String Winder?

[dantaz]

Okay, the powers that be always say that there is no such thing as I stupid question...I'm here to prove that theory wrong...I've been playing for more years than I care to count and never used a 'string winder'...I'm currently teaching my nephew how to play (my other 'students' have all gone on to a lifetime of playing, one of which is actually making money at his art) anyway, my nephew insists on using a string winder...I've managed to string and restring for decades without this 'handy' little gizmo...so how does one use it? Really...it appears that it fits over the tuning key but does one basicsally string the guitar as we did before gizmo's and then simply wind the excess? The theory used to be to leave excess in case of a break but in my experience the breaks necver occur in a salvagable location...anyway how do I use the blasted thing?

[Tony_Iommi]

well, the way i've seen them used is that you use it to get the most of the slack out of the string and tune it by hand after that. But i dont use one myself.

and here's something weird about me-- almost ALL of my string breaks occour towards the bottom end of the guitar near the pickups. strange,eh? Somethings weird about my A String. it breaks easy.Example; i was tapping on the top two strings, and my A string broke for no apparent reason. i didnt even touch it. and it always breaks at the bottom. it annoys me a great deal. it's sorta odd to say i've gone through more A strings than High E strings (i've only broke the high e like 3 times)..

[Levinson Blade]

I find a winder a pain in the A** to use so I never bother just use the old tried and tested finger on the winder routine

[Krieselman13]

Originally posted by Tony_Iommi
well, the way i've seen them used is that you use it to get the most of the slack out of the string and tune it by hand after that. But i dont use one myself.

and here's something weird about me-- almost ALL of my string breaks occour towards the bottom end of the guitar near the pickups. strange,eh? Somethings weird about my A String. it breaks easy.Example; i was tapping on the top two strings, and my A string broke for no apparent reason. i didnt even touch it. and it always breaks at the bottom. it annoys me a great deal. it's sorta odd to say i've gone through more A strings than High E strings (i've only broke the high e like 3 times)..


Maybe there is a sharp spot in the trem that is cutting the string? That would be my guess. Or maybe its too tight?

[Nick]

well....once when i was changing the strings on my acoustic i thought i bet i could invent some sort of device which a could fit to the tuners and wind them quicker and more comfortably.

well it looked like someone had already invented them cos their was a box full of them when i asked in my music shop!!

i felt a bit stupid later cos i really thought no-one had ever made one.

also i dont 'tie' my strings to prevent 'slip' as you see in some tutorials i just put the string through the hole and wind it up.

no string has ever slipped (badly) in 5 years of playing.

sorted.

[Tony_Iommi]

Originally posted by Krieselman13



Maybe there is a sharp spot in the trem that is cutting the string? That would be my guess. Or maybe its too tight?

It's not too tight, it's perfectly in tune when it's happened. i do tihnk there's a sharp spot in the trem. but it's never a complete cut or break either...

[barbietta]

I have a string winder. One side has a soft U-shaped pry for getting tuning pegs out without scratching anything. The other side fits over a tuning peg and has a handle like a crank. I could change strings without it, but it's faster with it, in my opinion.

[E-string]

I use one, and I like using one... Much like Tony_Iommi said, I start manually, until the string has started wrapping around properly, then use the winder to finish taking out the slack. Then I go back to using my fingers for the final tweaking and tuning...

I don't tie my strings either, but I do give it a very slight bend at the post when I first slip it through the hole. If the string is wrapped around the post two or three times, it stays put. I do trim the strings, however. I hate seeing a bunch of wires dangling from the headstock.

***

One thing I hate is when I accidentally jab myself with a string, especially the B or the high E. Those things are like hypodermic needles. :rolleyes: I haven't pulled that stunt, though, in over a year.