Which Way Do You Wind Your Strings?

Tsani

Tsani

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OK, this is a weird question, but which way do you wind your strings on the tuner posts?

For awhile I was trying to wind them so that the strings were as straight as possible. The G string was wound counterclockwise so that the string came off the left side of the post and went straight through the nut. The C string was wound clockwise and the string came off the right side of the post. The E string and A string were wound in mirror image of the G and C.

The problem is that you get confused about which way is tighter or looser, but of course you are plucking as you tune so you quickly figure out which way to turn it.

In stringing my Aloha recently I decided it was just too complicated so I wound them all clockwise.

So I know this is really weird and OCD. However it is aesthetically appealing for the strings to be straighter.

Does anybody else obsess about which way to wind the strings? Is there a "correct" way? Do you guys think it might affect the life of the strings for them to be straighter as opposed to being pulled through the nut at an angle?

How many of you just think I'm insane? :D
 
The "correct" way is to have the G and C string come off on the right side and to have the E and A string come off on the left side. Just look up "ukulele headstock" on google images and you should find the preferred way it should look.
 
Tsani said:
OK, this is a weird question, but which way do you wind your strings on the tuner posts?

For awhile I was trying to wind them so that the strings were as straight as possible. The G string was wound counterclockwise so that the string came off the left side of the post and went straight through the nut. The C string was wound clockwise and the string came off the right side of the post. The E string and A string were wound in mirror image of the G and C.

The problem is that you get confused about which way is tighter or looser, but of course you are plucking as you tune so you quickly figure out which way to turn it.

In stringing my Aloha recently I decided it was just too complicated so I wound them all clockwise.

So I know this is really weird and OCD. However it is aesthetically appealing for the strings to be straighter.

Does anybody else obsess about which way to wind the strings? Is there a "correct" way? Do you guys think it might affect the life of the strings for them to be straighter as opposed to being pulled through the nut at an angle?

How many of you just think I'm insane? :D
Click to expand...

You called it....:D

The correct way is the way SuperSecretBeta expained it.
 
Weird, I was thinking about this last night, too. I recently re-strung my tenor and just like on guitar, I made it so all the strings crank up/down in the same direction. That's not a problem with a slotted headstock, but I realized that on the uke my strings all lay to the left of the pegs so they're not really symmetrical.

So, I'm doing it wrong? With it "correctly" strung, to raise pitch on the top two strings you'd crank to the right, but to raise pitch on the lower two strings you'd crank left?
 
itsme said:
Weird, I was thinking about this last night, too. I recently re-strung my tenor and just like on guitar, I made it so all the strings crank up/down in the same direction. That's not a problem with a slotted headstock, but I realized that on the uke my strings all lay to the left of the pegs so they're not really symmetrical.

So, I'm doing it wrong? With it "correctly" strung, to raise pitch on the top two strings you'd crank to the right, but to raise pitch on the lower two strings you'd crank left?
Click to expand...

Depends if you have friction tuners or geared tuners. It also depends on what you mean by turning left or turning right, but the top two and bottom two typically are turned in different directions (unless you have a fender-style headstock). Your best shot at "correctly" strung is looking at online pictures, and then figuring out which way to turn the tuners to get it to look like those.
 
SuperSecretBETA said:
Depends if you have friction tuners or geared tuners. It also depends on what you mean by turning left or turning right, but the top two and bottom two typically are turned in different directions (unless you have a fender-style headstock). Your best shot at "correctly" strung is looking at online pictures, and then figuring out which way to turn the tuners to get it to look like those.
Click to expand...
They're geared.

Other than the fact that the C string touches the inside of the G post (which I imagine could create more wear on the string at that point) is there a problem with stringing a uke so so all the tuning buttons crank the same direction for up/down other than the fact that it's nice aesthetically to have them symmetrical?
 
KC8AFW said:
Like this...

Favilla_14.jpg
Click to expand...


Thats how I do it too. For what ever reason, when I look at a uke (like on eBay) and see strings not in this matter, it bugs me...
 
What if you have a slotted headstock? :eek:
 
this is something I thought was obvious, until my brother bought a guitar and strung it so all keys would wind the same way (meaning two of them were wrong)

takes all kinds I guess...
 
SuperSecretBETA said:
Depends if you have friction tuners or geared tuners. It also depends on what you mean by turning left or turning right, but the top two and bottom two typically are turned in different directions (unless you have a fender-style headstock). Your best shot at "correctly" strung is looking at online pictures, and then figuring out which way to turn the tuners to get it to look like those.
Click to expand...

