Forum Activity for @jean-van-erem

Loop vs. ball end strings

Instruments- discuss specific features, luthiers, instrument problems & questions

From the comments so far, it appears thatthere really is no functional difference for tone or playability. I'm using ball end strings on instruments that have very slim metal pins to anchor the string. It always looks as though the pin is so slim that the ball (really a brass circle inserted in the loop) will save some stress that would occurif I were to put the "naked" loop on the pin. And I save the old brass circles, too, and re-use themon a plain loop if that is possible. About where strings break, most of the time mine break at the tuning peg, but the last time a string broke, it was at the pin below the bridge. Really. And I was able to save the brass circle since it was still on the pin.

Thanks to everyone who answered, and of course more input is welcome. I've played for about 20 years and never have had a good explanation of loop vs. ball end.

Loop vs. ball end strings

Instruments- discuss specific features, luthiers, instrument problems & questions

This may have some discussion threads already and if so I apologize for not finding it. My question concerns using loop or ball end strings. The two types seem to be interchangeable on my instruments, in that the little nails that hold the strings will anchor both types easily. Is there some preference based on performance, or functionality, or some other characteristic that would guide me? I like the look of ball ends better, go figure what that is all about. I'm not on good theoretical ground with this idea, but it seems to me that the ball end puts less strain on the string, thus lessening (delaying is more the case) the likelihood of a break. I find myself replacing just the melody string on my Folkcraft fairly often, but I retune that top string a lot to accommodate different tunings. Thanks for all the (anticipated) helpful comments.

updated by @jean-van-erem: 08/04/23 05:48:01AM