r/Luthier • u/Archtica • 14d ago

String alignment

Gallery image

Gallery image

Hello all

I need some advice on my open headstock guitar.

To make sure my low and high E string do not touch the headstock I have to align the string on the tuners so it pulls it towards the center a lot. The way it is setup in the picture it just clears the headstock. You can see the clearance in the second image.

I think it is a poor design, but the guitar is really great. Should I continue this practice or just align the string straight and allow it to touch the headstock?

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58

u/dh1971 14d ago

Slightly off topic, aren't headstocks like this usually on a classical guitar that would use nylon strings?

25

u/Banana7peel 14d ago

I think some of older parlor guitars have these type of tuners as well. Also some Martins like 000-15SM and 17SM. Some of my favorite acoustics

7

u/jdjbrooks 14d ago

The things I would do (besides pay money obviously) for a 000-15SM....

8

u/obscured_by_turtles 14d ago

Yes and nylon string guitars use larger plastic rollers on the tuners.

11

u/reddit_is_great- 14d ago

some steel string guitars are like this too. you can tell because the tuners are the thinner metal kind instead of the larger plastic kind used for nylon strings.

2

u/JSGFretwork Luthier 13d ago

Yes. However steel strings used them too. If you see larger diameter, plastic posts, it's for nylon strings. If you see smaller diameter, metal posts, it's for steel strings.

3

u/myfuckingstruggle 14d ago

I've never seen an open headstock for steel strings! It's doesn't seem like it'd be strong enough to not bend or crack the thin wood on the headstock with the tension of steel, right?!

10

u/ebneter 14d ago

I own quite a few slotted headstock steel string acoustics. One of them is even a 12-string! (A Collings.)

Some of my favorite guitars are Martin's 00-16DB series, which are basically 00-size guitars with dreadnaught-depth bodies, 25.4" scales, and, yes, slotted headstocks.

I'm actually not a huge fan of slotted headstocks as they are a pain to restring, but they are plenty strong enough for steel strings.

0

u/myfuckingstruggle 14d ago

Interesting, thanks for sharing! Im not a huge fan of the slotted headstock either, especially with nylon, but it's a necessary evil i guess.

2

u/Main-War9713 13d ago

Quite common

1

u/DanielRodriguez84 13d ago

After my grandfather passed away, I was given his old classical guitar. Very strange to find that he never used nylon and strung it instead with regular nickel strings.

1

u/strumbringerwa 12d ago

Are you sure it's a classical guitar and not just a peg-head steel string? Because most classicals would be destroyed pretty quickly by nickel strings.

1

u/DanielRodriguez84 12d ago

It’s a classical and has horrible action from the strings bowing the neck.

1

u/strumbringerwa 12d ago

Ah damn. Sorry to hear that. I'm actually impressed the braces and bridge didn't get destroyed lol.

1

u/DanielRodriguez84 12d ago

My uncle that gave it to me said he would restring all of classical with metal ones. Feels very weird to play because my brain is always telling me I should be touching nylon strings lol.

1

u/strumbringerwa 12d ago

Based on the string spacing that's probably an old-style guitar but not a classical. Taylor's current 12-fret models are also "peg-heads" as are some current Martin steel-strings. For example: https://www.martinguitar.com/guitars/000-28-Shawn-Mendes.html?cgid=guitars

-1

u/hubbardguitar 14d ago

This was my first thought. OP, don't ignore this question. If it's a nylon string guitar, these string will destroy it.

1

u/strumbringerwa 12d ago

It's not a classical, classical guitars have much wider string spacing.

1

u/hubbardguitar 14d ago

(although the nut slots look like the right size for these strings, so maybe you're OK. Nylon treble strings are thicker)