Ray. Thanks for your knot suggestion. You triggerd anothe idea for m:e--I bought a real small brass boat cleat to tie the cord off. It works. Now, in the case of a real Bass string (A, G, etc) what top fastening system might you or others suggest? My A string requires a lot of tension to get it going. Right now, I'm having a great time riffing with Cliff Stuart and His San Francisco Boys (last heard of them playing in The Borough Lounge in Queens, about 1951).