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split-post tuners


music321

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I call them split safety post tuners. the string end goes down the center of the shaft same as most bass tuners. You have no sharp string ends to deal with. I usually cut the strings about 2" past their respective post, put the end down the center of the shaft, tighten and done! I prefer this type of tuning machine, especially on my fender styles.

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any good guides on how to string these? looking elsewhere, i've read that they're great, provided you string them properly. someone recommends bringing the string back on itself, whatever that means. also, i get the impression that the end of the string must be buried so that it doesn't yield a pointy tip. it seems like burying it would mean cutting the string pretty precisely before winding it on. any thoughts?

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Both types of tuner work fine. In my experience:

 

Pro: cleanly hides string ends

 

Con: You need wire cutters if you want to put a new string on (or something that can cut the string to the appropriate length)

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any good guides on how to string these? looking elsewhere, i've read that they're great, provided you string them properly. someone recommends bringing the string back on itself, whatever that means. also, i get the impression that the end of the string must be buried so that it doesn't yield a pointy tip. it seems like burying it would mean cutting the string pretty precisely before winding it on. any thoughts?

 

 

You do have to cut it the right length first for sure. But you don't have to worry about that other stuff. I do wind the small E string one over and the rest under. I think the honey is cool method is pretty stupid. I suppose it would work, but I wouldn't want my string to come out or affect tuning for the sake of saving 20 seconds winding it down. I do the 2nd tuner down thing as mentioned. I don't know how many inches that is.

 

BUT...

 

You have to put a 90-degree bend in the wound strings before you cut them. The windings can come loose from the core while you're muscling the string aroiund to get it on the hole and whatnot. If that happens the string sounds really dead immediately. I had it happen before a couple times and Randy Stockwell told me what I was doing wrong.

 

I trust Randy. You may have seen his name in the stew mac catalog under the fret radiusing tool or the moon bridge for banjos.

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Here's the perfect restring with vintage slotted tuning machines.

 

1) Take your low E string and pull it through so it's taught, hold it down in the proper slot, lay it through the low E slot and cut it about 1/2 way between the D & G tuner posts. Bend about an inch worth to 90o with pliers. Insert the last inch that has been bent into the post and wind counter-clockwise.

 

2) Do the same with A, D & G strings.

 

3) For B and high e, measure 4 posts worth of "extra" string and cut. Fold the first inch worth with pliers to nearly 180 degrees, but not all the way. Leave some springiness in the wire. Take the next inch worth and fold with pliers to 90o and insert the first 2 inches worth into the tuning hole. Wind counter-clockwise.

 

By having the first two inches folded in half, it makes the string much less likely to pop out when you're trying to wind it.

 

The less string around the posts, the less likelihood of slippage and going out of tune.

 

DSC_5043a1.jpg

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That's exactly how I do it. And when I say 'exactly', I really mean 'exactly'! :thu:

 

:lol:

 

Well, almost. I don't use pliers to do the B and E string ' 180 degree bend'. I just kinda press it together and bend it with my fingers.

 

This is how I was taught about 30 years ago and, while I've had maybe two strings slip while stringing up someone else's guitar in the last 15 years, I've literally never had an E or B string slip when stringing my own guitars using this method.

 

Here's the perfect restring with vintage slotted tuning machines.


1) Take your low E string and pull it through so it's taught, hold it down in the proper slot, lay it through the low E slot and cut it about 1/2 way between the D & G tuner posts. Bend about an inch worth to 90o with pliers. Insert the last inch that has been bent into the post and wind counter-clockwise.


2) Do the same with A, D & G strings.


3) For B and high e, measure 4 posts worth of "extra" string and cut. Fold the first inch worth with pliers to nearly 180 degrees, but not all the way. Leave some springiness in the wire. Take the next inch worth and fold with pliers to 90o and insert the first 2 inches worth into the tuning hole. Wind counter-clockwise.


By having the first two inches folded in half, it makes the string much less likely to pop out when you're trying to wind it.


The less string around the posts, the less likelihood of slippage and going out of tune.


DSC_5043a1.jpg

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That's exactly how I do it. And when I say 'exactly', I really mean 'exactly'!
:thu:

:lol:

Well, almost. I don't use pliers to do the B and E string ' 180 degree bend'. I just kinda press it together and bend it with my fingers.


This is how I was taught about 30 years ago and, while I've had maybe two strings slip while stringing up someone else's guitar in the last 15 years, I've literally never had an E or B string slip when stringing my own guitars using this method.

But I use vintage pliers. I think that makes all the difference. ;)

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i freaking love the split-post tuners and have no idea why Fender stopped using them when they did. i put them in all my strats. need to add them to my Tele too.

 

 

I have two guitars without them, my '74 strat which someone put schallers on before we got it, and my les paul. Every other ax has 'em - love 'em.

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You do have to cut it the right length first for sure. But you don't have to worry about that other stuff. I do wind the small E string one over and the rest under. I think the honey is cool method is pretty stupid. I suppose it would work, but I wouldn't want my string to come out or affect tuning for the sake of saving 20 seconds winding it down. I do the 2nd tuner down thing as mentioned. I don't know how many inches that is.

I've never had the string to pop out or the tuning to be adversely affected, and almost every guitar I've had with split post tuners have had a whammy of some sort. And most experts seem to say that the fewer windings, the better. The locking mechanism in these split tuners is in the insertion, that's the beauty of them. They don't require much fancy winding at all to get them to pretty much lock forever.

 

If you want to be name dropping, I get my stringing method from Chris Kinman, as in the maker of the greatest noiseless pickups in the world and a huge vintage Fender enthusiast.

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Thanks for the advice. When people mentioned the "distance of a post", I take this to mean the distance between one post and the next, not the diameter of a post. Anyway, I was able to buy some awesome vintage pliers, as you can see below. I only paid $400. So now I'm good to go!

 

http://images.veer.com/Marketplace/1271069_P_Rusty-pliers-on-cork.jpg

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