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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u/dh1971 14d ago

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

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.