Stringing a floyd rose: String ends left on around tuners?

[Falloffthebonetone]

One thing my friend swears by with his floyd that I always found curious is that he leaves his strigs unclipped at the tuners. I always thought it looked weird and thought it would get in the way, but he does it for a reason.

He says that if a string ever breaks by the bridge, he doesn't have to go out an buy a new string or set of strings because he can just unlock and unwind the string and restring it because the extra material he saves by leaving the tuners unclipped keeps the string long enough to salvage.

This was the first I've heard of anyone doing it and it sounds reasonable so I'm wondering:
Why isn't it more commonplace to see guitars with floyds that have their strings unclipped at the tuners? Is there a technical downside to keeping them unclipped or is it just aesthetics? And does anyone else do this to save strings? Or do you do it for another reason?

 

[Little Pigbacon]

Re: Stringing a floyd rose: String ends left on around tuners?

^ The part of the string that goes around the tuner gets some very sharp bends in it. If you break a string by the bridge, then feed the extra down to replace what you've lost, you now have that kinked-up part of the string straightened out and in play. I don't like doing this, because it takes forever for the string to settle in after that, and it could lead to premature breakage. Having that between the tuner and the nut is one thing; there's no way I want it between the nut and the bridge.

 

[Edgecrusher]

Re: Stringing a floyd rose: String ends left on around tuners?

When I was in high school and before the net existed and the nearest music store was 35 miles away I would do the basically the same. I would wind an extra couple wraps around the tuner so I could un roll it if a string broke. This would save me from having to go 2 or 3 days until I could get my dad to take me the music store and get another string. It worked for the time but it tended to make the strings sound dead but that was ok I was poor so dead strings were the order of the day most of the time I sure wouldnt do it again unless I had to.

 

[TheLivingDead]

Re: Stringing a floyd rose: String ends left on around tuners?

^ The part of the string that goes around the tuner gets some very sharp bends in it. If you break a string by the bridge, then feed the extra down to replace what you've lost, you now have that kinked-up part of the string straightened out and in play. I don't like doing this, because it takes forever for the string to settle in after that, and it could lead to premature breakage. Having that between the tuner and the nut is one thing; there's no way I want it between the nut and the bridge.

Huzzah!

Oh and string slack is just ugly.

 

[Dr. Vegetable]

Re: Stringing a floyd rose: String ends left on around tuners?

I often leave the ball ends on the strings at the headstock of my FR-equipped guitars, but only because I'm too lazy to clip them and it doesn't matter one bit in how the instrument performs. Plus, it looks "different" which in this business is always A Good Thing.

I know people who go nuts if they see that I haven't trimmed the strings at the tuners. But that just makes me want to bend the slack into letters that spell out some kind of "lighten up" message...

 

[vinta9e]

Re: Stringing a floyd rose: String ends left on around tuners?

I prefer being able to take the string off the tuner post without unlocking it at the bridge. Plus I have this funny habit of collecting string ball ends. The sooner they're clipped the sooner they are mine.

 

[Falloffthebonetone]

Re: Stringing a floyd rose: String ends left on around tuners?

I often leave the ball ends on the strings at the headstock of my FR-equipped guitars, but only because I'm too lazy to clip them and it doesn't matter one bit in how the instrument performs. Plus, it looks "different" which in this business is always A Good Thing.

I know people who go nuts if they see that I haven't trimmed the strings at the tuners. But that just makes me want to bend the slack into letters that spell out some kind of "lighten up" message...

Read my other thread from a little while ago, it's exactly about that.

 

[Edgecrusher]

Re: Stringing a floyd rose: String ends left on around tuners?

I rant and rave when people use Ranch Dressing.

I knew a dude who used it as a personal lubricant

 

[PFDarkside]

Re: Stringing a floyd rose: String ends left on around tuners?

If your strings break before they go dead, then you probably have a burr you need to smooth out. My LP always broke Gs at the bridge. I sanded down the saddle and now I don't get breakage.

 

[J E C]

Re: Stringing a floyd rose: String ends left on around tuners?

In the distant past I did that a number of times. No extra strings, in the middle of being inspired, trip to store 1.5 hours, and all I wanted to do was PLAY. Shifting the string down works in a pinch, but it is like take an old worn string off of one guitar to put on another....YUCK. Best to just keep a spare set of string around, and PARTY ON GARTH !!

 

[Falloffthebonetone]

Re: Stringing a floyd rose: String ends left on around tuners?

PARTY ON GARTH !!

PARTY ON WAYNE!

 

[Myaccount876]

Re: Stringing a floyd rose: String ends left on around tuners?

You could just leave a lot of slack when winding the strings to begin with which is what I do. I think there is no reason at all to have the ball ends at the tuners, and it can leave a mark in the tuning pegs which can eventually be problematic. If someone is too lazy to take the 5 seconds to snip off the ball ends...I can't help them and have nothing to say...

 

[DrNewcenstein]

Re: Stringing a floyd rose: String ends left on around tuners?

Either way, if you feed it when it's coiled, the bend at the tuner peg hole is the weak spot, and could be pinched under the nut, or extend to the board.

 

[Dr. Vegetable]

Re: Stringing a floyd rose: String ends left on around tuners?

You could just leave a lot of slack when winding the strings to begin with which is what I do. I think there is no reason at all to have the ball ends at the tuners, and it can leave a mark in the tuning pegs which can eventually be problematic. If someone is too lazy to take the 5 seconds to snip off the ball ends...I can't help them and have nothing to say...

Lighten up, Francis!

When I have the ball end at the headstock, the ball doesn't actually touch the tuner - I leave some of the end hanging out, just as you would with any string-up. It's not going to mark up the tuning pegs any more than stringing the other way around would. And clipped string ends are sharp in case you haven't noticed. I think it's funny when other people get all worked up over whether I clip them or not. I don't "need help."

But as you mention, the best way to reserve some extra string length to recover from a break at the saddle is to leave a few extra turns on the post when you string them up. Once you bend the string at the post, you don't ever want to straighten that out and depend on it not to break there.

Next, some will tell you that extra wraps cause intonation problems, but not in my experience.