Change Guitar Strings

Changing guitar strings is really not a complicated task, but it is for some reason intimidating to new guitarists. Intimidating or not, it is an easily-acquired skill that any guitarist should have. (Note: This guide presumes you're changing strings on a "dreadnought" style acoustic guitar. Electric guitars are somewhat different, but many of the same rules apply.)

Steps

Removing The Strings And Bridge Pins

  1. Decide how to restring. There is much debate about whether it is wise to remove and replace every string individually, or simply to unstring everything and then restring it all at once. The choice is yours as to which method to use.
    • Using the one-at-a-time method, you maintain most of the tension the neck is used to and therefore keep string tension in balance with truss rod tension.
    • Removing all the strings at once permits you to clean and wipe the fingerboard without lifting up the strings or having to work around them. Fingerboards accumulate a mix of skin oil, skin and dirt (which saps tone and acoustic sustain from the guitar).
  2. Remove the strings. Loosen the strings until they are no longer under tension. Then, either clip them using nippers or continue to loosen them via the tuning machines until they can be pulled out of the tuning pegs.
    • An inexpensive tool called a peg winder, available at any music/guitar shop, is very handy for this.
  3. Remove the bridge pins. These are the knob-looking things (usually white or black) that allow the strings to hook themselves onto the inside of the guitar. Use a bridge pin puller, which comes in a wide range of varieties and are sold at any music/guitar shop. Bridge pins can be quite stubborn, especially if either they or the guitar is new. Occasionally you may be tempted to grab these from the outside with pliers. While this is acceptable if done with the utmost caution, it is generally not necessary.
    • Another method would be to push the pins out from inside the guitar, using a hard object such as a coin. Pushing the string further into the guitar as you do this sometimes helps since the end of the string is wound and "wedges" itself in with the peg. Once the pegs pop free you can pull them out of the peg holes.
  4. Remove the strings from the peg holes one at a time.
  5. Clean your guitar, if desired. This comprises cleaning the body, fingerboard, back of the neck, and headstock. Use a decent cleaner from a guitar or music shop if possible. Never use furniture polish, glass spray or other common household cleaners. If nothing else, simply use a slightly dampened chamois cloth or lint-free cotton cloth. Oils from your hands will build up on the fingerboard of the guitar with remarkable speed causing a thick gunk.
    • If you must use water, you should apply such a minuscule amount of water to the cloth that you can barely tell it is damp. Excess water can ruin unsealed wood.

Change Your Strings

  1. Get your new strings ready. Some strings' ball ends are color-coded to indicate what note they are to be tuned to.
  2. Choose your own order. There are many theories about what order strings should be applied. Some guitarists start at the thin end and work their way up, or start at the thick end and work their way down.
    • The most preferred method is to first put in the thinnest string, then the thickest, then alternate to the next-thinnest, then the next-thickest and so on (1, 6, 2, 5, 3, 4). Alternating in this fashion keeps a more even left-to-right pull on the neck of the guitar and makes later tuning less problematic, especially for older guitars.
  3. Insert the knob end of the string into the peg hole and re-insert the end peg. You should be holding in the string during this time. It is helpful to pull a little tension on the string toward the head of the guitar because this tension is what keeps those pegs from falling out.
  4. Stretch each string. Once each string is in its peg hole, stretch it up to its appropriate tuning peg and insert the end through the hole in the peg. Keep in mind that you will want to be turning the guitar tuning key ALWAYS TO THE RIGHT to tighten. If the tuning keys on your guitar are on opposite sides of the head (as is usual), you bring the string up between the two rows of key pegs and to the outside.
  5. Thread the string through the hole and pull tight. You will want to leave just a little bit of slack to have some excess string to wind around the tuning pegs. If you do not, you will run out of string too quickly and the strings will loosen up when you are playing.
    • This is, regrettably, a trial-and-error process and is different for each string. Just remember, you can always cut off more if you leave too much. You can never add back what you cut off.
  6. Bend the string up (90° perpendicular to the guitar) and turn the tuning key so you get several winds around the peg. This can take a good deal of winding (again, the peg winder is very handy for this part). Make sure that when you tighten the string that each subsequent wind stacks one below the last, so that none of the winds overlap. This ensures both a cleaner looking wind and a longer life to the string itself, as well the guitar itself staying in tune.
    • Do not tighten the string to its usual pitch, but rather a few semi-tones below. You want it tight enough to hold in place and put enough tension on the bottom peg to not come out again, but now is not yet the time for "tuning".
  7. Repeat this procedure with the rest of the strings.
  8. Tune your guitar now (see How to Tune a Guitar).
  9. Use some wire cutters to snip off excess string, leaving only about 1/8 of an inch (1/2 centimeter) of "stub". Cutting the string too short can make the "stub" end slip back into the spooled string and loosen your strings.
    • This applies only to classical nylon strings which wind this way. Ignore this for steel string guitar.



Tips

  • After changing guitar strings, you'll need to tune it more often for some time.
  • If your bridge pins are VERY stubborn, you can cover the target pin with a cloth and then try to pull it out with pliers. This prevents your bridge pin from looking like it got ran over from repeated pulling of pliers.
  • Another useful tip for removing the pins is to use a small teaspoon. Rest the bottom of the spoon on the bridge for leverage, with the tip of the spoon at the edge of the pin. Apply a small amount of pressure down on the handle to lift the pin up. You can slide the tip of a terry cloth rag between the bridge and spoon if you want to be very careful.
  • Avoid cutting the strings by quickly pulling the excess string with a pick. Hold the string between your thumb and a pick which rests on the lower part of the first finger and pull quickly. The string will curl and will not need cutting.
  • Another method for removing bridge pins involves the use of an old, round shoelace. Form a loop with the shoelace and place it around the pin. Make sure it fits between the pin and the bridge and tighten the loop by pulling from both ends. With a little patience, the pin will come out without the damage that bridge pin removers can cause.
  • To achieve the correct amount of excess string for winding around each peg head, you can insert four fingers between the fret board and the string being installed at the twelfth fret.

Warnings

  • You don't need to remove the pegs from inside the guitar. The peg remover has a semi-circular notch on it that slides under the peg so you can gently pry it out.

Things You'll Need

  • Wire cutters
  • Guitar strings
  • Guitar peg winder
  • Lint free cloth
  • A guitar

Related Articles

  • Replace Guitar Tuners
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