On Jan 1, 2012, at 10:49 PM, Herbert Ward wrote:
> Stretching of strings between the nut and the peg is causing > me severe difficulty in tuning -- I can turn the peg > 90 or 120 degrees with no response in the pitch. > > Lubricating the nut is of course a possibility. A necessity, if you can really give the peg more than a quarter turn with no result. Take a pencil and draw lines in the grooves until you've put a layer of graphite down in the groove. > But I'd also like to try replacing the portion of the string > between nut and peg with a leader of some material which > (a) does not stretch, > (b) can be tied securely and easily to the string, > (c) will not slip on the peg, > (d) will not damage anything, > (e) is strong enough, and > (f) is readily available. > > Does anyone have experience in this? Go to your local fishing supply shop, talk to someone who is not a fish, and ask for leader. That's the stuff you want. If your knot-tying skills are halfway decent (i.e. better than mine) you should be able to join it securely to your string. Having the knot resting on the nut will solve all your sticking problems, but likely leave you with not enough string to retie the knot if it comes undone. -- To get on or off this list see list information at http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
