Technical LibrarySTRINGING XII: String Problems Entire Contents Copyright © 2010 CBH |
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S T R I N G
P R O B L E M S
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OBSERVATION | CAUSE | CORRECTIVE ACTION |
String missing. | String broke in the past and was not replaced. | Replace string with correct material and diameter. | |
String displaced sideways. | String not running in correct path. | Verify that string is running around correct bridgepin, backpin & nut pin. | |
Individual string not contacting bridge. | If all strings in the area are not contacting the bridge, this is a soundboard problem. | ||
String not contacting nut. | String leaving tuning pin too high. | Ensure there is downbearing from the nut to the tuning pin to match the surrounding strings. | |
String always sounds “false” or out of tune by itself. | The wire has a permanent twist forced in it from when the hitchpin loop was wound. | Replace string with correct material and diameter. | |
Sound from string dies away rapidly, or sounds foul. | String not running in correct path. |
Verify that string is running around correct bridgepin, backpin & nut pin. |
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String is riding up the nut pin | Ensure there is downbearing from the nut to the tuning pin to match the surrounding strings. | ||
There is foreign material on the string. | Remove foreign material. | ||
Areas of the string are lightly corroded. | Clean string with plastic eraser. | ||
The string is badly pitted from corrosion. | Replace string with correct material and diameter. | ||
The back of another jack is touching the string when its register is in the OFF position | Adjust register OFF position. | ||
Damper from nearby jack is fouling string. | Adjust or trim suspect damper. | ||
A buff pad is interfering with the string. | Adjust offending buff pad. | ||
Adjust OFF position of buff batten. | |||
Clean remnants of any glue from string. | |||
Loose jackrail cloth is falling on the stringband. | Fasten loose jackrail cloth. | ||
String sounds weak and woody. | The string is touching the wood of the nut or bridge instead of having its speaking length properly terminated by the metal bridge or nut pins. | Correct soundboard distortion and bridge roll. | |
Recrown bridge or nut. | |||
Raise the string at the pin by resting it on a wire offcut. | |||
8´ string buzzes with distinctive metallic quality, particularly when played forte. | The string is buzzing against a 4´ bridge pin. | Insert deeper, file shorter, bend, or relocate offending 4´ bridge pin. | |
8´ string buzzes with loose, slapping quality. | The 8´ bridge has dropped, and the string is slapping against the wood of the 4´ bridge. | Correct soundboard deformation. | |
4´ string buzzes with loose, slapping quality. | The soundboard area has raised around the rose. | ||
Extreme 8´ bass strings don’t reach full power. | Maximum amplitude of the string is not possible because its displacement is being limited by the jackrail. | Plane bottom of jackrail sides to increase 8´ stringband clearance. | |
String sounds dull. | The string was recently replaced. | Allow some time for a new string to brighten in tone. Allow a week for soft iron, two weeks for yellow brass, or three weeks for red brass. | |
String is the wrong material, or too thick. | Replace string with correct material and diameter. | ||
String sounds weak. | String diameter is too thin. | Replace string with correct material and diameter, after confirming it is not a voicing problem by temporarily swapping a jack from an adjoining note. | |
Original bass strings sound fizzy. | Phosphor bronze wire used in bass. | Improve fundamental tone in historic-type instruments by replacing old phosphor bronze stringing with soft red & yellow brass. | |
String is always dropping in pitch. | The string was recently replaced. |
Allow a week for soft iron, two weeks for yellow brass, or three weeks for red brass to reliably hold pitch. |
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The hitchpin loop is faulty and slowly unwinding. | Replace string with correct material and diameter, winding the loop correctly. | ||
The wire is slipping around the tuning pin. | Replace string with correct material and diameter, paying attention to correct tuning pin winding technique. | ||
The tuning pin is slipping in the wrestplank. | Reseat the tuning pin, preserving the correct downbearing from the nut. | ||
Remove the pin to shim the hole with a slip of paper. | |||
The string is stretching and is about to fail. | Replace string with correct material and diameter. | ||
Individual string difficult to tune. | Tapered tuning pin is too high in the wrestplank. | Reseat tuning pin. | |
Hole in wrestplank is too shallow, and the tapered tuning pin has bottomed. | Remove pin and drill wrestplank hole deeper before reinstalling string. | ||
Wrestplank hole is worn and elongated. | Plug and redrill wrestplank hole. | ||
Wrestplank hole is too tight, preventing the pin from moving smoothly. | Raise tapered pin. | ||
Remove tuning pin, clean hole, lubricate pin with talc and reinsert. | |||
String is odd color. | The recently replaced string is shiny. | The shiny appearance of a new string will corrode in time to match the surrounding strings. | |
The string is the wrong material. | Replace string with correct material and diameter. | ||
String is dull in appearance or corroded. | The string is old or decayed, affecting tone or durability. | ||
String has a visible kink or defect. | The string was defective in manufacture, or damaged in installation or later. | Replace string with correct material and diameter, especially if fault is contained within speaking length. | |
String appears to be carving a groove in the nut. | Downbearing is too severe. | Reduce downbearing to the same as its neighbours. | |
String crosses over itself as it leaves tuning pin. | String is wrapped incorrectly around tuning pin. | Carefully rewind existing string around tuning pin correctly to prevent likely breakage, or replace string with correct material and diameter if necessary. | |
Tuning pin has been hammered down too low in wrestplank. | Carefully rewind existing string around tuning pin correctly to prevent likely breakage, or replace string with correct material and diameter if necessary, shimming wrestplank hole with paper. | ||
Tuning pins are too short for height of nut in bass. | Restring instrument with longer tuning pins. | ||
Tuning pin was wound incorrectly. | Carefully rewind existing string around tuning pin correctly to prevent likely breakage, or replace string with correct material and diameter if necessary. | ||
String leaves tuning pin on left-hand side. | |||
String appears to have strange sympathetic resonance. | There is a foreign object rattling on the soundboard. | Remove the foreign object. | |
There are nearby objects resonating sympathetically. | Investigate and remove or silence likely offending objects. | ||
A string tail is resonating. | Check string tails near hitchpin rail by running the back of your fingernail along strings. Odd resonance can be damped by a tiny thin leather pad under the hitchpin loop. | ||
A harmonically related note is not damping correctly. | Find the resonating string and adjust jack dampers. | ||
The soundboard has dropped, or case height expanded with humidity change, leaving strings undamped. | Adjust keyframe screws to lower action to match. |
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