Martins - Strings on Tuners

Jerryc41

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Are all Martin sopranos strung with the G and A strings winding clockwise around the G and A tuning pegs? That is, the strings are wrapped around the outside of the tuning posts, rather than around the inside. My tenor is wound in the conventional way.

Martin OXK Head.jpg Martin IZ2.jpg
 
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Strings should always be wound from the inside, as the IZ model shows. But when you look at the picture of the other headstock those tuners closest to the nut with the windings coming from the outside have the strings in a better straight line position. Every Martin soprano I have seen has been like your IZ, windings from the inside.
 
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Why should they? I see no particular reason for it, so am genuinely curious rather than picking an argument!

The Martin site shows their sopranos all wound in that unusual way. Older Martins I've seen for sale are wound the traditional way, probably because the strings have been changed sometime in the past fifty years, and the people doing the changing used the traditional winding method.
 
New Martins that I have seen (sopranos at least) seem to be strung in this straight line method. Not sure of any advantages or disadvantages
 
I don't think it matters. Some people like all their friction style tuners to turn in one direction, counterclockwise, like a guitar. If so, go for it. I wondered about this when I first got into ukes, tried it both ways, and now am used to the traditional way: G & C turning clockwise, and E & A turning counterclockwise.
 
Why should they? I see no particular reason for it, so am genuinely curious rather than picking an argument!

I guess I should have said "That seems to be the standard way all makes of ukes come wound from the factoies" The word "should" was not meant as gopel. I really don't know anything, just stating what I have observed.

I will leave this conversation now
 
Genuinely no need to - I was just asking in order to learn something new. I even said I wasn't being argumentative, just curious. I guess I won't ask next time so as to avoid any upset!

Jim, not upset at all. What I should have added was I will leave the conversation now because I really didn't have a definitive answer. You asked a good question and I just wanted to sit back and see if someone would pop in with a real answer.

Cheers no hard feelings
 
Jim, not upset at all. What I should have added was I will leave the conversation now because I really didn't have a definitive answer. You asked a good question and I just wanted to sit back and see if someone would pop in with a real answer.

Cheers no hard feelings

Wicked, cheers Dave :cheers:
 
Do whatever you want, I like them all to turn the same way, ie all wound to the inside...less confusing.
 
I guess I should have said "That seems to be the standard way all makes of ukes come wound from the factoies" The word "should" was not meant as gopel. I really don't know anything, just stating what I have observed.

I will leave this conversation now

Up to a couple of days ago, I had thirty-eight ukes, and that is the only one wound like that. Still, the sopranos on the Martin site are wound in that odd way. It does make for a straighter line from nut to tuner, but does that really matter? Tuning is a nuisance, with each tuner turning in a different direction.
 
I just bought my first uke with friction tuners, and I always feel that I have turn them the "wrong" way for the g and C strings that are wound from the inside. Although it seems to provide a straighter path to the tuner for the g and a strings, the way it is shown for the Martin would even be more confusing.
 
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It's not the usual way, but not wrong. I've seen James Hill string one of his DaSilva ukes with Peghead tuners that way. It would drive me nuts trying to remember which way to turn the tuner though.
 
I just bought my first uke with friction tuners, and I always feel that I have turn them the "wrong" way for the g and C strings that are wound from the inside. Although it seems to provide a straighter path to the tuner for the g and a strings, the way it is shown for the Martin would even be more confusing.

As any Gibson electric guitar owner will know, having a straight path from the nut to the tuner is a good thing - it's why the G string on a Les Paul won't stay in tune. But on ukes, where you don't tend to bend the strings as much, I haven't found this to be as much of an issue. However, I do remember some mention of altering the wraps to keep the path more straight when using Aquila red strings, which (at least in the past) were getting some reports of frequent breakage. Some folks felt it helped to keep the path straight at the nut by using outside wraps. I already find it confusing when I switch from a uke with gear tuners to planetary tuners trying to remember which way is up.
 
"Whatever gets you through the night, is alright" as John Lennon sang... but I think that having two tuners turn one way, and two the other would confuse me greatly when it came to knowing which way I was going to sharpen or flatten a string
 
I have wondered about this since I bought the Centennial S1 Martin soprano. It came from the Mexican factory strung in what was for me, this unusual way. I didn't change it, assuming there was some reason. I got used to it pretty quick, and plan to leave it that way...unless! someone has the definitive answer? I switch from uke to uke and really don't even notice anymore.
 
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