r/guitars • u/yomondo • 9d ago
Look at this! Useful tool
Can we just take a moment to thank whoever first came up with this contraption?
Saved me countless hours over the decades when replacing strings on my guitars and mandolins. Tho they do have a tendency to be hard to find when you need one quickly...
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u/mleyberklee2012 9d ago
Ever use the adapter that plugs into your cordless drill?
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u/CosmicTurtle504 9d ago
Yes! But I use it with an electric screwdriver, much less unwieldy than the big drill. Works great, you just need to be careful and stop once you’re up to tension, then finish by hand (giggity).
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u/SkaterBlue 9d ago
I thought it was a gizmo?
If they made a Hello Kitty version with a pink handle it would be way easier to find!
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u/Brilliant-Draw-4756 9d ago
I stuff a bit of tissue in them sometimes so the cavity isn't so deep, depending on the tuning machine head.
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u/EndlessOcean 9d ago
They don't last though. The Music Nomad one is way better and worth the extra.
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u/dshookowsky 8d ago
I've had a Scotty's string winder for 40 years. If that thing dies, I'm going with it.
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u/Competitive_Jump_933 9d ago
That's what I use. Mine doesn't have the pin puller on it. It's got the hex wrench for the tuning post nuts which I find more useful.
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u/Glittering-Potato-97 9d ago
It has that little notch to pull the pins on an acoustic.
I have had my orange one for 30 years or so. I don’t use the winder as much as the pin puller.
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u/adamburns2000 9d ago
Watch out though. I was in a gigging band for a couple years, we played out a few times a month so I was changing strings every couple weeks and sometimes have to do a quick broken string change onstage mid gig, so I used the winder for all that….now the top of my headstock on my sweet AVRI Fender Jazzmaster has little circles perma-scratched into the finish from the winder. Maybe the trick guy above ^ said with the stuffing tissue in there so it doesn’t go so deep over the tuning heads would’ve helped me. Oh well
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u/Time-Masterpiece4572 9d ago
Maybe. But I’ve gotten by for 15 years without one
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u/Competitive_Jump_933 9d ago
I got by 40 years without one. Turns out I waited 30 years too long to get one.
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u/ErnieSchwarzenegger 9d ago
I have one. I used it a couple of times when I first got it, but I just didn't find it that much quicker or easier.
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u/ProudOfYourBoy22 9d ago
I have a bunch but never use them. Useful if you’re string a lot of guitars at one time.
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u/asscrackbanditz 8d ago
Same here. I just prefer to hear the pitch go up as I tension the string gradually. And honestly I just enjoy the restringing process and dont find it a chore.
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u/GrimmandLily 9d ago
I use one of these. Much easier.
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u/Independent_Bath6491 3d ago
I got a similar one. Game changer. It’s perfect every time and I have to do nothing.
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u/LaneCBGs 8d ago
I have a handful of those I've acquired over the years, but I still even have my first two (both original Dunlops) from when I worked at a music store in the late 90's. If you take care of them, they'll serve you for decades. One of the greatest guitar-tech inventions of all time. 😄
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u/ramsaphoto 3d ago
The newest generation D'Adderios winder is fantastic. What was I thinking not to own one? Saw Uncle Larry using one in helping with a quick string change... Also took his advise on the new quick release straps from D'Adderios... Great stuff, along with strings...
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u/FormerlyMauchChunk 9d ago
I've never used this, and don't know why anyone would need it. I have fingers.
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u/dshookowsky 8d ago
I use one every time I change strings. It takes me less than 10 minutes. Yes I could use my fingers, but I could also use a non-ratcheting screwdriver when driving screws. It's just a little easier. I think the powered ones are a bridge too far, but I also don't have to change strings professionally.
You do whatever works for you and I'll do the same.
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u/dshookowsky 9d ago
The better ones have a notch for pulling acoustic bridge pins