Excess String Curl

[joecool]

Does anyone know how to get the extra string to curl like many professionals do so they aren't jutting out everwhere? I've used a quarter for the treble strings, but no matter what I do the bass strings won't work with me!

 

[jazzmang]

why not cut off the excess? I'm just curious.

 

[fronobulax]

why not cut off the excess? I'm just curious.

In the days when we rode our dinosaurs to gigs there was a fairly persistent bit of advice about not cutting bass strings because doing so affected both done and durability. 30 years later I am hard pressed to come up with a rational reason why that might be so but it is one of those habits of youth that has persisted even if it now seems irrational.

 

[tjmangum]

This player had the same problem.

But after a couple of years and a visit to Nashville, he seemed to have fixed things up nicely

tj

 

[fab467]

This player had the same problem.

But after a couple of years and a visit to Nashville, he seemed to have fixed things up nicely

tj

Those strings are made for a-changin... 8)

 

[AlohaJoe]

Poor Dylan... in Nashville they probably smacked him down for poking somebody's eyes out. I got read the riot act by a jam partner years ago for letting them run loose after I nearly blinded him. :shock: Then for a while I wound them up until I realized it was time consuming, kinda pointless and I really could afford wire cutters.

There are more practical reasons to clip though. Wound up string ends can get caught on stuff and/or rattle against each other and make extraneous noise. Sure, it's a small sound, but it's enough to hear. A good microphone can pick it up too, making it a pet peeve of a recording engineer I know who has wire cutters handy for folks who show up 'uncut'.

Of course, audio engineers often have wire cutters and pet peeves. :lol:

 

[jcwu]

Wasn't there that story about the poor guy whose un-clipped string poked into something electrical and fried him?

 

[dapmdave]

Does anyone know how to get the extra string to curl like many professionals do so they aren't jutting out everwhere? I've used a quarter for the treble strings, but no matter what I do the bass strings won't work with me!

Oh, just cut them nice and neat. Otherwise, you risk scratching up your nice Guild headstock (when you case the guitar), or worse.

Dave

 

[jazzmang]

Oh, just cut them nice and neat. Otherwise, you risk scratching up your nice Guild headstock (when you case the guitar), or worse.

Dave

Thats all we should have to say! Damaging a Guild headstock is a sin! Its the most amazing headstock ever created.

 

[AlohaJoe]

Thats all we should have to say! Damaging a Guild headstock is a sin! Its the most amazing headstock ever created.

Especially yours! :shock: A friend of mine has a turquoise inlay Guild (also on the neck) and it's stunning! I'm wondering if yours is the same model. As far as I know they only made one model like that. I could be wrong, but you don't see them very often. Do you have pics of the rest of it? Let's see!

 

[jazzmang]

Thats all we should have to say! Damaging a Guild headstock is a sin! Its the most amazing headstock ever created.

Especially yours! :shock: A friend of mine has a turquoise inlay Guild (also on the neck) and it's stunning! I'm wondering if yours is the same model. As far as I know they only made one model like that. I could be wrong, but you don't see them very often. Do you have pics of the rest of it? Let's see!

I've put the guitar back in its packing box for UPS to inspect it tomorrow. I'll post some shots tomorrow after they've done their 'inspection', but yea its beautiful turquoise inlay work... a shame they don't make 'em like that anymore...

 

[killdeer43]

Clip 'em right down to the peg and the eyesight you save could be your own! Any hardware store will sell you a small pair of nippers that will fit perfectly in your guitar case. I've used the same nippers and Sidewinder for over 30 years and they both work really well.
BTW, it's one of the older Sidewinders and it doesn't get hung up on the headstock (previous thread) when loosening/tightening the D and G strings.

Become curl free,
Joe

 

[chazmo]

Use the Taylor stringing method. You clip the string first and then wind it. Nice and clean.

I really don't like having strings poking around everywhere.

 

[markus]

I bought one a Planet Waves winder which has a clipper and a pin puller; works fine; with ordinary pliers I'm afaid to scratch something …
Markus

 

[Treem]

I clip em real close with a wire cutter. (git er) done! :lol:

 

[JerryR]

I used to curl them - just wound em round in a circle and spliced the loose end around the curve to hold them in place - but now I clip them short - so much less trouble

 

[Jeff]

I used to curl them - just wound em round in a circle and spliced the loose end around the curve to hold them in place - but now I clip them short - so much less trouble

I alway figured the reason for curling the excess string in neat coils was because the fella doing the string changing didn't have a set of wire nippers at the time.

 

[dogberry]

Use the Taylor stringing method. You clip the string first and then wind it. Nice and clean.

I really don't like having strings poking around everywhere.

I use the Taylor stringing method too, but I wind and then clip. That way, in case you made a mistake in measuring you don't wind up with a brand new string that's now too short. Not that I ever did that, but, you know, it could happen.

 

[chazmo]

Use the Taylor stringing method. You clip the string first and then wind it. Nice and clean.

I really don't like having strings poking around everywhere.

I use the Taylor stringing method too, but I wind and then clip. That way, in case you made a mistake in measuring you don't wind up with a brand new string that's now too short. Not that I ever did that, but, you know, it could happen.

Not a bad idea.