Guitar string tie

thingiverse

Acoustic guitar (or ukulele) nylon strings are traditionally tied to themselves around the bridge behind the saddle, and string tension holds them in place. To make such a tie, you do not need any instrument. It is not a complicated process, but it takes some practice to make it right. There are some downsides of a classical way of tying a string: * you have to do something about string ends; otherwise they can scratch the soundboard or your hand * extra length of the string loop contributes to the string settlement time * under-the-bridge pickup gets less pressure than it could There are a few alternatives to the classical way of tying strings: * tie a knot on the end * tie a regular glass or plastic bead * use a special "string-tie" bead String-tie bead is a nice idea - beads stay the same way on all strings, and they are easy to tie in (string just goes a few times through the bead). Here is my take on the string-tie beads. A few considerations: * low-profile (4mm) * strings are not squeezed between the bead and the bridge * large flat area of contact with the bridge to distribute pressure * self-fixing under the normal string tension * string end do not stick outside the bead * printable without support * no post-processing I've used the things on my ukulele, and I am happy with them. Guitar bass strings would probably need some model adjustment for the bass strings. The tie has two sides: * bridge side (central hole is by itself) * outer side (a depression connects all holes) How to tie string (I am assuming you hold the thing so that you look on its outer side): * pass the string through the central hole from the bridge side to the outer side * leaving some slack on the outer side (say, 1/2 inch), insert the string into the corner hole (the once connected to the central one with a straight depression) * on the bridge side, pass the string along the depression and through the other hole * on the outer side, pass the string under the slack you've made earlier to the side and out * cut the string at the depression exit