I got an old Cheetah bow awhile back with no string. It says 64 on the riser, so I ordered a 64" string. It's way to long and only produces about a 3" brace height. How do I determine the proper length for it? At $15.99 per string from my local bow shop, I don't want to get the wrong thing...again.

The standard is 3 inches shorter for longbows and 4 inches shorter for recurves.  So for example if you bow is a 64 inch longbow you would want a 61 inch string.  No all bows follow this standard but it would be a good place to start unless somebody on here is familiar with the particular bow you have.

"the" [AMO] standard is three inches shorter for any type of bow. It's the only "standard" I know of dealing with this subject.
Anyhow, the standard is worth almost nothing as - for some 40 years now - people stick to the 3" LB vs. 4" RC "rule of thumb".
If it says AMO, then go for a total string lenght (already streched BTW) three inches shorter then the given AMO bowlenght.
But even so there might be quite a difference in what your bow really needs, unfortunately. The whole string lenght thing is a mess and the best one can do is to make them yourself.

I don't know your specific bow but with many RC the needed string lenght is about the same as the nock-2-nock lenght, measured unbraced. Just take a yardstick and look what it says ...

Good luck! Falk

Yep--what Falk said.  AMO says 3" shorter, but lots of bows don't follow AMO.  That 3" shorter is measured under tension also.


Going on what you said about the string you bought, sounds like you need a string 61-62" long (depending on what brace height your bow likes).  Since it's an old bow, dacron only.

Chad

my recurves all take a string 4 inches shorter to get a 7-8 inch brace