String Trees

[rapfohl09]

Well, the high e on one of my guitars has a pretty serious sympathetic vibration, and if you look at the string there is barely any break angle at all after the nut.

As much as I really don't like them, anyone have any suggestions for string trees? I think the "vintage" ones look absolutely awful, and am hoping for more modern options.

 

[Glimmer]

Well, there's the Mastery string tree:



I'm sure other folks'll chime in (hey, that was funny!).

 

[amigarobbo]

Staggered tunners?

 

[Glimmer]

Got ’em, but still shallow break angle:

 

[ByteFrenzy]

That looks wrong... the tallest tuners should be closest to the nut...

 

[Timmsie95]

Yeah it looks to me like you put them on in reverse order,  based on that picture.

 

[amigarobbo]

it should look more like.

Well, apart from the 'A' string, that was sloppy.

 

[musicispeace]

I had a similar problem on one strat and it turned out to be that the nut slot needed to be filed in a little better and that solved it. None of my three parts strats have a string tree. But, that said, the one source in my area I trust on these matters has reminded me that sometimes a particular guitar just needs a string tree if the break angle and bridge to nut angle turns out that way. I am open to having one if necessary but so far have not needed to. As said, before drilling into your headstock make sure the nut slots are dialed in. The guy who helped me cut it a micro amount deeper and modified the  shape on the bottom on the high e slot and that stopped my issues.

 

[Glimmer]

These are the staggered tuners I got from Warmoth, and they're actually all the same height: they're the "short height" (if they look different heights that's just a trick of the picture).

 

[pabloman]

Being a bit of a necessary evil if you will, the Fender American Standard trees are probably the best looking ones out there. I would definitely make it a last resort though.

 

[Logrinn]

A very nice looking, in my opinion, and, I presume, good modern take on the string tree is this made by Dynaguide in Netherlands.

 

[Cagey]

I had a similar problem on one strat and it turned out to be that the nut slot needed to be filed in a little better and that solved it.

That's usually it. There's more to nut fabrication/setup than just cutting a slot the string will fit in. It has to have the right profile, or you'll get open strings that have that "sitar" sound to them, or headstocks that have a ring to them, or strings that hang up and cause tuning problems, or strings that pop out of their slot when bent.

Unfortunately, cutting slots properly is time-consuming. That's why Leo came up with string trees. Solves almost all those problems for about 10¢ in production quantities. But, then you create a new tuning issue, which is big enough to forgo using them at all.

 

[ByteFrenzy]

These are the staggered tuners I got from Warmoth, and they're actually all the same height: they're the "short height" (if they look different heights that's just a trick of the picture).

Hmmmmm..... If they're all the same height, what's staggered about them? But indeed, if they're all the short height, the break over the nut on the treble side should be OK. You could have issues on the bass side, which I don't think is the case, but not on the treble side. So yeah, your best bet is probably some form of string tree. On my basses I'm rather partial to roller trees when I don't use vintage trees, no experience with the guitar counterparts though.

 

[Glimmer]

Hmmmmm..... If they're all the same height, what's staggered about them? But indeed, if they're all the short height, the break over the nut on the treble side should be OK. You could have issues on the bass side, which I don't think is the case, but not on the treble side. So yeah, your best bet is probably some form of string tree. On my basses I'm rather partial to roller trees when I don't use vintage trees, no experience with the guitar counterparts though.

ByteFrenzy, you win the puzzler prize: they're not staggered at all. They're all the same (short) height.

When I ordered them I inquired whether I'd need a string tree or not and the person at Warmoth suggested I would want one, so I got the Mastery one pictured about. When I took the assembled guitar to a local tech for him to cut a nut and set it up he felt the string tree wasn't necessary and so left it off. I've not had a problem and am happy with the way it sounds so I've gone without.

 

[Verne Bunsen]

I'm inclined to agree with the general sentiment of this thread. A string tree is not strictly necessary in every case, especially when a properly cut nut and staggered tuners are in the equation, but if you need/want one I'm keen on:

The Mastery Tree:

The Fender American Standard Tree:

 

[Glimmer]

Verne -- are those tuners all the same height?

 

[Verne Bunsen]

The "Sidewinder" headstock (the Red Jazzmaster) has Gotoh Magnum Lock tuners and they are all the same height. Although they are not, I discovered only upon attempting to string it, all the same diameter. 3 big string holes, 3 small string holes. I had installed everyone of them in the wrong positions. Which, statistically, is just as impressive a feat as unknowingly installing every one of them correctly......

The "Fender" headstock (The Tobacco Burst Strat) has the Fender Deluxe Tuners by Schaller and they are staggered, 3 tall and 3 short.