Hi,
I finally decided to tighten all my frets. For the most part I could pull on one end of the string with pliars to tighten the frets up well. But occaisionally, I would break a string. (I broke two).
Now, I saw all the diagrams on the knot, but I had a hell of a time tying it, and then it was even harder to tie it tightly. The string (=fishing line) kept slipping off the edges of the frets, so I taped the things on and was able to do it ok.
All this took about 3 hours!!
Any hints, tips on doing this better/faster? Or do I just have to practise more?
yes thats the name on the thing pratice more
one more thing is that it occurs to me that ur using mylon threads. . well
try using normal threads to get some pratice
wear handgloves if ur hands are sweaty
One thing that will really speed this process up is if you can coordinate the fret tying with tarab string change (when you can have all of the tarab pegs removed). Another thing that might help is to use an upholstry thread such as "Stringth" brand. I believe you will want the #5 thickness and they have a color selection (gold seems to be the nicest looking color on sitar). One thing that I have noticed that you might want to try is to cross the thread between the top of the fret and the bottom. This is done on some surbahars as the neck width is wider and it holds the thread together as a unit on the back side (so that your thumb won't spread the thread out as you cross it). Before actually knoting the thread on a fret, take it back off and measure it so that you know the length required for each of your frets. Add about 8-10" on to this length to allow extra to grip the thread with so you can KEEP IT TIGHT (this is important). The thread is cheap, so having extra length really aids in fret tying. After a bit of practice, you can tie frets at a rate of about 4-5 minutes per fret.
Larsji's www. has good drawings of the process. One thing that might give some confusion is that your last turn on the upper side of the fret actually passes around the fret from the underside and then you snap it between the fret and the dand with a strong pull. The thread does not actually go over the fret through the groove on this turn, but directly to the know from the backside. Study the drawings well and you will see how this works. I didn't notice this on my first few attempts and my frets were not very tight until I figured out this step.
Thanks guys.
Is the thread better than fishing line? Or is it easier to use? I used the fishing line because that is what was on there already. My first sitar which was crap and is hanging on someones wall now, and it had thread strings.
I used Lars' pics for the know typing, very helpful!
I think I compounded the problem by leaving all but one tarb in place :-)
