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Topic: Locking nuts |
John Polstra
From:
Lopez Island, WA, USA
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Posted 21 Jan 2009 6:27 pm |
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On 6-string electric guitars, players who use the vibrato bar (often erroneously called "tremolo") and want stable tuning often use a locking nut. It's a clamping mechanism that locks the strings in place right at the nut. You loosen it, tune up, and then tighten it.
Why don't I ever see that on pedal steel guitars? It seems like it would work better than the standard roller nut for keeping the tuning stable.
John |
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David Mason
From:
Cambridge, MD, USA
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Posted 21 Jan 2009 7:37 pm
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Where would you put the fine tuners?  |
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Jerry Erickson
From:
Atlanta,IL 61723
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Ulric Utsi-Åhlin
From:
Sweden
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Posted 22 Jan 2009 1:50 am Locking nut/rollers...
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The length of string between tuner post and rollers
contribute to the sound & feel of the instrument
with regard to tension,harmonics content etc ; some
prefer the key-less type(for various reasons) where-
as others feel the roller-to-tuner length is an
integral part of "good tone/feel" ; but a locking
system could be put to good use if completed with
a fine-tuning possibility...McUtsi |
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John Billings
From:
Ohio, USA
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Posted 22 Jan 2009 7:32 am
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McUts,
"contribute to the sound & feel of the instrument
with regard to tension,harmonics content etc "
Many years ago, when I still had my first Shobud, and had just gotten my first electronic tuner, I decided to find out the pitch of those string segments between the rollers and the tuners. Thought I might find some creative use for them. Maaan! They weren't in tune with nothin'! They weren't something you'd want to hear ringin' out or contributing to the guitar's harmonic content. I thereafter put a folded up washcloth up there to make sure they didn't make any noise. Guitar still sounded great. Wish I still had it! |
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Ulric Utsi-Åhlin
From:
Sweden
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Posted 22 Jan 2009 10:00 am Locking...
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Yeah,but padding the keyhead doesn´t alter any of
the tension end-to-end,and the higher tension(result
of greater active length which includes the tuners-
to-rollers)has an effect on the way the string will
vibrate...McUtsi |
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Ulric Utsi-Åhlin
From:
Sweden
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Posted 22 Jan 2009 10:31 am John Polstra...
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...You´re right about that weird misnomer...a Strat
has a vibrato tailpiece,but that´s frequently
called "tremolo"... AND a Fender amp w/ tremolo
cirquit is said to sport a "vibrato Channel" ; if
we can´t tell frequency mod from amplitude mod,at
least we´d see a 50/50 in correct statements,but
it´s,miraculously,spot-on screw up in mot cases...
McUtsi |
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John Billings
From:
Ohio, USA
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Posted 22 Jan 2009 1:12 pm
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| McUts. You're certainly right about the change in tension. That will make a difference. I wonder how a guitar would sound if one installed the keyless tuner out a distance from the rollers, instead of right up tight. |
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David Doggett
From:
Bawl'mer, MD (formerly of MS, Nawluns, Gnashville, Knocksville, Lost Angeles, Bahsten. and Philly)
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Posted 22 Jan 2009 3:42 pm
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Electric guitars, steel guitars and amps weren't invented by academically trained musicians, so maybe it's too much to expect all the informal terminology to be precise. Thus, we have confusion about the terminology for tremolo and vibrato, diatonic and chromatic strings, Just Intonation and Equal Temper, etc. Speaking of which, for a given gauge string and pitch, the tension on the string doesn't change regardless of the length of string behind the nut. The amount of stretch required to raise the string does change.
The configuration of the string around the nut can have some complex effects on how the string vibrates. If there is sufficient length behind the nut, as the string vibrates in one direction in front of the nut, it is free to pivot on the nut and vibrate in the other direction behind the nut; thus, there is less flex of the string at the nut - it merely pivots. If the string is held in place directly behind the nut, the only way for it to vibrate in front of the nut is to actually flex at the nut. This can have an effect on sustain and harmonics. This could account for the differences some people claim to hear between keyheads and keyless, and doesn't require that we actually hear any vibrations from the strings behind the nut. I'm just putting this out there as a theoretical thought experiment that may or may not have any practical significance. |
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Bo Legg
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Posted 22 Jan 2009 4:30 pm
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| I've been trying to respond here for an hour but I just don't seem to be able to get past the topic title without thinking about this as a medical problem. |
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Gary Cosden
From:
Florida, USA
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Posted 22 Jan 2009 4:48 pm
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| It seems to me that a keyed guitar with locking nuts would have somewhat shorter pulls just like a keyless of the same scale length. Just a thought... |
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