Easy Steps That Teach You How To String A Guitar

By: Johnny Stall

Surprisingly, many people that play an electric guitar do not
know how to string a guitar properly. Here is a simple guide to
help you change your guitar strings perfectly every time.

First thing you want to do is be sure to change your strings on
a regular basis even if they do not break. By not changing them
regularly, you can damage your fret board. How often you change
your strings depends on how often you play and the brand of
strings that you use. I've heard that most brands of guitar
strings start to lose their brilliance after 12 hours of use. So
if you want to always have your playing sound at it's best, you
should change your strings shortly after the 12-hour mark or
when you start to hear your strings losing its bright sound. Of
course if money is an issue, you can wait longer before you
change your strings but your playing will start to sound dull.

It's the oil and dirt from your fingers that accumulate on the
strings that make them sound dull. To help them last longer,
wipe down your strings with a soft cloth after each playing
session. Another nasty natural occurrence is humidity, which can
also cause corrosion on your strings even when you're not
playing your guitar regularly.

It may take you a few times before you get used to changing your
strings the right way. One thing you could try doing is to
practice on your old strings before you take your new ones out.

Be sure to choose the right gauge of string for your guitar as
well. The heavier the gauge, the thicker the string is. If you
choose to use a lighter or heavier gauge than the ones already
on your guitar, you may have to adjust the distance between the
fret board and the strings. This may be a little tricky to do if
you have never done it before so you should probably just stick
with the same gauge at first.

Some people change each string one at a time, while others will
remove and replace three strings at a time. If you choose the
three-string method, pick the top three strings or the three at
the bottom. This is better than taking all of your strings off
at once because it will help to keep some tension on the neck of
the guitar at all times.

If your guitar has a total of six tuning pegs in line, you'll
want to work with the thickest to the thinnest. 6,5,4 then do
3,2,1. If your guitar has three tuning pegs on each side, you
will want to work towards the center- 6,5,4 then do 1,2,3.

It is important to clean the frets and fingerboard once you have
three of the strings off. This way you can remove any dirt and
grease that has accumulated since the last string change. There
may also be times you will need to scrape off the dirt and
grease. When doing this, you need to be sure that you're very
gentle so you don't damage your frets or fingerboard. Once you
clean the first side and put on your new strings, you can then
clean the other side when you remove the other three strings.

To place a new string on your guitar, put the string through the
hole in the bridge or what is known as the tailpiece. Next you
need to pull it tight and measure at least two posts up from the
post you will use. Bend this string at a sharp angle and run it
through the correct post then bend it again where it actually
enters into the post when pulled tight. The bend that you make
should actually create a "z" shape, allowing the string to run
straight up, and then across at a 90° angle and go through the
post. Then it should bend back up again. You need to be sure to
hold the string very tightly where the first bend is and wind
the turning key. Be sure to always wind the string so that it
wraps from the inside out on the post. You need to do this with
all of the strings.

Once you have all of the strings on, you want to stretch the
strings by tugging on them firmly. This will help your guitar
stay in tune longer once you tune it. Cut off the extra string
at the end.

Changing the strings on your guitar does not have to be a
difficult task. With a little bit of practice, you can learn how
to string a guitar in no time at all.