Ideas for Aquila 1M Red Series Strings on a Suzuki M-50 Bowlback?

[InJapan]

My old fingers can no longer deal with metal strings, so I just placed an order for some Aquila 1M Red Series strings to put on my old Suzuki M-50 bowlback mandolin. I assume the Aquila strings won't have the loops, so I'm trying to figure out what to do about that issue. I'm thinking of fabricating a replacement for the current tailpiece, which, as you can probably see in the image below, is held in place with four small Phillips head screws.

Here's what the present tailpiece looks like:



I may also try making something that uses just 4 single strings.

Does anyone have any advice on what to make? Or images showing what would work?

[InJapan]

[Continued]

Here are some still photos from something interesting I just found on You Tube...



Will tying knots like these and having the Aquila strings bend 90 degrees work? Or will the strings tend to break easily at the tailpiece??


Would I be better off making something?


Here's the entire video link:

[Jacob]

Dave Hynds offers a number of different tailpiece configurations.

[Phil Goodson]

Good luck to you. I used Red Series strings on an open back banjo set up for nylon strings. No problem tying a loop to hold on the tailpiece, but I had a heck of a time with string breakage. And this is with the fairly low tension of a banjo.

So I wish you luck, but be careful at higher tensions. YMMV.

[oliverkollar]

Good luck to you. I used Red Series strings on an open back banjo set up for nylon strings. No problem tying a loop to hold on the tailpiece, but I had a heck of a time with string breakage. And this is with the fairly low tension of a banjo.

So I wish you luck, but be careful at higher tensions. YMMV.

Same experience here.
Finally went to using monofilament fishing line, worked much better.

[InJapan]

No problem tying a loop to hold on the tailpiece, but I had a heck of a time with string breakage.

Same experience here.
Finally went to using monofilament fishing line, worked much better.

String breakage... That's what I wondered about. And it's why I am pondering replacing the tailpiece with something (perhaps a so-called "floating" tailpiece?) that gets rid of the 90-degree bend and the hooks, and would allow for string terminations like on a classical guitar.

If anyone has an image of something like that on a mandolin -- or knows of actual tailpieces for sale that might do the trick -- please let me know.

[mandroid]

One consideration lower tension non steel strings will be easy to push sideways,
as you fret them, so may change pitch ,
sharper than you wish..

and the G off the fingerboard..




I have Aquila strings on my Banjo Uke*,
I tied a knot in them around a no-Knot tailpiece pin (1 of 5)

or tie it around a string ball , that fits and stays in the 4 spaces between the 5 pins.

*'Kawlija' .. because it has a wooden head..




...

[mimmo]

hello,
Mimmo here ( Aquila owner.
I have some chances to improve the sound and the tensile strenght of these strings.

Before to do the job I have a few questions:

1) is the tension of the 1M set 'right' or does you prefere an higher tension? To be more accurate: in order to understand better, please let me know how many semitones higher it is necessary to go till to reach the 'right tension (doing the tst with the 2nd string not the 1st...)

2)is the 1 M set 'brigh't or you prefere a more brilliant sound?

3) breackages at the tailpiece: the experimental set had no breackage. However in the future I will share the way we do the knot even for metal strung tailpieces. Just to tell more: the new kind of strings are installed on traditional bluegrass 5 strings banjos and no problems at all (before a lot of breackages)

Thanks guys
Mimmo - Italy

[mimmo]

here is the test on a cheap neapolitan mandoline.

https://www.facebook.com/mperuffo/vi...9778685598964/

mimmo