Single String Headless Tuner Design

[reverendrally]

A thin nylon washer would do the same thing as the ball bearing but with less cost and fuss.

 

[Will_White]

For all the people that are using these, how are these working out for you? Tuning stability, tuning ease, string life etc. I'm thinking of using something based on these on a future build.

 

[michaelwayneharwood]

I have been very pleased with them in all aspects. Of course they're mine - I would say that.

 

[ixlramp]

I have a suggestion for a design improvement.

I was discussing headless hardware string clamps with Skip of Kalium strings. These clamps are placed near the nut and allow single ball end strings to be used.
Often these clamps are very close to the nut and the strings are cut close to the clamp. However cutting a string at full gauge, close to the nut, removes the part of the string that secures the wraps from becoming loose, which is, as far as i know, the tapered section where the outermost wrap is wound around the hex core wire.

For such headless basses the correct stringing method is to pass the string through the clamp, clamp it, then cut the string. The clamp then secures the wraps from becoming loose. However, Skip confirmed this means you can never loosen the clamp until the end of the life of the string.
A way around this is to leave a length of fully tapered string beyond the clamp, and perhaps coil this up as i have seen one headless bass luthier do.

So, your hardware is usually used at the bridge, but i expect it forces you to cut the string at full gauge before clamping, 2groggy's photo earlier shows this, the string must be cut before inserting into the hole. There is therefore a large chance of ruining the string.

My suggestion is that the internal string channel angles upwards just after the clamp and emerges through the top of the metal block, such that an uncut string can be threaded through before clamping.
Or maybe even have the entire internal channel cut at an upward angle, for simplicity of manufacture, the clamp is right at one end so this probably makes no difference.
This may require the block to be slightly longer, as the uncut string may slightly reduce the amount of travel of the adjustment screw.

Ideally perhaps the instrument could be designed to have some way of cleanly storing a significant length of string emerging behind the tuner, or something on top of the block that stores the protruding cut string end so it doesn't poke the player.