JimHand - Posted - 03/08/2012:  15:34:11

I am trying a set of Nylgut strings on my Gold Tone WL-250 and have a couple of problems/questions.

The loops barely fit in between the bars of the no knot taipiece. Is this normal?

Is it OK to let the strings wrap back on top of themselves on the tuners? I pulled them as tight as I could get them before I started winding.

Thanks for the help!!!

john bange - Posted - 03/08/2012:  16:16:36

The space between the pegs is tight but not a problem for the tail piece. The string wrap can be minimized by unwinding andi and cliping the excess from time to time. The nut slotts are a bigger concern. The strings can get pinched and they will break. Making the slots larger kinda comitts you

john bange - Posted - 03/08/2012:  16:17:28

The space between the pegs is tight but not a problem for the tail piece. The string wrap can be minimized by unwinding andi and cliping the excess from time to time. The nut slotts are a bigger concern. The strings can get pinched and they will break. Making the slots larger kinda comitts you

japus - Posted - 03/08/2012:  16:36:45

Nuts slots enlarged. .I'm committed and I loved em

My nylguts were to large for my vega nut slot so I made them larger, maybe a little more than needed.

I will not go back to steels on my open back.

JimHand - Posted - 03/08/2012:  18:20:21

I am not going to change anything else for a while. I also just put on a new fiberskyn head.  

It took forever for the 5th string to come up to pitch. I finally got them all up to pitch and going to let it set over night and then start again in the morning.

Another question about the head: has anybody that has put on or uses a fiberskyn head that uses a Neary drum torque wrench, what setting did you use?  I brought it up to 10 this afternoon and going to leave it there for a while. This is my first fiberskyn head. 

As always, thanks for the help!!!

cb56 - Posted - 03/08/2012:  19:42:15

Hey Jim those nylguts will keep stretching for days. That's what I use on my ukes and banjo uke. That's normal so be patient with them.

Strange thing is the tailpiece on my banjo uke is called no knot but you have to tie a knot in the strings to use it. Works fine but it is a different tailpiece than on my 5 string also called no knot and probably the same as what you have.

banjered - Posted - 03/08/2012:  22:30:16

STRETCH the strings like an accordian for a minute or two before you put them on the banjo. I flop the string over my knees and use my legs to stretch the strings. THEN, pull them as far as you can through the tuner hole and then, not losing slack, do the lock wrap as you ordinarily would do for any restringing. After the strings are on, pull them toward the ceiling a few more times to stretch them some more. Tune the banjo a bit sharp and let it sit over night. This cuts the stretching time down from weeks to a couple of days or so.

Of course get rid of any sharp edges on the nut, bridge, or tail piece. Banjered

tunemakers - Posted - 03/09/2012:  14:21:12

I also pre-stretch my strings but the ones I use don't have loops, they require knots which I find I must ironicly tie to my no- knot tail piece. The ones I use are Italian made, Aquila I think. I was lucky because I have an old junky vega from the early 60's that has a well worn old plastic nut on it and it didn't require any adjustment The bridge on the other hand did require a fair amount of re- filing to get the strings to stay put. All that said, I'm oh so glad I went through the time and trouble to do this, I'm sold on the strings. My banjo has never sounded so good. When I switched, I started getting all these great comments on how my banjo "playing" had improved so suddenly. Hey, I'll take the credit when ever I can.......Wait, your going to love your banjo......