This is the first topic of "The Basics of Guitar_Part II"...Please go through the documents carefully...Hope you like it...Visit my Facebook Page (Any Body Can Play Guitar) for more updates...Thanks...
2. Changing guitar strings is really not a
complicated task.
It is an easily-acquired skill that any
guitarist should have.
There’s an art to changing guitar
strings that many guitarist don’t
know about.
In this topic I’ll reveal all the secrets
that I think you’ll find interesting.
So, lets start our journey….
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.
3. Two Things To Remember
1) Know your string number and string names :
4. 2) Know the names of the tuning pegs on your guitar :
6. Part-I
Removing The Strings And Bridge Pins
Decide how to restring :
Option 1 Option 2
Remove and replace every string
individually.
Unstring everything and then restring
it all at once.
Keep string tension in balance with
truss rod tension.
Permits you to clean and wipe the
fingerboard without lifting up the
strings or having to work around them.
The choice is yours as to which method to use
7. Remove the strings :
Loosen the strings until they are no longer under tension.
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.
8. Remove the bridge pins :
Bridge pins 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.
Occasionally you may be tempted to grab these from the outside with pliers.
While this is acceptable if done with the utmost caution.
Another method would be to push the pins out from inside the guitar, using a
hard object such as a coin.
9. Remove the strings from the peg holes one at a time :
Clean your guitar :
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.
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.
10. Part-II
Change Your Strings
Get your new strings ready :
- Some strings' ball ends are color-coded to indicate what note they are to be tuned to.
11. Choose your own order :
Option 1 Option 2
Start at the thick end and work their way
down.
Start at the thin end and work their
way up.
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.
12. Insert the knob end of the string into the peg hole and
re-insert the end peg :
- 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.
Stretch each string :
13. 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.
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).
14. Repeat this procedure with the rest of the strings :
Use some wire cutters to snip off excess string :