Another solution for sticking strings at the nut was offered in the Belgian Lute Society newsletter in 2007.
http://lute-academy.be/CMSimple/downloads/Geluit39.pdf The instructions start on page 18. If you don’t read Dutch or French, the photos are pretty clear: 1. Mark the string at the point the tuned string meets the nut with a pencil. 2. Detune the string so the mark is about 1 cm (or width of tape) 3-4. Cut a small bit of Teflon tape (available from the plumbing section in a hardware store — used for sealing plumbing joints), positioning it under the string just behind the pencil marking. 5. Tune the string up. The tape should follow the string back towards the peg and over the nut. 6. Trim the excess tape as closely as possible to the string. (Do I have to say not to cut the string?) — Rocky On Nov 11, 2014, at 2:46 AM, Herbert Ward <[email protected]> wrote: > > The bent-back pegbox means that a lute > has 7.5 times as much friction at > the nut as a guitar, taking angles of > 10 degrees for the guitar and 80 for the > lute. > > For the strings attached to the farthest > pegs (say, the fourth course) this friction > causes trouble because the strings stick > at the nut during tuning. > > Graphite lubrication never helped me much. > Nor did tugging at the string, though it > seems this should work when tuning downward. > > To fix the problem, I tied a loop of ordinary > household twine around the string in the peg- > box, and MOVED IT AS CLOSE AS POSSIBLE TO > THE NUT. > > Now I adjust the peg, and > then give a momentary tug on the loop. The > tug pulls the string almost completely away > from the nut, and thus equalizes the tension > along the entire length of the string. > In response, the pitch immediately and > reliably reflects the > slightest movement of the peg (in either > direction), as with a harp. > > A side-benefit is that the peg stays pushed > in longer, since the peg is turned so little. > > Of course, if you put loops on > multiple strings, then you have a mass of loops > from which it is difficult to find the one you > need. I've ordered a skein of multi-colored > knitting yarn to see whether color-coding will > reduce this problem. > > > > To get on or off this list see list information at > http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
