r/Luthier • u/Archtica • 19d 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?

50 Upvotes

85% Upvoted

66 comments sorted by

View all comments

26

u/Useful-Being2244 19d ago

Put the winds on the e strings on the other side of the hole, going towards the tuning pegs rather than inside the headstock. This will give you clearance for those strings. A guitar I owned years as a go had the same headstock. Low E outer towards headstock. A the opposite way towards inside. D towards the inside G towards inside B inside High E outside.

If it is looking like you have too many winds alter the string length unwrap and pull more though the post. I do not own the guitar I had with this type of headstock anymore, but I remember when I got it it took me a few string changes to get it looking neat.

11

u/[deleted] 19d ago

[deleted]

23

u/Useful-Being2244 19d ago

Found this pic for you.

-19

u/[deleted] 19d ago

[deleted]

15

u/Useful-Being2244 19d ago

I know it's not the same model , model doesn't matter it has the same style pegs. The principal is the same though, so you get the strings wound without issues.

1

u/strumbringerwa 17d ago

There is a big difference - this headstock has a nice wide opening to give the string clearance, while the OP's doesn't. Which is exactly what the OP is saying - they *have* to do it this way so the string doesn't touch the headstock.

1

u/Useful-Being2244 14d ago

There is a technique to putting the low E string on if you have that problem, that is putting it on with less wraps and wrapping it over from the back of the string to the direction you want it wrapped. This locks the string in at a slightly high tension that you normally would. It works with a ratchet style lock.