I can knit an Aran sweater with the wickedest knots the Irish can devise (and they do work at it!), but I'm having problems creating a loop end on a mandolin string. I may be missing something obvious -- I'm old enough for that ... but not so old as to be unembarrassed by the fact. First, the problem:
My recently purchased 1890 Vinaccia came with strings too heavy for such an old and light instrument. To remedy this, I purchased a set of premium Savarez strings (G-28, D-20, A-10, E-7.5), designed for Julien Martineau who seems to like everything as light as possible. G & D are silver wound on a synthetic core, A & E are stainless steel. These strings do not come with a loop on the end. I didn't think this would be an issue.
I've been to this thread and I've explored this winder used for Portuguese guitars. Oh, yes, and I've watched this Youtube video.
It is all very clear as long I am dealing with wire that is not wound, i.e., the A and E strings. However, the wound G and D strings do not seem amenable to the simple techniques displayed in the links above. What am I missing? And keep in mind that, as you can see in the image I've attached (note that I removed the G strings in my initial, naive enthusiasm to get this done), both Gs (and Ds) have to loop on a single narrow pin.
Any advice gratefully received!
Joe
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