Replies

  • Patrick Curley May 5, 2013 at 5:59pm

    The side that you put the string through will determine which way you turn the peg to tune up or down. Pegs on the bottom turn clockwise to tune up so thread the string through from the top/inside. if the peg is on top it will turn anticlockwise so the string should go through from the bottom/inside. Threading it through from the inside reduces the angle of the string at the nut.

    Breaking strings is usually about too much tension by winding it up too tight. Light strings break easier than heavy ones so guage is important, you've really got to push anything thicker than a .17 pretty hard to break it. 

    For sliding, an unwound string on the top, that is closest to the ground but with the highest pitch, will give you a brighter sound than a wound string. Having said that heavy strings work better for slide but put more tension on your neck. I recently restrung mine with an unwound .21 on top, a .38 in the middle and a .47 on the bottom. This tunes them up nice and tight in G and I could easily go back to E if necessary. My guitar would take the extra tension to go to A but I wouldn't leave it there for long. For an acoustic sound, and if you're mainly playing chords, I'd go lighter than this.

    All these guitars are different though and you'd need a good strong construction to take this much pressure so if you're not sure just take it easy and experiment. If you're neck starts to bow then back off the tension on the string.

  • Rand Moore January 7, 2013 at 7:41pm

    Hi Paul,

    The only tip I have to offer is to make sure you wrap the string once or twice completely around the shaft of the tuner before you thread the string through the hole in the shaft of the tuner. This will releave some of the string tension at the point where the string goes through the hole in the shaft. The edge of the hole is rather sharp and under a lot of string pressure acts a bit like a knife (at least I imagine so). I seem to have less string breakage after I started to wrap them one time around the shaft before inserting the string in the hole. Wrapping twice around may even be better, but I haven't found the need to go to that much trouble.

    -Rand.

  • Charles Z December 30, 2012 at 12:38am

    Don't think it matters which side you run the string thru.

    Might try hitting the string before you turn the tuner knob, I heard once that if you turn the tuner while the string is ringing, it helps to keep it from breaking.

    I don't know if it really helps, but that's the way I do it for my banjo and uke

  • Paul Lasicki November 9, 2012 at 10:15pm

     The ones that came with the CBG kit from Gitty was .026W . .017P, .013P.

    I will get a set of strings you mentioned and see how it goes.

    Thanks

  • Paul Lasicki November 9, 2012 at 7:31pm

    Thanks Redbelly,

    The strings from Gitty seems a whole lot thinner then ones I see on a regular acoustic six string guitar. What if I use strings from a regular acoustic six string ?

    • Redbelly > Paul Lasicki November 9, 2012 at 9:35pm

      I have used both but I am not "advanced" eneough to judge The "Gitty strings are "Acoustic Medium Low ppen G'Blues Blaster; G D g. String size .044W,.034 W,& .026W

  • Redbelly November 9, 2012 at 7:07pm

    I am purely a novice, but I think it doesn't matter which way you thread the tuner. I think the convention is to turn the tuner handle away from you i.e. counter clockwise on the D and G strings and clockwise on the single tuner (g) on the lower side of the head., so thread the string so they progresses smoothly around the spindle. I use an electronic tuner. Even though be prepared for broken strings,’ I have tuned my CBG to open G i.e. GDg. Just remember that strings are available from "Gitty" in packs of 3, one each GDg. you can get bulk buy of 12 packets landed in Australia for about $ 35.

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