I dislike the way that friction tuners have two buttons that turn the wrong way to keep the strings looking neat on top, but it is just a question of getting used to it. The good thing is that you don't have to wind and wind to tune friction tuners.

(On the other hand, I dislike the way a soprano head-dives with geared tuners, and I have not been able to get used to that at all.)

If only we could get a ukulele that was always in tune. If only we could have a ukulele that didn't need strings!
 
Skrik said:
If only we could get a ukulele that was always in tune. If only we could have a ukulele that didn't need strings!
Click to expand...

You just need to talk to Gibson about building a robot ukulele. (The "Instructions" video is interesting...)

--Mark
 
Skrik said:
I dislike the way that friction tuners have two buttons that turn the wrong way to keep the strings looking neat on top, but it is just a question of getting used to it. The good thing is that you don't have to wind and wind to tune friction tuners.

(On the other hand, I dislike the way a soprano head-dives with geared tuners, and I have not been able to get used to that at all.)

If only we could get a ukulele that was always in tune. If only we could have a ukulele that didn't need strings!
Click to expand...

I once owned a mele concert that I kept the original strings on for 8 years. I owned it a year and the strings were original. It stayed in tune as well.

Tsani, you got ocd I got add. I turn my string thingies which ever way I want to. I always try to do it the right way but is there really a tuner police that will come and arrest us for doing it differently?
 
Tim Pike said:
Thats how I do it too. For what ever reason, when I look at a uke (like on eBay) and see strings not in this matter, it bugs me...
Click to expand...
uh oh... looking at ukes is dangerous... especially if you are looking enough to be bothered by the way people strung them. you are just temping the UAS beast.

Kmetzger said:
Depends if your north or south of the equator.
Click to expand...
Ah! good ole coriolis effect... I wonder if I should compensate for the eotvos effect (a component of the coriolis effect). it might put more of an accent on my up strums when i uke while traveling west? wait, or is it east?


spots said:
What if you have a slotted headstock? :eek:
Click to expand...
best solution for this particular issue IMHO. on my classic headstock uke, strings all go nicely over and around (if that makes sense)... and all magically turn the same way... which, strangely enough, took some getting used to.

haolejohn said:
I once owned a mele concert that I kept the original strings on for 8 years. I owned it a year and the strings were original. It stayed in tune as well.

Tsani, you got ocd I got add. I turn my string thingies which ever way I want to. I always try to do it the right way but is there really a tuner police that will come and arrest us for doing it differently?
Click to expand...
hahha, yeah no tuner police... that i know of... [paranoid]


Ultimately, it may not matter much on most ukes, but i have noticed that on some of my ukes with a bigger nut (don't get me started talking about my big nuts) the slot is clearly angled to accommodate the bend in the strings. and the angles on each side (line of symmetry along length down middle of fret board) are the same... mirror image. I'm guessing, but i think it would not look right to string it "wrong". AND I would worry about pinching the strings in the wrong place on the back of the nut (don't get me started talking about the back of my big nuts) and having an intonation problem or something.
 
Last edited:
Tsani said:
OK, this is a weird question, but which way do you wind your strings on the tuner posts?
How many of you just think I'm insane? :D
Click to expand...
You're not insane at all, just a typical obsessive ukulele player like the rest of us. The picture previously posted is the way Aldrine taught us on a lesson.

Here's another related question, (I don't think it's been addressed). On the post, does the extra length of string wind up or down on the post? I followed Aldrines lead on this also, he winds his down so the tension on the nut is greater.
 
salukulady said:
You're not insane at all, just a typical obsessive ukulele player like the rest of us. The picture previously posted is the way Aldrine taught us on a lesson.

Here's another related question, (I don't think it's been addressed). On the post, does the extra length of string wind up or down on the post? I followed Aldrines lead on this also, he winds his down so the tension on the nut is greater.
Click to expand...
I like greater tension on my nuts (don't get me started talking about tension on my nuts) so I wind down as well. This might be confusing to describe but I usually make sure there is only enough slack on the string to go around a few times and then I go once around up and then start back down crossing over right where the loose end of the string pops out... then the rest is wound down. it's a little more involved but that's the gist. On some of my tuners the hole to start the string is in the middle or closer to the bottom and leaves less room to wind down... I have to be extra carefull about how much string is left so that I don't reach the bottom and have to double back... that's just annoying. OCD for the win!
 
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