Wednesday, May 12, 2010
8:13 AM | Posted by
Donovan Banks |
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A friend asked me to restring a guitar for him. It is a fairly old, no brand, Japanese made Nylon string. At first glance it was a nice little instrument in dire need of new strings and some TLC.
There are a few items that I would like to touch on with this guitar that I found interesting. Let's look at it as a before and after exercise.
When I started removing the strings I noticed one of the tuning poles was cracked. I'm not sure how this could happen but it meant that I could not get a new string through the hole. I have all sorts of spares lying around so I could easily replace that part from bits and pieces lying around. It came out looking and feeling a whole lot better. There is a nasty crack on the head/neck that needs attention as well, but it is entirely fixable.
The tail-piece can be tricky for some and it should end up looking like this. What you do is make a loop around the string passing through and wind it twice around itself. Don't tie a knot as it can come loose or get stuck in the hole of the tail-piece.
There are a few items that I would like to touch on with this guitar that I found interesting. Let's look at it as a before and after exercise.When I started removing the strings I noticed one of the tuning poles was cracked. I'm not sure how this could happen but it meant that I could not get a new string through the hole. I have all sorts of spares lying around so I could easily replace that part from bits and pieces lying around. It came out looking and feeling a whole lot better. There is a nasty crack on the head/neck that needs attention as well, but it is entirely fixable.
The way I string a nylon is very simple. I start at the bridge, then feed the string through the hole on the tuner and start from the outside I wind it over the piece that protrudes. I don't tie a knot as it makes taking the strings off quite tough. Basically I rely on the mechanics of leverage to stop the string from slipping off. I use the tension of the string itself to hold it in place and it works for me. My guitars are fairly stable and look neat.
The tail-piece can be tricky for some and it should end up looking like this. What you do is make a loop around the string passing through and wind it twice around itself. Don't tie a knot as it can come loose or get stuck in the hole of the tail-piece.There was a fair amount of dirt on this guitar and particularly the frets. which is nothing some Lemon oil can't clean off. I took a photo while I was halfway with the fretboard.
There is still a little more work to be done on this guitar, the action is way too low and it needs a new nut and bridge. But for now it certainly looks a whole lot cleaner and feels a little better.
I love the clean up before putting new strings on. I can appreciate the instrument so much more after that.
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About Me
- Donovan Banks
- Durban, KZN, South Africa
- I am a musician who does anything and everything else. I write about what I do and how I do it. Enjoy and feel free to comment.
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