Headless Guitars - String Tension Question

Hey everyone, I’ve got a beautiful Mayones Hydra, and I’m wondering how tight you guys make the screws at the nut that hold the strings in place. I keep hearing advice not to over-tighten them, but if I don’t make them as tight as possible, my strings tend to slip. Last time, I didn’t tighten them enough, and four strings slipped out. Now, I feel like I have to tighten them all the way.

Just curious about your experiences with this. Thanks for the help, and sorry if my English isn’t perfect!

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I’ve got a Strandberg, and yeah, it’s tricky to find that balance! What I do is give it a firm twist but try not to go all out. If your strings are still slipping, it might also be worth checking the actual nut to make sure nothing’s misaligned. Mayones makes such killer guitars though—how does the Hydra feel to play?

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I’ve got an Ibanez Q54, so a different headless guitar, but I can relate! I’ve had the same issue with string slippage when I don’t tighten them enough. What I found works best is to tighten them just enough to hold the string securely but not to the point where I feel like I’m overdoing it. Maybe experiment a bit, tighten slightly more than you think, but stop before it feels like you’re over-tightening. How are you liking the Hydra otherwise?

Same experience here with my Kiesel Vader. I had to tighten them more than I initially thought, especially for heavier strings. It’s not like you’re going to damage anything by tightening it properly, but definitely avoid going crazy with the torque. Also, using a string lubricant sometimes helps prevent slippage without needing to crank the screws too hard.

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It sounds like you might be in a position where the screws have to be a little tighter than the average recommendation. I’ve got a headless Solar, and I usually keep them tight enough so the strings don’t budge but without straining. If you’re having to max out the tightness, maybe try adjusting your string gauge thicker strings might stay in place better without needing to tighten as much. Just a thought!

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I’ve noticed that lighter gauge strings on my headless sometimes slip more if I don’t tighten them just right. If you’re using lighter strings, you might need to go tighter or switch to something slightly heavier. How often are you swapping strings out? Could it be worn threads on the screws?