String changing ?? tips ?

John McGuire · Post by **John McGuire** » 23 Feb 2007 8:32 am

Here's a silly question for you vets. When changing strings on my BMI it was very simple as I just held the ball end in the changer slot. Now on my Emmons the ball goes on the pin. Anybody have any tricks they use to keep it from comming off the pin before it gets tight? I was going to put a pencil or something in to hold it on but figured I would ask the experts first!

John Roche · Post by **John Roche** » 23 Feb 2007 8:56 am

a wedge shape piece of wood. I use it on my ZB.

Brint Hannay · Post by **Brint Hannay** » 23 Feb 2007 9:02 am

I use a Phillips head screwdriver for my Mullen. Not ideal, as sometimes it falls out when the string pulls the finger back. Been meaning to fashion a wedge shaped piece of wood.

Post by **Dave Mudgett** » 23 Feb 2007 9:05 am

Like John R., I use a wedge-shaped piece of wood. I cut it out of a piece of scrap wood to fit. Yep, it can be a pain with the ball end flying out while you're winding.

Mike Ester · Post by **Mike Ester** » 23 Feb 2007 9:15 am

I just take the string out of the envelope, fold that envelope into a wedge, and use that to hold the ball end in place until I tighten the string.

Bill Fuentes · Post by **Bill Fuentes** » 23 Feb 2007 9:29 am

For the Emmons, I use the wood wedge too, I was proud that I had figured that out all my own, out of necessity

I did have little rubber wedges, but the little 'ol piece of wood is perfect

George McLellan · Post by **George McLellan** » 23 Feb 2007 9:35 am

John, I didn't think to mention it to you, but when I would change strings on it, I used ½ of a spring loaded clothes pin. The tappered end would fit in there just right to hold the ball on the pin.

Geo

Michael Douchette · Post by **Michael Douchette** » 23 Feb 2007 9:42 am

Gosh... I just put the end of the string through the key head, turn it a bit, put the ball on the pin, pull the string up away from the guitar, and start winding... I've never needed an accessory...

Hook Moore · Post by **Hook Moore** » 23 Feb 2007 9:44 am

I do it the same way as Michael.
Hook

Don Discher · Post by **Don Discher** » 23 Feb 2007 10:06 am

I used a Qtip with a couple wraps of tape.

Mike Wheeler · Post by **Mike Wheeler** » 23 Feb 2007 10:29 am

Maybe you guys ought to buy guitars with the strings already on them!!

John McGuire · Post by **John McGuire** » 23 Feb 2007 11:06 am

I have been doing it that way Michael and most of the time it works fine, if no one keeps trying to talk to me in the process or some other distraction. Soooooo I was just wondering what everyone else did. Thanks George for the clothes pin idea. Thanks to all who responded. Oh btw my guitar did have strings on it when I bought it !!!! lol

Bill Moore (RIP) · Post by **Bill Moore (RIP)** » 23 Feb 2007 11:17 am

I do it the same as Mike and Hook, except that I put a little bend in the string just in front of the ball end. That kind of helps to keep it from "springing" off the pin. Pull the string away from the fretboard til it's tight.

Ray Minich · Post by **Ray Minich** » 23 Feb 2007 11:43 am

I use both halves of the spring loaded clothespin. Fat end of one, thin end of the other...
Wedge that puppy in there so it ain't gonna move off the pin.
Then, Have a good time with the stringwinder.

Ward Skinner · Post by **Ward Skinner** » 23 Feb 2007 4:03 pm

I know this sounds stupid, but I use part of a ping pong net clamp. Kinda big, but hey, hard to lose. And works great for seating the balls on the pin if needed. I also have a welding rod bent to an L shape, with a small hole near the end, and a V notch on the end...sometimes needed to bend the thicker strings, 6th on E9 or a lot on C6, since I string the way Jeff Newman recomended.

