Troublesome "A" string...

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TheBathBird
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Hi guys,

This morning I rather lazily decided to take a brand new set of Martin strings off an Ohana soprano I rarely play, and put them on my Martin OXK, but the A string kept slipping out of the hole on the tuner. I decided to cut my losses and put the original A string back on, and now that one's doing the same thing! Is it because there's not enough length in the string? (There's a good 1/2 inch sticking through the hole before I start winding), or is it to do with the way the string has already stretched? Either way, is there any trick to get it to stick, or am I going to have to go without a soprano uke until I can get some new strings :(
Any advice would be gratefully received!

Victoria.
 
If you have 1/2" sticking throught the hole you can do one of two things. Both methods will require you backing that string and starting over. Stick the string through the hole, pull through your 1/2", bring it back half way around the post and stick it through the hole again. Or do the same put when you have brought it to the hole tie it off to the string where it starts into the hole. Both ways "lock" the string on the post and it will not slip as you wind it. By the how many times does the string wrap around the post, you want three wraps minimum.
 
Ah, brilliant, thanks Dave. I was wondering whether tying it might be an option, poking it back through the hole sounds a bit less fiddly though. I probably did have at least 3 turns round the post, but the string looks kind of mashed at that end, so I guess that's not helping. (I've also got a set of fairly new aquilas hanging around, maybe they'd be a bit more grippy..) Anyway, thanks again :)
 
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