How To Change Guitar Strings

How to change guitar strings? Before restringing, I always take a good look down the neck from the headstock towards the body with the current set of strings under tension and to pitch.

This is to see if there are any obvious neck problems such as neck bow.

If there is greater bow than the normal backset, your guitar may need a truss rod adjustment.

You can find truss rod adjustment in another section of this site. Want to know how to change guitar strings? The only things needed to change guitar strings is a set of strings, a pin puller, wire cutters, a soft non-scrathing cloth, and a place to rest the guitar.

1. Place the guitar on its back with the neck resting on something stable.

Make sure the guitar is on something that will not scratch the finish.

2. Remove the old strings

How to change guitar strings, here we go!

First take all the tension off the old strings by loosening them, one or two at a time.

This ensures that the body or the neck is not shocked by releasing the tension all at once.

Once the tension is released, I cut the string with wire cutters, one by one at the end of the fingerboad.

This makes it easier to get the strings off quickly at the tuning machines by unwinding them from around the tuning post.

Remove the bridge pins and pull the ball ends of the strings out of the bridge holes.

The bridge pins can be easily removed using a bridge pin remover.

3. Installing strings at the bridge

Place the appropriate new string ends into the appropriate bridge holes and reinsert the end pins.

Make sure that the ball ends are up against the bridge plate on the inside of the guitar by feeling with your hand through the sound hole.

This step will aid in preventing damage to the bridge plate once you start to put the strings under tension.

The strings can be placed through the holes in the bridge one at a time and then wound onto the tuning peg.

I prefer to install all six strings and bridge pins before I wind any strings around the tuning posts.

This process leaves the soundhole clear and lets me feel through the soundhole to make sure the ball ends are against the bridge plate.

It also lets me concentrate at the tuning machines without moving back and forth between the bridge and tuning machines.

4. Install the strings on the tuning posts and bring close to pitch

I always start with the low E string. Align the hole in the tuning post parallel with the guitar neck.

Pull the string through the hole end of the tuning peg that is closest to the body.

Place your arm onto the fingerboard under the string about four inches below the elbow.

This should give you sufficient string length for winding around the tuning post.

To accomplish this make sure to understand the rotation direction of the tuning post.)

On the 3 low side tuners, after making sure you have adequate string length as described above, and with the string through the post bend the string to the inside (make sure it is crimped against the post),then bring it on around the post and back under the string and bend it up and over the string.

Start to wind the string by turning the tuning machine. The tuning post should be turning counter-clockwise.

Make sure the string is wound from the top to the bottom of the post. The slope in the tuning post should bring the string into place nicely.

Tighten the tuning machine enough to bring the string close to standard pitch.

With a set of wire cutters, cut the string even with the top of the tuning post.

5. Continue this process for the next two low strings A and D.

6. How to Change guitar strings. Now move to the high strings, G, B, and high E.

On the G string follow the same directions as you did above for the low E, but make sure you go around the tuning post in the correct direction so that the string comes back across its self when winding the string on to the post.

Sometime it's a little confusing, but the tuning post on the three high strings rotate clockwise.

7. Now that all strings are on the guitar bring each string up to standard pitch.

The strings will go through an adjustment stage where they are stretching, thus getting out of tune.

You can get ahold of each individual string between your thumb and index finger and pull it briskly away from the guitar to strech the string. This will help the strings to settle in more quickly.

Be careful not to over do it. Now bring each string back in tune.

Wipe the guitar down with the soft cloth and play away!!!That's how to change guitar strings!!!

To see my YouTube video "How To Change Guitar Strings", click on the play button in the middle of the video screen.

Want to learn more about strings? Goto Acoustic Strings here.

Return to my-acoustic-guitar from how to change guitar strings.

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