Fat Capstan

[DarwinStrings]

I am considering making a nylon string guitar. Not a classical but my "lounge guitar" (so the parlour guitar puritans don't come knocking on my door with pitch forks making sure I use a ladder brace) with nylon strings. I like the solid peg head but can't find a tuner with a large capstan, do they exist? is it necessary?

Jim

[jeffhigh]

I went looking for this a while back and couldn't find any, other than friction pegs or the internally geared "pegheds"
Main disadvantage with regular metal posts is you end up winding a lot of turns on due to the string stretch and tuning is slow.

[Allen]

It's a bit like the Baritones that I build Jim. Some of them at 22" long are certainly in the parlour size, and I'm using either the Grover Sta-Tites or the Hipshot tuners on them. Yes, it can be a lot of turns so I use a speed winder on them. Once it's up to pitch and settled in, then you don't even really think about it.

[DarwinStrings]

I did think there would end up a lot of turns, are those extra turns enough to stop the nylon string slipping through the capstan or do you have to tie them on? I have been doing a bit of brainstorming over a few beers and have an idea to try, will post that later.

Jim

[Allen]

With the ukes, the string gets passed through the string hole twice, so never a problem. With some brands the low G string can be too thick so just once through is all you'll get, but those ones never want to slip. So I imagine that's going to be the same for a full set of 6, especially with the wound ones.

[DarwinStrings]

Thanks Allen, maybe this is not needed then. I just cut off and drilled a hole up the middle of this old plastic classical capstan as well as putting a bit of a taper from the hole down (like the taper on a steel string capstan) then slipped it over a old tuner. As the outer capstan is loose on the inner one it clamps onto the string when you tighten (worried it might cut right through the string). I would cut that down level with the inner capstan and could make them out of aluminium, brass or copper, wood might be too fragile but would look good. I have wound that prototype up seriously tight to see if in a bit of time it will sheer through the string.

fat capstan.JPG (71.8 KiB) Viewed 5809 times

Jim

[DarwinStrings]

This seems to be okay, I have been winding it up and down to way over normal tension and it hasn't cut through the string yet. I may have just invented locking nylon string tuners for solid pegs heads, does anyone have directions to the local patent office.

Jim

Edit, I can now see them in aluminium with wood caps to match the headstock.