Bob Baringer · Post by **Bob Baringer** » 23 Feb 2007 5:33 pm

I use a ball point pen (retracted) that I keep in my seat, soft and works OK

Ken Williams · Post by **Ken Williams** » 23 Feb 2007 11:24 pm

I put the string through the keyhead peg first. Then place the ball end on the peg at the changer. Then I just hold it on there with my finger(middle I think) and put my thumb in under the string about where the pickup is. The upward pressure of the thumb puts a little tension on the string so I can wind 'er up.
One word of caution, about a year or so ago I broke the 6th string peg off on the C6th neck while changing strings. I believe the string was too far out on the end of the peg causing undo pressure on the peg. I had to drill a hole in the changer and install another peg. Ever since then I'm extra careful to make sure that the ball end is all the way down on the peg before I start tightening the string up, especially with the heavier gauges.

Ken

David Doggett · Post by **David Doggett** » 23 Feb 2007 11:56 pm

I have a piece of foam rubber cut to a convenient size to wedge behind the pin to hold the ball end on until string tension takes over.

CrowBear Schmitt · Post by **CrowBear Schmitt** » 24 Feb 2007 1:47 am

I do it the same way as Michael & Hook

i've got a Zum - No Pin but a Slot

Tony Dingus · Post by **Tony Dingus** » 24 Feb 2007 6:52 am

I use a flat eraser. Works great for me.

Tony

Dennis Schell · Post by **Dennis Schell** » 24 Feb 2007 7:49 am

Great tips here!

I have one control finger on my guitar (G#) with a really shallow cutout that gives me a headache every time I change strings. Maybe an eraser jammed between the changer and the body will help hold the string while I get some tension on it....(I think some very careful Dremel work will eventually be the final solution)

Thanks

Dennis

(excuse my camera focus...)

Jerry Overstreet · Post by **Jerry Overstreet** » 24 Feb 2007 8:44 am

Office style eraser, like Tony D. Works great. Won't scratch your axe. Good tool for cleaning up the changer fingers also. Multi-purpose utility item. Use it to remove the clams from the last tune so I don't have to play them again!

John Hawkins · Post by **John Hawkins** » 24 Feb 2007 3:01 pm

As many strings I have changed over the years, I am amazed how inventive some of you folks are ! I had never thought about using some of the really good ways some of you mentioned but you know what ? I intend to ! I used the same string change format all these years, like Michael, Hook, Bill and CrowBear . I have played Zums since 1979 and have not made a change in Zum Models since Bruce started the slit slot for the string eye in the changer so I have been sort of forced to go with the " pin" method that Michael and the rest I mentioned have. It has worked for me for many years but I am not bound by not trying new methods .

One of my MAIN objectives is to wind a new string ( how ever many turns on the tuning key it takes ) so that the string comes off the roller in a STRAIGHT LINE to the turning key . I found that this method sure cuts way back on breaking
strings . I use S.I.T. stainless steel strings and get a bunch of extended play out of .011's . I never break .011's before at least a month of heavy playing and NEVER break any other E9th or C6th string .

Brint Hannay · Post by **Brint Hannay** » 25 Feb 2007 1:22 am

One of my MAIN objectives is to wind a new string ( how ever many turns on the tuning key it takes ) so that the string comes off the roller in a STRAIGHT LINE to the turning key .

That's funny, the same motive is why I always attach the string at the bridge end first, so that I can control this factor more easily. My reason for trying to get the string to go over the roller in a straight line, though, is to minimize potential drag from the roller being pulled against the side of its slot.

I don't think I've ever had a string break anywhere except at the bridge.

George Crowder · Post by **George Crowder** » 27 Feb 2007 9:31 am

On my Mullen, I use a plastic drinking straw to hold the string on the pin. The straw will fit right down in the area behind the pin and will not pop out like a screwdriver or some similar object. It is strong enough to hold the string on the pin but will give as the string is tightened and not damage the pin.

On my Emmons I use a foam rubber wedge that I bought from the company a few years ago.

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String changing ?? tips ?

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