Restringing: Is it necessary to tuck the loose ends under the other strings?

Bookworm

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My dad, who used to play guitar, has been helping me change my strings. He's never seen the decorative way that the loose ends tuck under each other at the bridge before, but it seems pretty standard on ukuleles. Here's an example of what I mean:
ukulele-bridge.jpg
Is this necessary, or just tradition? My dad is recommending I skip that because it would be easier to change out just one string if ever I'm playing with someone and don't have time to change all the strings.
 
I think it is neat ...not American neat ,as in cool though it may also be that as well....English neat ...as in tidy..like a cat tucking its tail round its paws tidy...( Welsh tidy is a bit like American neat .....)

I will say that no it is not necessary...this will open a floodgate of yes sayers :D....but whatever.....I have always found it simpler to tie a knot in the end....slide through the hole in the bridge and over the saddle ....or sometimes thread backward through the bridge if it is a bit fiddly the other way then tie the knot and pull back.......the reason that I say that I believe it to be unnecessary is because some bridges have a simple slot and no hole drilled right through....some bridges (shudder...... for me anyway) thread through the soundboard and over the bridge so this intertwining of the strings , whilst remarkably pleasing to the eye ...and fair do's it is pleasing ...is a bit like an arched ceiling in a cathedral, in that " it has no form or function other than to please the eye "


There will be those who will write that you can pull a knot through the hole...then tie a bigger knot.....:rolleyes:


Your Dad sounds like an eminently sensible fellow.......and right there has put his finger on the whole crux....
 
Your dad is right, leave them cut short. I ordered a Pono uke from HMS with a specific string on it, Andrew set it up and they are cut short. I think those guys know more about stringing then all of us combined.
 
I tuck the tail end of the string back into the hole to look even neater though I don't leave the tail as long as you would if you were trapping the tail under the neighboring knot as pictured above. It would also allow you to change an individual string though I'd never bother changing just one, I'd just put in a new set if an individual string broke. (Which has never happened to me.)
 
Your dad is right, leave them cut short. I ordered a Pono uke from HMS with a specific string on it, Andrew set it up and they are cut short. I think those guys know more about stringing then all of us combined.

I agree. When a string on my baritone broke, I had to take a coupla strings loose to change it. If the hole is too big, you can put a small bead on the string as a keeper. The ones on my pineapple are gold and look pretty classy.

Dads are always right anyway! :eek:ld:
 
Nah, you don't have to do it that way. I used to. It was a pain. I just trim them close to the knot.
 
Is this necessary, or just tradition? My dad is recommending I skip that because it would be easier to change out just one string if ever I'm playing with someone and don't have time to change all the strings.
Your dad's not wrong! Having said that, with this style of bridge, it does make for a neat and tidy job.
Having been lazy and re-strung a similar instrument "the easy way" I went back and re-did it 'cos I found there were sharp ends of the strings digging into my picking hand ... fortunately I'd left enough slack to enable me to do this. In the event of just one string snapping it's easy enough to pull the end free and do a quick-style replacement, just leave yourself a bit of slack at the other end so's you can re-do it tidily when you get home ;)

Obviously instrument size and strumming/picking styles may dictate whether or not sharp ends of the strings are likely to be a problem, I only have an issue with soprano's when using a plectrum for melody, but I do use a strap. If you're clamping the body of your instrument with your forearm or the ball of your hand, sharp ends may be a nuisance ;)

YMMV :)
 
...is a bit like an arched ceiling in a cathedral, in that " it has no form or function other than to please the eye "

1. That sounds a little like Jerome K Jerome
2. Possibly hold the roof up. Sometimes those flying buttresses are important.
3. Don't hold a roof up with a Uke.
4. Why are you holding a church roof up anyway?

I may have had too much Rioja
 
Depends on the bridge. On some ukes, if not tucked, the sharp ends of the cut strings sticking out from the knot scratch against my arm. I really don't enjoy that much. I guess I could cut them closer to the knot, maybe that would work.
 
1. That sounds a little like Jerome K Jerome
2. Possibly hold the roof up. Sometimes those flying buttresses are important.
3. Don't hold a roof up with a Uke.
4. Why are you holding a church roof up anyway?

I may have had too much Rioja

Ah vino espangole ,bravo......I don't remember who made the original quote but I learned it whilst stood a sphincter clenching 3 feet ABOVE the arched ceiling of Lincoln Cathedral on a very narrow flimsy looking wooden walkway ....the roof was still some thirty to forty feet above us as the guide happily proclaimed this quote and said that there was no structural importance to an arched ceiling ...effectively , it just looked good.....this put the floor of Lincoln cathedral about 70 to 90 feet below.....I'm not good with heights.....and we still had the outside of the roof to look at ....I know ...why did I go ....so that's 1 and 2.

3 Noooooo ,not a good idea.
4. well I was only interested then for purely selfish and survival reasons ,obviously.....as to the rioja ....nah ,never too much of the good stuff....Cheers...I'll raise you a Whyte & Mckay Special Blend... and now must get back on topic .....cut those irritating little bits of string with a pair of nail clippers or nail scissors ...and that is also why I double size the knot as well........trust me ...I have been doing this a looooong time.......(we may have got away with the digression..)
 
I am admittedly somewhat anal retentive. So I tuck in the strings. I think it looks good and as Phil said, I don't get scratched by the sharp ends. But it is strictly cosmetic.
 
I hate getting ukes with the string ends tied. If you have to change just one string, (as I not infrequently do) you end up with an unaesthetic mess, defeating the whole purpose. It's just a sales gimmick divorced from practicality. When I see a uke with tails tied, I think "new uke, newbie or obsessive compulsive."

I never used to do it, but do now. I figure it is worth it to me aesthetically. It is kinda a new uke, I am not a newbie, but I am obsessive compulsive. It has no function, but I prefer the tidy appearance.
 
I tuck.

It took me a while to learn this, I think it's cool, tidy, and I like showing off that I can do it. LOL

Mine are tucked where they can't bite my right hand.

But it's nothing, compared to stringing a uke with an 8 hole bridge....that was a real learning curve.
 
I tuck the ends of the strings back into the holes because the sharp string ends were wearing away and starting to make holes in the cuffs of some of my shirts.
 
As a newbie, I find this to be a fascinating thread. It's something I noticed, right away, about ukulele. i have noticed different variations of it too. Some have all the tails tucked together before trimming; some have one tucked under the next and trimmed; some are individually trimmed and not tucked at all.... I have been wondering which way is correct. I couldn't help but chuckle a bit when we got my daughter's Makala Shark. The strings are all tucked together around the shape of the shark fin. And I have noticed that they have a tendency to slide up over the fin.
 
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