Strings?
 

I acquired my first harp guitar yesterday. A Dyer style 4. This one has 6 sub bass strings. I have no clue what type of strings to use on the sub bass side. Any recommendations?

Also, I would like to swap out the original friction banjo tuners . Has anyone done this on a Dyer? Any recommendations? Thanks! https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...52613bacb6.jpg

I would check with Sir Greg Minor at the harp guitar forum. He’ll take care of you! Congratulations on the Dyer!! 😎☝️

If there is nothing wrong with the tuners . Why change them out?

Congratulations on a great looking Dyer. Here is the site for the strings:
https://www.harpguitarmusic.com/strings-steel.htm

Probably best to start with what Greg recommends depending on what tuning you generally expect to use.

I don't know!

I was thinking about efficiency and stability. On the other hand, if they worked 100 years ago, why wouldn't they today.

I'm going back and forth.


Thanks for the string recommendations!

Definitely go to Harp Guitar Music for SO much info on all things harp guitar! Mr. Minor will also give you some thoughts and advice on the tuners.

I have a Dyer clone in one of the early Holloway HGs. I put 5 Star tuners on the harp headstock, and they've been very nice. And just because I like them, I upgraded the guitar string tuners to Grover Sta-Tites.

Your soundboard looks so vintage mellow; enjoy!

The Rickard banjo tuners are the ones you want. They will not slip, should be a direct replacement and if you tell him you are using them for harp guitar he will drill out the holes to fit the bigger strings.

You will need to decide if you are going to use "Bennett" tuning for your bass strings. This is named after Stephen Bennett. Gregg Miner can help you with that as well. Stephen has two DVDs that will get you up and running with songs to play and technique tips. You can contact him through his website.

If you really catch the bug, join us at The Harp Guitar Gathering, this year will be in Williamsburg Va Nov 8-10.

Quick update. I decided to swap out the original friction tuners. They were functional, but a pain. I decided to get a set of Rickard Cyclone tuners. What a difference. I gave them a call, and they drilled the holes a bit larger to accommodate the bass strings. These were not a direct replacement. I had to enlarge the existing holes just a bit to make the fit. It was an easy job and well worth it. https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...25b72cee1e.jpg