Hey All

I've had a similar problem with my A String and it's been quite a long frustrating journey but I've found the cause and a simple solution. .. And because it's been so frustrating I need to vent/talk about my journey, but if you don't want to hear my rant just skip to the last paragraph to find the easy solution. 

I noticed my A string was damaged at the Nut after checking it after a drop. .. So I talk to my friend about what strings to buy and he suggests Daddario, I check out fiddlerman's reviews (gotta love that guy) and decide I'll go with Zyex... but as I live in OZ and i want them asap i decide to try the local shops for the strings. Three different shops i drove to didn't have them >< so I drove too a luther about 100km away (he wasn't answering his phone) he didn't have the strings either. . Whilst i'm there i decide I'll buy a different chin rest to experiment with so i don't go home empty handed. While he's fitting it I go for a walk, apparently he decides to tune it and a peg snaps. .. I tuned it the day before with out a problem,  but I did drop it recently so I give him the benefit of the doubt that maybe it's my fault and we start talking about cost of new pegs. ... He upsells me some mechanical pegs, cannot remember the brand, new pegs + fitting and a chin rest and I've just spent $300 and I still don't have any strings yet. He also quotes me $200 to restring my fiddlerman carbon fibre bow i bought a decade ago.... seems excessive considering the bow plus postage from the US to OZ cost me half that. ..

I order the strings from fiddlershop.com and they actually arrive pretty quick considering they've gotta come halfway round the globe. After buying Strings, pegs and a chin rest I've spent as much as the violin originally cost me >< I fit the new strings my self as I'm too afraid to go back to the luther after the last expensive trip. They sound ok,  warm but not very bright. . They do tune nicely though - the A on the D string sounds the same as the open A string and they are very forgiving of my poor bowing skills. .

Skip forward a month or two and the G and D string are starting to resonate beautifully but the A string sounds flat... close inspection I see that the binding on the A string at the nut has spread and tween the nut and the peg the binding looks stretched out, pretty similar to the last string. ..

I loosen the string to inspect the nut and it's quite obvious that the groove is to small for the string causing it to jamb up instead of slide and making it streeeeetch. I'm too afraid to take it to that ripoff luther so I try widen the groove myself,  I don't have a file that small so I fold some emery paper in half and try to sand it out. .. This is where you experienced guys are really starting to cringe right?  By the time it's wide enough I've gone too deep and the string sits on the neck and twangs like an archery bow. At this point the devil on my shoulder suggests that now would be a good time to become a rock star by smashing my instrument,  but I am if nothing else patient. .. I tried a few different things after that and here's what worked. 

I got a small peice of black rubber coated electrical wire and cut piece off about half an inch and pulled the wire out leaving me with the black rubber tube,  I threaded my A string through the tube and put the string back on the violin with the tube placed over the nut, and started tuning it, before it was even close I knew something was good. ... really really good. And when tuned it's resonating so beautifully it sounds like angels descending from heaven singing a perfect note... An hour after playing it; I'm not sure if I'm really happy or if my soul is still resonating to my A string. At some point I'll have to find a more pious luther to have the nut replaced or maybe I'll give it a go my self as its only a cheap violin so what have i got to lose. But you can at least learn from my mistakes. . May your soul for ever resonate with your A string : )