Official Luthiers Forum!

Ever have the Do do do do Do do do do, twilight zone days? Well maybe not THAT bad, but weird stuff? I decided to put the bronze strings on the arch top. It sounds a lot like the Stauffer with the nylons. The Stauffer might be better! So I loosened the strings, saw that it only moved up .5mm at the bridge, and went for it.

I hated the hideous tailpiece, so I made a new one. I made it shorter to give the strings more spring. The tightness was what I didn't like. Weak fingers I guess, but I wasn't playing at all. The tailpiece weighs 1/2 of the other, and looks way better; at least I think so.





Then I couldn't find the bone nut. Ok, I need a new nut anyway, the strings are thinner. But where could it have gone.

The strings were kinda short, because the tailpiece was a least 1/2" shorter than before, so a couple strings weren't on the tuners when I was starting to fit the ebony nut. I have ebony. I don't have bone. I saw it fall off the guitar, and onto the floor. I looked for 10 minutes, and couldn't find it. Went upstairs, came down and it was right on the floor, where I was standing. I couldn't have missed it.

So the nut is in the slot, the slots are in, the strings are still maybe a mm too high, and I bring it up to pitch. The high e keeps moving. The nylgut e on the Stauffer drops every day still, so I figure it is just the bends from being wound on the peg stretching out because it is longer now. I check to see how much it moved at the bridge. It seems like it is still something just under the 20mm it started at, and ting; the e brakes.

You know what happened.

The string isn't anywhere. The ball was under the tailpiece. There is a light over the head. It isn't anywhere. NO the ball isn't found, but it WAS under the tailpiece before it broke!

It's just weird.

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Why be normal?

I know, Ken. Sometimes I think there are gremlins in my shop . I bought a set of ebony bass bridge pins for an ABG I'm working on and my Basset Hound puppies helped themselves to them. One whole one remained so I bought another set. I had them on a workbench in the shop and they started disappearing, one at a time and even the pieces of the first set. When it got down to three of them (it's a 4 string bass) I got out some mousetraps. I've gotten 4 so far but can't find their nest with my other pins . Ordered more but won't leave them out this time .

In my experience you will find the old bone nut about the time you finish making the new bone nut

I agree, the new tailpiece definitely looks nicer.

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Steve Smith
"Music is what feelings sound like"