Changing Your Guitar Strings

Tips and Accessories to Change Guitar Strings Easily
by Dave Fraser
It not that tough to know when your strings need changing. They're no longer sound bright and they begin to feel almost dirty or rusty. Breaking a string or two can also cause you to have to change your strings, possibly sooner then you had wanted.
Removing strings and replacing them isn't a tough job, but there are some simple rules you should follow not to mention some accessories that can make the job easier. In this article I'm going to explain the simple steps to removing and replacing a string along with a couple of accessories worth having.
One String at a Time
Some people might tell you differently but I'm a fan of only removing and replacing one string at a time. This reduces any chance that you could warp the neck of your guitar by removing all the strings, reducing tension on the neck and then adding tension back all at once.
Start at either the 1st or 6th string and work your way up or down until they're all changed.
Don't Wind too Tight
Once you remove a string only wrap it 3 or 4 times around the tuning peg on the head stock. There's no need to have a bunch of excess string that just makes it more difficult to remove next time. Also pay attention to the way you wrap the string around the peg. It's easy to put one string on backwards. This is another benefit to only taking one string off at a time you can match the new one up to the old strings still on your guitar.
Stretching
It takes some time for strings, especially if they're nylon strings, to stretch. I suggest you don't wind the string up as tight as it will go right away. Go slowly giving the string time to stretch. It takes a while for your strings to finally stop stretching and finally remain in tune so don't rush it. Tightening a string too quickly can result in breaking it.
Accessories to Help
A couple of nice accessories that make changing guitar strings easier are:
String Winder String Cutter Electric Tuner
Each of these are ideal when changing strings on your guitar. The winder makes it a lot faster to tighten up new strings. Your fingers can only twist so fast and it can take some time to tighten up a new string. Of course once all those new strings are on you're definitely going to want to cut off the excess, and an electric tuner helps you find the right pitch and note for at least one string. You can tune by ear if you'd like after that but unless you have perfect pitch an electric tuner will help a lot.
If you're just starting out you might want to read about our guitar lessons dvd that covers the basics right from the parts of the guitar and string names. Also our blog on beginner guitar tips has many useful articles from how to play basic chords to advanced scale and soloing techniques.
If you're just starting out you might want to read about our learn to play guitar dvd that covers the basics right from the parts of the guitar and string names. Also our blog on beginner guitar tips has many useful articles from how to play basic chords to advanced scale and soloing techniques.




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