neo1022
Well-known member
Hi all,
I've run into a problem I'm having a hard time figuring out. When I was restringing my new Blackbird Farallon, I noticed that the flurocarbon A string (put on by Joel at HMS during setup) was fraying at the tuner head (Gotoh planetary), at the base of the wind around the tuner head. The string was white, fattened out, and the strands were separating.
I figured it was just a bad string, so I put another one on (Oasis Warm) tuned it, and let it settle in. When I looked it the next day, I saw that the bottom wind had gone white again. When I backed it off the head a bit, I saw that it had also flattened and separated. I tried two additional fluorocarbon strings (Martin and another Oasis), all with the same results. The Worth actually snapped during tuning.
So, I'm wondering what's going on. Two different people using three different sets of strings have all produced the same results, so I know it's not stringing technique or a bad batch of strings. The peg head is smooth with no burrs or sharp edges. The nut groove seems to be smooth and wide enough. It's always the last wind around the peg that seems to fray. And I'm not overstretching the string -- it's tuned to A4.
It almost seems like the tension on that bottom wind gets a bit too high for the string to handle, and the fibers in the fluorocarbon begin to snap right on the tuner head (which gives it the deformed white separated look). The string looks fine until you slacken it and unwind it from the tuner head -- then you can see the damage.
This is not an issue on any other strings on the instrument, and it has never been a problem on any other ukes I own (including another Farallon I have). Any ideas? It's driving me crazy!!!
Thanks!
I've run into a problem I'm having a hard time figuring out. When I was restringing my new Blackbird Farallon, I noticed that the flurocarbon A string (put on by Joel at HMS during setup) was fraying at the tuner head (Gotoh planetary), at the base of the wind around the tuner head. The string was white, fattened out, and the strands were separating.
I figured it was just a bad string, so I put another one on (Oasis Warm) tuned it, and let it settle in. When I looked it the next day, I saw that the bottom wind had gone white again. When I backed it off the head a bit, I saw that it had also flattened and separated. I tried two additional fluorocarbon strings (Martin and another Oasis), all with the same results. The Worth actually snapped during tuning.
So, I'm wondering what's going on. Two different people using three different sets of strings have all produced the same results, so I know it's not stringing technique or a bad batch of strings. The peg head is smooth with no burrs or sharp edges. The nut groove seems to be smooth and wide enough. It's always the last wind around the peg that seems to fray. And I'm not overstretching the string -- it's tuned to A4.
It almost seems like the tension on that bottom wind gets a bit too high for the string to handle, and the fibers in the fluorocarbon begin to snap right on the tuner head (which gives it the deformed white separated look). The string looks fine until you slacken it and unwind it from the tuner head -- then you can see the damage.
This is not an issue on any other strings on the instrument, and it has never been a problem on any other ukes I own (including another Farallon I have). Any ideas? It's driving me crazy!!!
Thanks!