2005-09-14

How To Change Your Electric Guitar Strings

How To Change Your Electric Guitar Strings
by: Mantius Cazaubon

Many guitarists, especially beginners, struggle with changing
electric guitar strings. But it really is a simple exercise.
Here's a straightforward guide you can follow:

Tools.

You will need a small needle nose pliers to cut and bend the
strings, and a string winder to help you wind the strings
quickly.

Remove the string.

You should change each guitar string one at a time. That way, you
will avoid warping the guitar neck, and you will be able to
quickly tune the new string to the other strings.

I usually remove the 6th string first. Use your string winder and
turn the tuning peg until the string becomes very slack. Now cut
off the twisted end of the old string so that it slips easily out
of the guitar. Then wind the top section of your string out of
the tuning peg.

What you do next will vary depending on the type of electric
guitar you have. The one I'm using, the strings go through the
body. Remove the old string. Pay close attention to the way your
old string comes off, and do the opposite when putting a new one
back on.

Relace the string.

Now let's put back a new string. Feed the string through a hole
in the body of your electric guitar, or the tail piece. As said
earlier, it depends on your particular electric guitar. Get the
ball end of your string in place.

Now pull the string over the bridge, over the nut of the neck,
and up past the tuning peg. Make sure it isn't slack. The new
string is very long so you will have to cut some of it off. Leave
enough string for a few winds around the tuning peg. Two inches
above the peg should work.

Pull the string through the hole of the tuning peg and begin
winding it. The string shouldn't be slack. To keep the tension,
place your fingers under the string. With the guitar facing you,
wind the tuning pegs on the left side clockwise. Wind those on
the right side anticlockwise.

To speed up the winding process, place your string winder over
the tuning peg and wind until the string becomes tight. Then take
off the peg winder and use the tuning peg to tune the string.

Now that you've changed and tuned your 6th string, you can just
repeat the process for all the other strings.

Breaking in.

Since the strings are new, they can stretch and go out of tune
easily. They need to break in. You can speed up the breaking in
process by stretching the string yourself. Give the strings a few
gentle pulls or do some spirited strumming.

You will find yourself having to tune your guitar quite a bit
after replacing your strings. But after one or two days
everything should be okay.

About The Author

Mantius Cazaubon offers a buying guide to helping you choose an
electric guitar that meets your needs on his site,
http://www.electric-guitars-guide.com/. Visit
http://www.electric-guitars-guide.com  for electric guitar
lessons, tips, and reviews.