Obviously – if the strings have a heavier gauge – then more length is required to complete a full turn around a post. Since the strings are slotted into the posts before being wound on – this means getting the string lengths right to start with. It also seems to help the tuning stability, as well as the vibration transfer, (and therefore the resonant character of the guitar), if the strings wrap a few times around the posts. In this position – it’s difficult for the string to move on the post, and tuning is therefore much more stable. This means it can’t crimp or weaken itself, and the contact between the string and the post is even, and maximised. Eventually – this all becomes second nature, but importantly – winding the strings like this ensures that the string doesn’t “cross itself” as it winds down the post. It’s important that the string is held, so that the wire winds tightly around the post, with the string eventually leaving the tuner clockwise off the post – towards the nut – and at the lower part of the post. Once the string is pushed as deep as possible – the string is bent sharply inside the notch on the post, and then held in place as the tuner is wound up, and the slack string wire wrapped around the post.
With these vintage style tuners – the string is trimmed to length and the end is pushed down into the hole in the middle of the tuner post. The main tip is to trim the strings to the correct length first, and then to wind them onto the machine heads in the right manner, and with sufficient turns around each post. There’s still a few things to get right however, and a few tips which can help to maximise the stability and accuracy of the tuning. Stringing the Telecaster is easy, (and, incidentally, if you want to see how it’s done halfway through a gig, without scaring the punters – just watch Wilko show you how it’s done – here). Wilko Johnson Fender Telecaster – Getting it right at the machine heads I’ll go with a set of EXL-115’s, for now. It might even be possible to move up to 12’s, but I think a gradual change would be the best approach. Since my setup for the neck has already been successful with a set of 10’s installed, I should easily be able to switch to a set of 11’s here – with no need to make any alterations to the neck action, or to the string slots at the nut. I’ve no idea what gauge Wilko actually uses himself – but there’s no doubt that heavier strings do seem to carry slightly more “punch” than lighter ones.
Of course, upping the higher string gauges might make it slightly harder to judge bends initially – but I’m already used to using 11’s on my acoustic guitars – so I’m no stranger to that little bit of extra wear and tear to my left-hand finger-tips. Very useful if you’re fond of mixing bassy blues licks in with your rhythm playing, and therefore just the sort of thing I, perhaps, should be considering, for a guitar which is more than a nod to Wilko’s own. The extra mass of the thicker bass strings gives a little extra definition and “twang” to the lower strings. Effectively, that gives you a half set of “10’s” for the higher strings, and a half set of “12’s” for the lower strings. I have experimented with EXL-140’s in the past – which are a “light” string set with the bass strings beefed up. (Perhaps setting the guitars up properly, also helps).Īs a bass player originally, who has migrated toward more six-string work over time, I do sometimes have a fondness for playing with my fingers, without a pick, on slightly heavier strings. The D’Addario strings feel slick, the gauge allows me to pull off full-tone bends easily yet, since my technique isn’t usually too strum-heavy, I don’t seem to break many. I mostly use EXL-110’s as standard – a “light” string gauge, which has served me exceptionally well for daily play. These have “shaken-out” of my experiences of daily playing and reflect my technique, and the kind of response and sound I’m trying to get from an instrument. Over the past year or two – I’ve gradually settled on a couple of D’Addario string types as standard for most of my builds. D’Addario XL strings – EXL110’s, 140’s and 115’s On the Jimmy Page Dragoncaster – I managed to get the action down incredibly low, (>0.005″), and since I’m thinking of using a slightly heavier than usual string set on this replica – there should still be plenty of headroom, to allow for a good feel, despite a slightly higher neck action due to increased string tension. Since the neck I’m using on the build has already been setup for use on my previous Jimmy Page Tele – some of the usual setup procedures will already have been taken care of.
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I can then clear the decks and crack on with some of the finishing jobs I’ve been putting off, (and which tend to be a little messier). I just need to load the strings, and then setup my self-built Wilko Johnson Fender Telecaster, and that should round off another project.
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