String Theory - Installing Strings the Right Way
/After my recent experience with getting my guitar set up properly, I noticed the strings were installed a bit differently than I've been doing for years. I also noticed that once I changed the strings myself, the tuning stability really suffered. I'd been using the method that I learned that I recalled learning out of Dan Erlewine's Book, "The Guitar Player Repair Guide, 2nd Edition (1990)."
Well, I'm guessing I read it wrong, or perhaps 17 years additional experience added some nuances to the process. The "Guitar Player Repair Guide, 3rd Edition (2007)" has been available and comes with a DVD.
I found this video excerpt on youtube, and I believe it's a snippet from the DVD, and it covers string installation on acoustic guitars. The first couple minutes are spent on the bridge end of a flattop, which is fascinating, but not particularly relevant to archtop players. Skip ahead to 2:56, where he tackles the headstock end of things.
Dave at Westwood Music used a locking tie for all the strings, even the low E, but otherwise it's the same method. I had basically been using the method in the video, but not adding any slack, so there was far too little string to wrap around the post. As I recall, the 2nd Edition cautions against wrapping too much string around the post, and I just took that too far.
It's gonna take me a couple string changes to figure out the perfect amount of slack for perfect amount of wraps around the post. Once I restrung with this in mind, the tuning stability improved, and will likely improve more as perfect my technique.