Advertisement
RESTRINGING
Over your guitar's life, it will be necessary to change the strings. Strings break if
overtightened or strummed too heavily, but even if not broken, strings will sound dull and
less vibrant over time. A fresh set of strings will bring new life to an old guitar.
1.
To change your guitar strings, first loosen the current set by turning the tuning pegs until
each string is loose. When fully loosened, you will be able to remove them from the
headstock easily.
2.
To remove the strings from the bridge, you will need a pair of plyers or wire cutters to
gently li the bridge pins out of the bridge. Do not be forceful, they will come out with
minimal pressure.
3.
With all the strings o , it's a great time to clean your fretboard.
4.
When restringing, start with the Low E (thickest) string. To fit the new string, insert the
ball end of the string into the bridge, and fit it with the bridge pin. Push the pin down
firmly until it catches, and pull tight on the string to ensure it is secure.
5.
Next, guide the string up along the fret board and place it into the groove of the nut.
Pull it up passed the post/peghead for that string (the Low E will be the first post a er
the nut).
6.
You will need wire cutters to trim the strings to size, but be sure to allow enough extra
room for the string to wrap around each post. A good rule of thumb is to cut it at the
next post's length, or roughly 50 millimetres passed the pole.
7.
Using the tuning pegs, adjust the correct pole/peghead so that the
hole is at a 45° angle facing the centre top of the headstock. Place the
tip of the trimmed string into the pole, ensuring that the string is
entering from the centre of the headstock, not the outside.
8.
Allow the string to protrude a few millimetres from the other side of the
hole, then kink the string to stay in place. Now begin turning the
turning peg so that the pole turns counter-clockwise. Continue so the
string winds around the pole, and until the string becomes tight
enough to hear musical sounds when strummed.
9.
From here, follow the tuning instructions to tune the string to pitch. Repeat these steps
for each of the strings, ensuring that each is wound from the centre of the headstock.
The three thinnest, highest pitched strings (G, B, high E) will turn clockwise, not counter-
clockwise.
Advertisement
