Quick round core string question....

[ii Cybershot ii]

If I install a round core string, like DR Sunbeams, can I take them off and put them back on again? (For example when swapping a saddle and loosening the strings completely while a capo holds them on the 1st fret)

[jemartin]

I haven’t tried that but I don’t see why it couldn’t be done... as long as the capo holds them firmly. I have done this with regular hex core strings but not round cores.

[ChalkLitIScream]

Can someone give me a brief explanation as to why round cores are more ''fragile''? Ive heard you shouldnt trim excess string. IS this because the wrappings come off easier?

[WiseAxe]

The round core Sunbeams have a flat side at their ends, so if you pre-measure and cut them off, a.k.a. the Taylor method, the windings would slip off of the core. Using the capo should prevent that from happening if tuning down for getting the bridge pins off.

[oliverkollar]

Originally Posted by ChalkLitIScream

Can someone give me a brief explanation as to why round cores are more ''fragile''? Ive heard you shouldnt trim excess string. IS this because the wrappings come off easier?

You can trim the excess after the string is up to pitch.

The round core doesn't grab the outer winding as well as a hex core, therefore the winding can unravel from the round core.

[ii Cybershot ii]

Originally Posted by WiseAxe

The round core Sunbeams have a flat side at their ends, so if you pre-measure and cut them off, a.k.a. the Taylor method, the windings would slip off of the core. Using the capo should prevent that from happening if tuning down for getting the bridge pins off.

I use the Taylor method. So what do I need to do differently? Just crimp the string near where I cut it off?

[jemartin]

Check the inside of the package of DR Sunbeams... it will tell you the way that they recommend. You must crimp them before cutting.

[imwjl]

Round core strings are not fragile. They're not going to break any more than a hex core string might break. You just have to be aware that a round core doesn't have the shape a hex core does to hold the winding in place.

Taylor method? Let me sell you a hammer as an El Slamo and charge you more. On my 1970s dorm floor the guys across the hall who pre-cut strings just called it cutting the strings.