Baritone strings don't fit!

[cheddatom]

I have a Yamaha AES820-D6 that I want to tune very low. The strings that were on it when I got it were too thin for my liking, but when I tried to put thicker baritone guitar strings on, they wouldn't fit through the hole in the tuning head! I had to get a bass string 'cos they're thin at the end, and tie it behin the body because it was too long! This is working for now, but i'd like to have flexibility. Can I just drill the holes to make them bigger?

The back of the headstock showing the weird tuning heads:



The beautiful looking guitar:

[john_the_bass]

Locking Sperzels eh!
You could replace them for something else but you'd probably want to make sure that the string fits through the end first - you might find that the Fender branded Baritone strings fit ok as they presumably went into standard machines on the Bass VI.

Nice guitar by the way, how much and where from?

[cheddatom]

£90 off ebay! It's got a few scratches, that's a stock pic up there.

If no-one reckons I should drill them, I will try the fender brand strings, but I would have thought the tuners on a fender VI would have been special?

[john_the_bass]

check [url="http://www.fender.com/products//search.php?partno=0735350000"]that[/url]

It may be that you might also need to look at the ones with the small ball end

[cheddatom]

The yamaha says my guitar is 26.25" scale, and the fender site says "Fits most 27" to 29" scale length baritone guitars". Do you think that'd be allright? I can't find anything about small ball ended strings.

[john_the_bass]

I'd have thought so - you can always cut them anyway.
I'm guessing you will need the small ball end ones to go through the back of the guitar.

[cheddatom]

I suppose this "small ball end" thing will become apparent when I actually get to buy some? They don't have any links to UK dealers on the fender website! How crap.

[BigRedX]

You'll have difficulty finding replacement machine heads for that!

I wouldn't drill the Sperzels unless the alternative strings don't work out. Are they locking ones? I don't know how they work but drilling locking Gotoh machine heads (which am familiar with) could stop them from functioning so be careful...

[cheddatom]

The have a tube with a hole in, and a pole with a hole in inside. When you turn the screw knobs on the back, either the pole moves up or the tube moves down to clamp onto the strings. The holes are the same size, so I could drill them both at the same time.

Would it be safer to take them off before drilling? I've never done that much work on a guitar!

[john_the_bass]

I wouldn't touch them - if they're no good to you, you should sell them and replace them for something that you can fit your strings in.
You should get a few quid for locking Sperzels

[cheddatom]

Replace the tuning heads?!? I'm beginning to panic now! I'll have to try those fender strings.

I don't mind f*cking about with electronics, but there's something a bit scary about taking apart such a nice guitar.

[john_the_bass]

how hard can it be? Undo screws and retaining nut, remove with machine head and replace with something more suitable!

[cheddatom]

I can't see any screws going into the tuning heads! To be fair, it's at home, and i'm at work so....

Strings have got to be a cheaper gamble than tuning heads. Ta for the advice!

[BigRedX]

While john_the_bass is right about the value of these particular machine heads, because of their design with the progressively longer shafts (see the very first photo) I don't think there will be another set that will fit. It might be possible to attach the old buttons and shafts onto new machine heads but I wouldn't count on it. It sounds as though the locking part of the mechanism works the same as the Gotohs in which case I'd be very reluctant to make any changes to the string hole aperture as this could well damage the mechanism beyond repair.

I'd try some different strings first, and only if that fails try modifying the machine heads and then start with a small round file rather than a drill.

[escholl]

could you not just unwind a cm or two of the wire wrap on the strings, and just feed the core through the tuner? or have i missed something?

[cheddatom]

[quote name='escholl' post='236670' date='Jul 10 2008, 04:35 PM']could you not just unwind a cm or two of the wire wrap on the strings, and just feed the core through the tuner? or have i missed something?[/quote]

I thought that if I did that then the whole string might just unwind itself. Is that stupid?

[escholl]

[quote name='cheddatom' post='237084' date='Jul 11 2008, 09:20 AM']I thought that if I did that then the whole string might just unwind itself. Is that stupid?[/quote]


nah i don't think it would do that, because it will be wrapped around the tuning peg a few more times still and the friction should keep it from unravelling. there's not much tension on the outer wrap anyways, all the tension is on the string core. i've never done it before though, so i wouldn't know for certain, but i really can't see it going wrong if you're careful.

[cheddatom]

Cool, thanks.

My plan is: unwind some of the strings, and put them on - see how it fairs. If it fails: buy a set of Fenders, see if they fit. If that fails: buy a small round file!

[ahpook]

what gauge strings are you using ?

[cheddatom]

I was trying to get a 68 on but ended up using an 80 or something from a bass. I want as heavy as possible. I am about to try now. Online at home!! It is a rarity.

I've just unwound the end of the 68 I had and it's gone on and sounds fine. My problem now is that there's nowhere near enough tension (I think) in the strings. The intonation is spot on, unless you press down hard on the strings, then they go sharp. I know this is normal, but this is reallly noticably, much more than any guitar or bass i've tried. Also, the strings are so easy to bend I keep moving them off the fret board!!

Edited July 11, 2008 by cheddatom

[escholl]

[quote name='cheddatom' post='237531' date='Jul 11 2008, 07:17 PM']I was trying to get a 68 on but ended up using an 80 or something from a bass. I want as heavy as possible. I am about to try now. Online at home!! It is a rarity.

I've just unwound the end of the 68 I had and it's gone on and sounds fine. My problem now is that there's nowhere near enough tension (I think) in the strings. The intonation is spot on, unless you press down hard on the strings, then they go sharp. I know this is normal, but this is reallly noticably, much more than any guitar or bass i've tried. Also, the strings are so easy to bend I keep moving them off the fret board!![/quote]


what do you have it tuned to?

[cheddatom]

I think the lowest string is around a low G or F#. I could tune it higher, but my standard guitars are guite low at Cish so there doesn't seem much point. I'm being vague because I don't have a tuner here!

[dougal]

If you do decide to file, you could do worse than spending £3 on some welder's tip cleaners.

They're very fine circular files.



I used some to 'persuade' the 0.175 Warwick dark lord string to fit through the bridge on my Carvin - sounds like the same problem (just the other end).

The other obvious solution is to buy tapered strings (as the finders are , I assume?)

Have you considered what this is going to do to the nut? At best the nut will 'grip' the stringsd to make tuning jerky - at worst they'll sit above the slot & not seat properly.

[cheddatom]

They fit in the nut fine. I've managed to put the non-tapered string on fine, it's just not heavy enough. I might have a pro look at it, I can't understand the lack of tension.