Help! changing strings..

[joestierman]

I'm kind of new to changing string on an acoustic. I'm a pro at my electric, but the end pins are giving me trouble.. or at least the low E is. I put the ball end in and then the pin and get them snug to each other and the pin snug in the hole (completely in the hole). But when I go to tune up, the pin keeps popping out! I've changed strings on my brother's martin DXM maybe 3 or 4 times and this has never happened. Now I'm changing my new Taylor's for the first time and am having this trouble (tried 3-4 times with that string. it was the only string I tried).

 

what am i doing wrong? Thanks!!

[B. Adams]

It's just not seating properly. Try bending the string slightly so that it curls under the bridge a little, so that when you put the pin in and pull the string little, the ball goes right to where it should instead of getting stuck on the bottom of the pin. Hopefully that makes sense, but it works for me all the time.

[Cldplytkmn]

sometimes you may have to push down on the pin as you tune it up... once it reaches tension it should hold

[LesterP]

Originally posted by Cldplytkmn sometimes you may have to push down on the pin as you tune it up... once it reaches tension it should hold

 

 

Ditto; what he said...just a matter of getting used to it. Sometimes the string is not seated all the way to the ball end and the tuners will pull the ball closer to the pin as you tune, causing a quick detune to flat. Just takes trying to seat well at the start and keeping a close eye on that pin height, it may pop out too ya know...watch your eyes for flying strings...lol...it'll stay down as you close in to the end of the tuning, don't worry...good luck!

[kwakatak]

+1 on bending the string just above the ball end (at the point where the string is wound). The idea is for the string to seat between the underside of the bridge plate and the pin.

If that doesn't work, you should consider purchasing a new set of pins. A decent set can go for less than $10 depending on what material you choose. I can also make the guitar look better too.

[joestierman]

thanks all. it looks like what was happening is the ball end was in line with (below) the end pin. so the tension was pulling straight up on the pin! i tried to bend the end a little bit and that helped a little bit, but especially for the larger strings, it was still kind of difficult to fit them properly. i was actually able to get a small telescoping mirror (like the dentist uses) to see inside my guitar and if it was in place. to get the low E in place, i actually was able to fit my hand and wrist through the soundhole with the other strings loosened (as i am a skinny guy). this wasnt necessary for the other strings.

if the end pins were longer (like another centimeter) but still kind of sloping to a point, then i don't think this would happen. it would look weird, but once in the hole i'm sure no one would notice. shouldn't affect the sound and i don't think the skinnier end would break off or anything.

i wanted to leave the details here in case someone else has a similar problem in the future.

[Qengho]

Here's how I do it: insert the ball end, then put the pin partway into the hole. Pull up on the string until you feel the ball seat against the bridge plate. then push the pin all the way home.

[kwakatak]

Originally posted by joestierman thanks all. it looks like what was happening is the ball end was in line with (below) the end pin. so the tension was pulling straight up on the pin! i tried to bend the end a little bit and that helped a little bit, but especially for the larger strings, it was still kind of difficult to fit them properly. i was actually able to get a small telescoping mirror (like the dentist uses) to see inside my guitar and if it was in place. to get the low E in place, i actually was able to fit my hand and wrist through the soundhole with the other strings loosened (as i am a skinny guy). this wasnt necessary for the other strings. if the end pins were longer (like another centimeter) but still kind of sloping to a point, then i don't think this would happen. it would look weird, but once in the hole i'm sure no one would notice. shouldn't affect the sound and i don't think the skinnier end would break off or anything. i wanted to leave the details here in case someone else has a similar problem in the future.

I think that somebody mentioned that www.frets.com before, but is page is probably the best resource I've seen. Anyway, here's a picture from his site that shows how the ball-ends should look:

THe reference page is HERE

I'm kind of confused about your reference to the length of the pins, though. It shouldn't really matter. The diameter of the pin is really more important since it has to be big enough to seat in the hole without popping out.

[joestierman]

Originally posted by Qengho Here's how I do it: insert the ball end, then put the pin partway into the hole. Pull up on the string until you feel the ball seat against the bridge plate. then push the pin all the way home.

this is the way i ended up doing them

Originally posted by kwakatak I'm kind of confused about your reference to the length of the pins, though. It shouldn't really matter. The diameter of the pin is really more important since it has to be big enough to seat in the hole without popping out.

i was just thinking that if the pins were longer, then the problem i had probably couldn't have physically happened. but i'm just making things up . longer pins dont exist that i know of.