Introduction:

The string path is everything in between the two ends of the strings.  It includes tuners, string retainers, the nut, the frets, the bridge and the tail piece where there is one, or maybe its the other way around.  There is plenty there that can go wrong and call for repair, and I have experience with all of it.

Weather its plain to see or an annoying mysterious buzzing that is clearly audible, but seemingly impossible to figure out where it is coming from, you can be assured that I will know what to do.  The next chapters cover the various components within the string path, the problems they may have, and how I deal with them.

Each chapter covers the time you can expect a job to take individually, but keep in mind that given the differences of instruments and parts, and installation techniques thereof, they are only rough averages at best.

Tuners:

The oldest design still in use these days have an angular pitched gear and a worm gear, under a removable lid.  Due to vibrations the screw that holds down the angular pitched gear can loosen up, and its an easy fix to just tighten them back down again, but in reality that alone is not enough.  Without lubrication they will wear out faster, and once they have come loose, the screws will not hold as well, and they will loosen up again, but in less time.

I can lubricate them properly and have a method to secure the screws in place so they do not come loose again for a long time.  Although a lot of this type of tuners are poorly made, there are a few brands out there that are of excellent quality, and even look great, perfect for vintage instruments and newer instruments with a vintage look, in case they need replacing and originals can not be found.

Another design is almost identical, except that they are sealed, and can not be serviced, so when they wear out, the only solution is to replace them.  Those too come in varying quality and looks, and there are quite a few of them that have locking mechanisms, which I recommend.

Good quality locking tuners can help keep Your instrument in tune better, because they need almost no windings to hold on to the string, and the more windings of string on a tuner, the more likely the string can slip, throwing it out of tune.

If the instrument has a locking nut, then it is OK to go with less expensive tuners without locking mechanisms, because the nut if tightened properly, will prevent the strings from slipping.

There are also some odd ball tuners out there, that are normally found on instruments along with other uncommon features, like Steinberger basses for one.  I have worked with many designs, and if something new comes along, I have not yet encountered any tuners (or other hardware for that matter), that I can not figure out and service.

The time to install a set of 6 tuners is normally under an hour, but can take up to two hours if modifications to the instrument are needed to fit them.

String retainers:

On some instruments that do not have angled head stocks, string retainers are used to hold down the strings in the nut grooves, including on some instruments with locking nuts, as they need to be pre-tuned flat before locking down the nut, and they prevent to large a pitch change when doing so.  String retainers may also be culprit in tuning problems, if they are of poor quality, corroded or warn out.

Since the price of string retainers are so low, and the installation time too, its the kind of job that is better saved for when other work is needed, and only adds a few minutes to the job.

Nuts:

Besides acting a little nuts sometimes, I can work on the one on your guitar, or make you one from scratch, but I refuse to use one of those, molded out of acoustically inferior plastic.  A great many materials can be used to make a nut out of, but any material used should be within a certain range of density and strength to do its job, which is to act as the zero fret where there is none, and prevent the strings from moving perpendicular to the string path.

The nut on a guitar is often responsible for tuning problems when it binds, and fret buzzing when it is warn down, or can cause string buzz off of itself when the string grooves are worn out sideways.  Since it is like a zero fret, the string slots should not be to much higher than the first fret, but all to often they are much higher, and that will effect the intonation of the instrument.  Sure a lower nut will need raising or replacing more often, but personally I prefer my guitars to play in good pitch on every note, and recommend slower wearing materials.  A warn locking nut may be the cause of string breakage, and can not perform its job when the threads of the locking screws are stripped, and sometimes they do not conform to the radius of the fretboard, but I can correct that too.

Given that the string grooves of the nut need to be accurate in depth, width and angle, in order to perform right, it is the kind of job that must be done with precision and care.

There is no such thing as a replacement nut, that has string grooves that are at perfect depth, unless replacing an already properly installed locking nut, and they all need to be fitted.  Pre-slotted nuts for six strings may take under an hour to install, and those made of raw material from 1 to 1 1/2 hours with around ten minutes for each additional string.

Since replacing a nut may call for a setup, and a setup may call for a new nut or raising or lowering the existing one, the price of a setup may also have to be considered.