Vintage Stingray "A" String Retainer?

[Deano Destructo]

View attachment 7563170

This is kinda genius in its simplicity!

Now I’m wondering if a similar solution could be utilized with a titanium piercing barbell in a thin enough gauge.

Definitely wouldn’t have to worry about it bending or snapping over time.

 

[UntitledProject]

This is kinda genius in its simplicity!

Now I’m wondering if a similar solution could be utilized with a titanium piercing barbell in a thin enough gauge.

Definitely wouldn’t have to worry about it bending or snapping over time.

Yeah, I think there are definite possibilities. I like that it's utilizing the existing retainer and just extending something over the A. I'm sure there is a more elegant way of doing it. But the needle definitely works.

 

[Deano Destructo]

Muhahahaha!

Fingured out my own little solution with @UntitledProject 's suggestion above.

Used the little flashlight clip from an iNova micro-light.

Clips securely through the strings without touching the headstock face and is about the right size overall in length. Looped it through to include the "E" string as well, but it doesn't touch it while still providing enough downward pressure on the remaining strings (utilizing the existing retainer), including the "A" string to have them all break at the same angle. The clip might bend overtime, but we'll see.



I might still try utilizing a titanium barbell solution (25mm in length) to see how it compares over the higher three strings, especially as one of those in a 14g is unlikely to bend at all, but this works nicely for the time being.

Thanks again all for the great suggestions!

 

[UntitledProject]

Muhahahaha!

Fingured out my own little solution with @UntitledProject 's suggestion above.

Used the little flashlight clip from an iNova micro-light.

View attachment 7563224

Clips securely through the strings without touching the headstock face and is about the right size overall in length. Looped it through to include the "E" string as well, but it doesn't touch it while still providing enough downward pressure on the remaining strings (utilizing the existing retainer), including the "A" string to have them all break at the same angle. The clip might bend overtime, but we'll see.

View attachment 7563227View attachment 7563229View attachment 7563225

I might still try utilizing a titanium barbell solution (25mm in length) to see how it compares over the higher three strings, especially as one of those in a 14g is unlikely to bend at all, but this works nicely for the time being.

Thanks again all for the great suggestions!

At least good enough for proof of concept. Hopefully it isn't flexible enough to cause tuning instability.

But there is definitely a market for an item that would slip over an existing string retainer to extend a 2 string retainer to 3.

 

[Deano Destructo]

At least good enough for proof of concept. Hopefully it isn't flexible enough to cause tuning instability.

But there is definitely a market for an item that would slip over an existing string retainer to extend a 2 string retainer to 3.

Yeah, everything is tuned up and holding up ok at this time. I'll just have to keep an eye to see if it bends due to the contant pressure and thus alterning the tuning stability.

1000% on there being a market for these. I'd think about designing something more substantial for market, but it'd likely be easiest for a company like Nordstrand to fabricate and retail similiarly to how they do the NordyMute. I'd guess it'd be more of a single accessory for an existing catalog to solve for a niche problem.