Randy Wood Tailpiece - Any tricks on re-stringing

[outdoors4me]

Hey folks,

I change my strings pretty regularly and I'm having a bit of trouble getting the hang of getting the loop end over the prong and getting it to stay there.

What I'm doing is running the point end of the string thru the tailpiece first, then I "arch" the portion that's behind that to try and wrangle the loop over the prong and hold it in that position.

It's very awkward and I don't see repetition making it much better.

Is there a trick that I'm missing or maybe a tool that can put the loop on and hold it? I tried a small flathead screwdriver and that doesn't do too good.

Thanks!

Beck

[Shelby Eicher]

I bend the the string at the loop before I feed the string in. It pops in there easily.
Shelby Eicher
Education Director/National Fiddler Hall Of Fame

[rico mando]

i leave my mando in its case ,put it on the table and prop the head up to access the tuners,i take one string off leaving the other 7 on. i then attach the loop at tail piece and lay string along fret board. i then lay my forearm on the fret board holding the string in place,keeping tension on the string with the same hand. then both hands are at the headstock i feed string into tuner using middle or index finger to feed the string at proper height and my thumb lifts the string to keep tension(same hand) the other hand winds the tuner.

[Gene Korte]

If you're referring to the cloud-style tailpiece, you might consider using a small magnet. I just finished stringing up a neighbor's old mando w/a cloud tailpiece and had a duuh moment when I realized I didn't need to push the loop end into the cloud but push the string through the back end of the cloud toward the tuners.

Anyhow, regardless of tailpiece style, you can always use a magnet as that extra finger.

[Ivan Kelsall]

A pic.would help. Randy Wood's website seems to have been re-hashed since i last visited it, & a clear pic.of his tailpieces isn't easy to get. If the loop goes over a string 'peg',simply place a piece of Blu-Tak over it,that's how i keep my loop ends on when i'm re-stringing both of my instruments,but it's not clear from his website exactly how his tailpiece is configured - it doesn't look like the 'peg' sort ie. Allen style.
If you're really having trouble with it - change it,
Ivan

[Ben Milne]

a bit of blu-tak or small square of gaff should be able to hold the loop temporarily on most tailpieces. Is This tailpiece (http://www.elderly.com/new_instruments/items/images/90N/RWF5-1_bridge-tailpiece.jpg) like yours?

[Jim Rowland]

After getting the loop in place,tension the string on the fingerboard using a Capo....not that any of us real pickers own one. Guitar Capos will do.
Jim

[Ivan Kelsall]

Ben - That's a Randy Wood style T/p alright. A small piece of Blu-Tak should do it,
Ivan

[Amandalyn]

With all due respect to Randy Wood; I have one of his 2 pts. ( love it ) And like the look of his retro tailpiece, but I had so much trouble changing strings I had to change the tailpiece out.