Strings you GFI Keyless folks are using & stretching problem

John Poston · From: Albuquerque, NM, USA

I've used SIT for years - always had this issue a little bit but now it's been very bad.

Sometimes the plain strings stretch so much, that the tuning finger doesn't have enough room to tune high enough. I use a pliers and try to stretch the string as tight as I can before screwing down. Sometimes I'll tune up to pitch, pitch slips enough that I run out of tuning lever room, then I tune string down and restring around the screw again as tight as I can.

This was happening with some older sets I had laying around so I figured maybe the age, bought some new sets. Same problem.

Anyone other GFI keyless users come across this issue and are there any particular brands that you've found have this issue less than others?

Thanks.

Dennis Wood · From: Savannah, TN USA

I use a wood dowel 1" diameter 3" long with a 3/32" hole drilled thru it. Wrap the string two or three wraps and pull tight around the lockscrew. I use SIT strings on my GFI and Sierra keyless guitars and haven't had a problem.
Dw
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Stu Schulman · From: Ulster Park New Yawk (deceased)

I use S.I.T.strings on my Desert Rose guitars and have had zero issues at all Winking

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Donny Hinson · From: Glen Burnie, Md. U.S.A.

It sounds like your problem is that the strings are slipping, not stretching. Neutral

Mark van Allen · From: Watkinsville, Ga. USA

Markus Mayerhofer · From: Vienna, Austria

I too use SIT Strings on my GFI and Sierra Guitars.
A kind of plastic dowel where i wrap the string around a few times to get them on tension would be a better tool than a pliers i guess...
I found out, it's critical to bring the string to a maximun tension in the right moment when you fix the screw...
It's a challenge on the Sierra's 3rd string...It happened that i broke the string just from bringing it to the highest possible tension, or it got cut by the sharp edges of the thread of the fixing screw...I've to fix that...
On the GFI, changing strings is a very smooth business, if you bring them to the right amount of tension before fixing...
Maybe Joe Wright's tutorial-vid on the Sierra-Homepage may help: http://sierrasteels.com/support/support-tips.html
Cheers

John Billings · From: Ohio, USA

I used SIT strings on my Kline. Never had a problem. I also always use my old Fender string stretcher. Tune up to pitch, apply the string stretcher and run it up and down the full length of the string with activating any pedals or levers associated with that string. Then retune, and I'm good to go, with no more problems of the string going flat.
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Larry Allen · From: Kapaa, Kauai,Hawaii

The only string I have an issue with tightening up in my keyless guitars in #3..G#..so I made this..fits between the legs and takes all the slack out before I lock it down. All the rest tighten with a dowell Very Happy

Larry

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Georg Sørtun · From: Mandal, Agder, Norway

I use Jagwire and LiveSteelStrings on my GFI keyless - SIT strings didn't sound good to me.
Stretch them up to near pitch before securing by twisting a few string-turns around a screwdriver and pull - 3d string can be hard to pull up but not too bad.
There are a few things I don't like about my GFI keyless, but stretching and/or settling strings aren't among them.

Jerry Erickson · From: Atlanta,IL 61723

I've not had any string slipping issues with my GFI keyless. I usually use a pair of needle nose pliers to pull the string around the screw and then tighten the screw and tune the string.

John Billings · From: Ohio, USA

Well, with my Kline, I could just pull the third tight with my fingers. No problems at all. But it's a Kline!
_________________
Dr. Z Surgical Steel amp, amazing!
"74 Bud S-10 3&6
'73 Bud S-10 3&5(under construction)
'63 Fingertip S-10, at James awaiting 6 knees
'57 Strat, LP Blue
'91 Tele with 60's Maple neck
Dozen more guitars!
Dozens of amps, but SF Quad reverb, Rick Johnson cabs. JBL 15, '64 Vibroverb for at home.
'52 and '56 Pro Amps

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