new tuners and Worth brown strings

I have an Ohana SK15BL soprano uke but I didnt like the friction tuners on it. I bought the precision tuners from Mainland Uke and they went on without a problem but when I put some Worth Browns on it they haven't stopped stretching. I did this three days ago and only the C has stopped stretching the A and E will go out of tune as I watch. Is this normal? I know the Aquilas stretch too but this is discouraging. Can anyone tell me if I just have to wait on them or what. I love the tuners they are so smooth compared to the gotohs that were on it.

Aloha Jtafaro,
I believe it may be the breaking in on the strings, it's not how many days it takes to break in, but how much you play them.. just be a little more patient and it'll come around..
To quicken the process, bend each string individually from side to side 3 or 4 times on all four strings and retune. Do this for for 3 -4 times or as needed. Next day do the same.
Also when stringing into posts, I send the string in twice to ensure no slippage, also the "C" string is thicker and may be difficult to pull through the second time, so I cut the
string at an angle to make it easier...I hope it helps!! Good Luck...MM Stan...

On classical guitars, I always use a lock wrap at the tuners to stop the nylon strings from sliding on the tuner. That might be part of the issue as well.

Yep, I've found that the way you string an uke has a tremendous effect on the slippage. I now use 3 winds and a lock wrap at the bottom as well as a lock wrap at the top. Still takes a day or two but once it starts to hold tune, it's pretty much there.

Has it been particularly humid? That has an effect on tuning as well.

BTW, I think you're going to love the Worths on your Ohana. I just strung my TK-50G up with BT-LG and it sounds like a dream.

It's always humid here with the dew point near 70. I always lock wrap strings at the pegs but this uke uses knots at the bridge. I had the same problem with a set of Martin Flourocarbon strings but they have stopped streching. I tried Worth clears once before and had stretch problems and took them off in favor of Aquilas. I am not giving up this timje and will wait them out. They are synthetic strings and will stretch a lot but I didn't think they would stretch that much.

Are you sure it's the strings that stretch, and not the new friction tuners themselves that unwind? If you can make the tuner twist by pulling the string, it's too loose and you need to tighten the end screw a bit.

When I put Worths on my mahogany concert I was surprised how long it took for them to finish stretching, not as drastic as Aquila's but it took a while. Just be patient, they will stop. And as MM Stan said manually pulling on the strings seems to speed the process too.

i put aquilas on my banjo about a month ago and they're STILL stretching, even now. same thing with my uke.

here's a simple trick to tying at the tuner:

for the sake of example, say you're working with the g (4th) string..

turn the tuner so that the hole in it is pointed to 11:00 and 5:00, so slightly off of up and down, angled to the right. like this: \

put the string through the top, out of the bottom, then put the slack around the outside edge, wrap it down toward the nut, and yank upward on it as you give the tuner a good couple winds. this should lock it

once you've got it tuned up to pitch, pinch the string at the 12th fret and pull upwards, then sideways each way. tune it back up. repeat four or five times.

Aloaha Jtafaro,
Also as 8890 said check to see if you tuning knob screws on the post is tight enough and not slipping....MM Stan..

Worth browns are stunning it's nice to mix it up and go for some mellow strings they do take ages to stretch

After four days I did as 8890 said and tightened the screws on the tuners a bit more and it worked. They will take a few days more to really sound good I think but they sound nice now.

I just installed some Worth BM's on my standard KoAloha last night. Yeah, they de-tuned as I watched. Still, they were a definite improvement over the original strings. The sound was clearer and brighter.

One problem I encountered was that this uke is a 2000 model and the strings are kept in place at the bridge by knotting the end of a string and sliding it into slots. Since the BM's are of a smaller diameter than the original strings, the knot on the 4th string (re-entrant tuning) slipped through the slot when I tried tuning the string up. The thing is, I used a "Figure-8" knot--a bulkier stopper knot than the overhand knot I saw on the original string. The degree of knot shrinkage--due to string stretching--was more than I anticipated. I ended up having to "fatten up" the knot some more before it would stay put.

I can't wait until the strings are done stretching. I really love the sound of the Worths. Interestingly, the stock clear strings on my tenor KoAloha always need to be re-tuned every time I pick it up. And that can be several times in a day. I guess that's the nature of the beast, when it comes to polymer-type strings.

--Dave E.

ceviche said:

I Since the BM's are of a smaller diameter than the original strings, the knot on the 4th string (re-entrant tuning) slipped through the slot when I tried tuning the string up. The thing is, I used a "Figure-8" knot--a bulkier stopper knot than the overhand knot I saw on the original string. The degree of knot shrinkage--due to string stretching--was more than I anticipated. I ended up having to "fatten up" the knot some more before it would stay put.

Click to expand...

I have taken to using a knot behind a glass bead, it works well.

robbocx said:

I have taken to using a knot behind a glass bead, it works well.

Click to expand...

Now, THAT'S the ticket!