Quote:
Originally Posted by goog64
And I've Googled that washer idea but can't find much. Can you please tell me about that?
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For a period of time, AGF member murrmac123 created and sold kits to change any guitar to a pinless guitar--only about $5 at the time.
The "TECHNOFRET Alternate String Anchoring System". He had a lot of description on his eBay page. The kit came with aluminum washers and a long tube to help the installation on difficult to reach inside guitars.
He gave a long list of reason why this improves the stability and sound of the guitar. I won't add that here.
For me, I just liked the simplicity and clean looks of pin-less.
But by the time I began reading about this, he had already stopped selling the kits.
So I decided to find just the right size aluminum washers myself. It was not as easy as I thought. I only needed washers because the OF660 design made guiding a string up and through the pin holes using just my fingers, simple.
I did correspond with murrmac123 at the time to see if maybe he had just "one" more kit remaining--but no--he was through with all that.
I did the careful measurements needed to determine the inside and outside diameters of the washers needed. The outside diameter needed to be small enough not to touch or rest on the K&K pickup clones in the Journey.
With some difficulty, I found a supplier and ordered. It was a bit more expensive than if the kit had still been available--but not a deal breaker.
Notes on my washers:
- From murrmac123 I learned from his many tests, aluminum worked best for a number of reasons. He would not use anything else.
- My washers are maybe a bit thicker than I need--but they work great. I just wanted to be sure it wasn't too thin when I ordered. I didn't want to order twice and aluminum is easy to sand thinner if needed.
- The outside washer diameter just reaches, but does not overlap one of the 3 Journey pickup sensors. If it had covered some of the sensor, the tightened pressure could maybe damage a sensor. If it had overlapped, I would have needed to sand a washer side back a bit to fit properly--easy to do with aluminum. But I didn't need to do a thing. It just works well and should work as well on any guitar.
- My washer order was the minimum, but it gave me a lifetime supply for many guitars.
- murrmac123 used 9mm diameter washers. I bought 8mm and it was perfect for the Journey. 9mm would have been too big.
---Brass ends on strings are about 3.95mm.
---about 3mm washer holes are best to keep the ball from slipping through.
You may be able to find just the washers you need at your local hardware store if you just want to do a test to see if you like it or not and choose steel. VERY cheap.
But I heeded murrmac123's advice and experience closely and wanted to stay with aluminum as he had tried them all. I could only find aluminum the right size with an online order. YMMV.
On my next string change, I've decided I will install the aluminum washers semi-permanently inside the guitar using rubber cement or some other type of removable glue. Then, when changing strings, I don't need to slip the washers on each string before threading the string through the hole. Misplacing them will not be possible.
Photos below:
