I'll have to dig them out and look, I bought three different sizes.
Knots & slots -- argh!
- Thread starter bellgamin
- Start date
I'll have to dig them out and look, I bought three different sizes.
OP
OP
Great link -- THANKS!!!
One post said, in part: "The headstock with the tuners on one side makes the ukulele look like a mini Fender guitar."
To the contrary, guitars look like mutant, overgrown ukuleles. (^_^)
I bought my first ukulele, a tenor Fender Nohea, based upon the looks of the headstock and because the listings said "all-koa." It really stood out from all of the others. I liked the Fender design very much. The tuners weren't the greatest, but they did their jobs. And made tuning it a breeze for a novice.
I still have a tenor with a fender shaped headstock. It's a beautiful solid-maple Aaron Oya custom I bought from Ukulele Friend. Really unique. Both in sound and design. And still a pleasure to tune once I found the ukulele D'Addario sound hole tuner. Otherwise, it was a pain to find a place to clip on a tuner. Even a micro.
I find it curious that so many people think it's difficult to string a slot head. It's a touch slower, but I don't think it's difficult at all. Pretty much a geared tuner on its side. Just have to remember to start the string winding in the correct direction, left or right. But you do the same thing with a tuner peg except going down. With a winder it's pretty easy.
I still have a tenor with a fender shaped headstock. It's a beautiful solid-maple Aaron Oya custom I bought from Ukulele Friend. Really unique. Both in sound and design. And still a pleasure to tune once I found the ukulele D'Addario sound hole tuner. Otherwise, it was a pain to find a place to clip on a tuner. Even a micro.
I find it curious that so many people think it's difficult to string a slot head. It's a touch slower, but I don't think it's difficult at all. Pretty much a geared tuner on its side. Just have to remember to start the string winding in the correct direction, left or right. But you do the same thing with a tuner peg except going down. With a winder it's pretty easy.
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Sorry, I got off topic with my previous post.
I honestly don't care what kind of bridge a uke has. (Though I haven't even seen an 8-hole bridge. Let alone strung one.) Slot, pegs, peg-slot, tie, through-the-bridge. It doesn't matter. There are pros and cons for each type:
Slot: I play fluorocarbon string on all my tenors. The A-string is really thin and sometimes pulls through unless I tie a BIG knot. I haven't tried a bead because they don't fit into the space under the slot. Fast and easy to use.
Pegs & Peg-Slot: I use a bead. Again the very thin Fluoro A-string would pull through unless I tied a very big knot. And sometimes even then. A bead prevents that.
Tie, Tie bar: Once you do it a few times it becomes fast and easy to do. I do not tuck my string ends. It looks cool, but is a real PIA if you have to change only one string. I followed Jerry's instructions on how tie to make sure all of your string ends point to the right (towards the floor when playing) so they don't poke your arm. It works! Thanks Jerry, great tip. My other gripe with tie bridges is that the strings dig into the bridge. Martin put a poor wood quality, unfinished mahogany(?) bridge on my 1T IZ. It looks like crap and when I changed the strings a week after I got it, there were deep intentions into the bridge wood from the strings! I used a small piece of Low-G string underneath to help lessen the effect.
Through-the-Bridge: Fishing the string ends out through the sound hole can be a PIA. Especially if they get hung up on some bracing. Putting a bead on the string prevents any pull-through. The holes in the bridge do wear eventually from the string unless the hole is lined. But it isn't a function problem.
Which reminds me, I need to but a couple of beads in my toolkit. In case I break a string that uses them...
I honestly don't care what kind of bridge a uke has. (Though I haven't even seen an 8-hole bridge. Let alone strung one.) Slot, pegs, peg-slot, tie, through-the-bridge. It doesn't matter. There are pros and cons for each type:
Slot: I play fluorocarbon string on all my tenors. The A-string is really thin and sometimes pulls through unless I tie a BIG knot. I haven't tried a bead because they don't fit into the space under the slot. Fast and easy to use.
Pegs & Peg-Slot: I use a bead. Again the very thin Fluoro A-string would pull through unless I tied a very big knot. And sometimes even then. A bead prevents that.
Tie, Tie bar: Once you do it a few times it becomes fast and easy to do. I do not tuck my string ends. It looks cool, but is a real PIA if you have to change only one string. I followed Jerry's instructions on how tie to make sure all of your string ends point to the right (towards the floor when playing) so they don't poke your arm. It works! Thanks Jerry, great tip. My other gripe with tie bridges is that the strings dig into the bridge. Martin put a poor wood quality, unfinished mahogany(?) bridge on my 1T IZ. It looks like crap and when I changed the strings a week after I got it, there were deep intentions into the bridge wood from the strings! I used a small piece of Low-G string underneath to help lessen the effect.
Through-the-Bridge: Fishing the string ends out through the sound hole can be a PIA. Especially if they get hung up on some bracing. Putting a bead on the string prevents any pull-through. The holes in the bridge do wear eventually from the string unless the hole is lined. But it isn't a function problem.
Which reminds me, I need to but a couple of beads in my toolkit. In case I break a string that uses them...
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ukeanixi
Well-known member
Jerryc41
Well-known member
I couldn't find solid black, so I got a bag with mixed colors - not sure of the size.
I have a lanikai with that bridge. I have been unable to keep the g and a strings from slipping when restringing so I just use one hole for those strings and tie off in the conventional manner. I always thought the use of 2 holes was for more efficient stringing at the factory.. In looking at my uke I can see that the break angle is indeed steeper using 2 holes for the string, so there may be something to the break angle thing.
I briefly owned a Lanikai 8 string which had the identical bridge with the strings tied off conventionally using 1 hole per string.
ukeanixi
Well-known member
I suppose you could double back on both holes...
Swiftsailor98
Well-known member
I had a Lanikai soprano with this 8 hole bridge. I had similar issues with g and a string slippage. I ended up going to bridge beads (Diamond Secure Ukulele Guitar String Ties/Ukulele Beads). I found them on Amazon in both black and white. They're decorative enough that they look classy below the bridge.
I use a set of the black colored version for my Kala tenor with a tie bridge. Linking it back to the OP question: I'm sure they would work for slot bridges, but I haven't done it. My semi-OCD quirkiness wouldn't allow me to put them on my Martins.
Jerryc41
Well-known member
I had a Lanikai soprano with this 8 hole bridge. I had similar issues with g and a string slippage. I ended up going to bridge beads (Diamond Secure Ukulele Guitar String Ties/Ukulele Beads). I found them on Amazon in both black and white. They're decorative enough that they look classy below the bridge. View attachment 125884
I use a set of the black colored version for my Kala tenor with a tie bridge. Linking it back to the OP question: I'm sure they would work for slot bridges, but I haven't done it. My semi-OCD quirkiness wouldn't allow me to put them on my Martins.
Interesting adaptation.
In reflecting back on string changes I have made on this instrument I remember that I had no problem using the factory method when I restrung it with nylguts and daddario titanium. I have since struggled with Martin premiums and Martin fluorocarbon. Perhaps it is due to some slipperier quality of these strings. I haven't compared the string gauges, and the Martin strings might be a smaller diameter. At any rate it doesn't look too bad- The outside and inside pairs match each other. I'm not bothered by the string wrap as I had a classical guitar years ago and learned the restringing technique. If the shallower break angle of conventional stringing makes a difference my tin ears have not noticed.
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The smallest I could find at Michael's are about 7.5mm. I think I paid $4 for a package of about a bazillion of them.
besley
Well-known member
Get both and try them (they're about $6 for a bag).
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00VNLU0G4/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00VNLXVFG/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
