makes complement one another beautifully. Has that LP got the PG reversed pickup in the neck position?

What band do you play in Nik? what are you called?

And i agree with you about string ties, i've never done that i've always wound them on, tying to me seems like a recipe for string slippage, tho' i may be wrong.

_________________
Luck won't do it and ignorance can't

George Van Eps.

Gorgon

That LP is as Green modded as I can make it. Magnetically out of phase neck pickup (Bareknuckles), 50's wiring. The only thing I haven't done is add a bumblebee capacitor. I'm one of the unfortunates with more sense than money to be paying those prices.

One thing I did do to be really geeky, picky, finicky, whatever you want to call it. Was to wire another pot across the volume pots in and ground lugs. I wasn't happy with the excessive treble of the LP. I didn't have a long shaft 250K pot. So I wired another pot parallel to divide the resistance (a 1meg if memory serves). Measured it to produce 350K total resistance in the circuit. Then had a bit of a play and listen whilst I got the missus to tweak the added pot.
Soon as I was happy. I bagged the pot up, measured the circuit resistance on the bridge pickup side (287K). Popped it in the control cavity, screwed it back up and promptly forgot about it.

The band I play for are called Apocalypse Babys. There is Youtube stuff out there. Though non of the live stuff has me on it. Please just stick to the singles. We are on facebook too.
We've played north of the border a few times. Hopefully it wont be too long before we're there again. I don't gig those guitars. The Strat is too precious and Les Pauls aren't really gigging material for a poor punk band.

I use this beast

-

I don't really go in for any of the "I play this exclusively" stuff. I play what I like the look of and make it play and sound how I want it to.
In truth, the recordings I've done, you'd never tell the guitars apart. Even if you single out just the lead tracks. There's so little in it, it's not true. Even the engineer didn't believe me, until I pointed it out to him by doubling one of the solos using both guitars. Then got him to play them back panned far left and right.

_________________
No no and no

Thanks Nik for the info. Yes i agree, i'd be very wary of doing gigs with those beauts. I spotted the reversed neck pickup straight away and i immediately thought of Greeny's Les Paul and then i had pictures of Gary Moore playing it as well in my mind.

I like the open minded attitude and while i've primarily played strats and Fenders i love Gibsons as well.

I like your tech abilities you're a dab hand with that soldering iron!

_________________
Luck won't do it and ignorance can't

George Van Eps.

I don't go for several winds, but I just make sure the string traps itself onto the tuning peg. At proper tuning tension, those strings aren't going anywhere.. Is that what you meant by knotting them?

The only down side to my method is that a strat sometimes needs a 2nd string tree. By using several winds down the peg you sharpen the strings break angle over the nut, which is what the string trees do..

_________________
Fender Highway & Classic 60s Strats, Fender Toronado, Telecaster, Gretsch Projet, Charvel 3, PRS SE Soapbar II & Custom 24, Burns Batwing and many others!

Yeah I figure thats usually how I do it as well. Creates a nice lock.
Anyway, I used Ernie Ball Regular slinky's .10-.46 but now I am using Fender .10's. I hold my bends better.

Yep, I'm with most of you guys , winding only. I've only ever tied strings on a nylon acoustic.