How To Change Guitar Strings
July 05, 2008 Filed in: Guitar
Just before one of the
more important shows in my career, I had a panic.
"What if I break a string?" In August of 1997, I
played one of my first label showcases. A few label
reps (with signing power) had already introduced
themselves to me. They were brief, but were "looking
forward to the set."
In my brief experience (at the time), I thought that changing strings right before the show was also a bad idea. The way I had been doing it, I needed to let the strings stretch for at least a day before playing them with confidence. With an hour to go before show time, I was surprised to look over to Ryan (the newest member of Collapsis at the time) and watch him change his strings. I asked him, "Aren't those going to go out of tune?" He just shook his head. I obviously didn't know much about changing my strings. With less than an hour to go before the set, I learned one of my life's most valuable lessons.
Strings are dynamic. They will change with the temperature, the player's skin acidity, and the force of the player. The trick with changing strings is to anchor them properly in the tuning posts. Also, you don't want to take the bridge off of your guitar (this is mainly for Les Paul models), although the ease of cutting all six strings a few inches from the bridge is tempting. You'll want to keep the tension constant on the neck. Also, brand and gauge plays a factor. All of this is important. Follow these steps the next time you change your strings and I bet you'll have a more reliable and enjoyable strum.
First, select the appropriate brand of string. This is partially a matter of taste. Partially not. I've tried just about every kind of string out there. My brand of choice is D'Addario . I don't know why I like these. I also see just about anyone who is serious and successful with the guitar using these strings. They are an industry standard. Use them.
Second, select the appropriate gauge of string. This is different with different applications. If you are a metal player who does a lot of double bends and whammy bar dive bombs (I wish I had THAT gig), you'll want to use a gauge of 0.008 or 0.009. String gauge is notated by the thickness (in inches) of the high E string. By high, I mean pitch. I disapprove of when the bigger E string is called "high" because it happens to be higher in position than the other E string. I like to be consistent, so I call the "high" E the one that's higher in relative pitch. I prefer 0.010 or 0.011's, as it's the most common for straight ahead rock. I like 10's when I'm doing a lot of soloing, 11's when I'm doing a lot of chunky rhythm stuff. Acoustic strings are generally thicker, 12's & 13's. The gauge of string should be matched to the neck tension. This is best done when the guitar is "set up" by a luthier. You should have your guitar "set up" when you first get it and occasionally throughout it's lifetime. This is the best time to set the proper string gauge for that particular instrument.
Third, set up your guitar string changing station. You'll want to put a few folded towels out on a table (or, you might have a snazzy string changing station with a neck guard). Also, you should have a chromatic tuner (I recommend the Boss Stage Tuner), a 1/4 inch instrument cable, a string winder, and a string clipper. Place your guitar in its comfy station. Make sure the neck is secure and not under any tension from being at an odd angle.
Fourth, start with the "low" E (that's the big E string). Unwind the old string slowly. Once a bit of slack is revealed, you may either cut the single string or unravel it through the tuning key hole and bridge hole. It's your choice. I prefer not cutting and unwinding naturally.
Fifth, select the new string. Pass it through the bridge hole (underneath the guitar for Fender's, through the bridge for Gibson's). Pull it along the body of the guitar, over the neck, and through the tuning peg.
Sixth, pull the string so that you have six to eight inches of slack. Ideally, you'll want to have no less than two wraps around the tuning peg and no more than three wraps. This provides the right amount of tension and play for the string. A good rule of thumb is to pull the string above the pick-ups or sound hole so that a half hand length of slack is available.
Seven, lock the string around the tuning peg. This is the trick that will allow you to play a gig right after changing your strings. You'll want to check the string once through the tuning peg, wrap it around one half time, and then pull it across the head and away from the guitar. If done right, you should be able to pull on the string over the pick ups without it slipping. With Fender guitars, you don't have to do this. Fender tuning pegs are self locking...all you do is push the string through the top of the peg.
Eight, begin wrapping the string with the tuning machine. By hand is fine, but a string winder makes this go faster. Shoot for no less than two wraps but no more than three. If you don't have a gig that night, less than two or more than three is passable, but still risky. Less than two doesn't provide enough stability for the string--these often break. More than three adds too much slack to the tuning peg, causing the string to constantly slip out of tune, at least for the next few days. Wrap the string until you reach the desired pitch, as notated on your chromatic tuner.
Nine, repeat steps 4 through 8 with the remaining five strings. The strings will stretch as you put them on. Just continue to tune the strings as you change them.
Finally, clip your string slack at the neck. It is not a good idea to let these strands of metal fly about. Clip them less than an inch from the tuning peg. You can also wrap them in individual circles, if you are going for flair. It's better to just cut these, though. Really, don't not cut the ends. They can put your eye out. Seriously. Metal strings can stab the skin without forgiveness.
If you follow these steps, you'll notice that your guitar plays more in tune and that the strings have a nice twang to them. This is a great window for playing your instrument. A gig or a recording session would be a wonderful treat for your guitar just a day after this great event.
Needless to say, we got through that gig back in '97. My strings didn't break, but they did slip out of tune throughout the set. Conversely, my partner's guitars sounded great, in tune and very professional. He taught me this string changing method and it hasn't failed me yet. We even got our first record label offer after the set. Unfortunately, the label folded the next week. There were more gigs and more showcases, though. From that point forward, I was able to play with confidence...all because I knew how to properly change my strings.
In my brief experience (at the time), I thought that changing strings right before the show was also a bad idea. The way I had been doing it, I needed to let the strings stretch for at least a day before playing them with confidence. With an hour to go before show time, I was surprised to look over to Ryan (the newest member of Collapsis at the time) and watch him change his strings. I asked him, "Aren't those going to go out of tune?" He just shook his head. I obviously didn't know much about changing my strings. With less than an hour to go before the set, I learned one of my life's most valuable lessons.
Strings are dynamic. They will change with the temperature, the player's skin acidity, and the force of the player. The trick with changing strings is to anchor them properly in the tuning posts. Also, you don't want to take the bridge off of your guitar (this is mainly for Les Paul models), although the ease of cutting all six strings a few inches from the bridge is tempting. You'll want to keep the tension constant on the neck. Also, brand and gauge plays a factor. All of this is important. Follow these steps the next time you change your strings and I bet you'll have a more reliable and enjoyable strum.
First, select the appropriate brand of string. This is partially a matter of taste. Partially not. I've tried just about every kind of string out there. My brand of choice is D'Addario . I don't know why I like these. I also see just about anyone who is serious and successful with the guitar using these strings. They are an industry standard. Use them.
Second, select the appropriate gauge of string. This is different with different applications. If you are a metal player who does a lot of double bends and whammy bar dive bombs (I wish I had THAT gig), you'll want to use a gauge of 0.008 or 0.009. String gauge is notated by the thickness (in inches) of the high E string. By high, I mean pitch. I disapprove of when the bigger E string is called "high" because it happens to be higher in position than the other E string. I like to be consistent, so I call the "high" E the one that's higher in relative pitch. I prefer 0.010 or 0.011's, as it's the most common for straight ahead rock. I like 10's when I'm doing a lot of soloing, 11's when I'm doing a lot of chunky rhythm stuff. Acoustic strings are generally thicker, 12's & 13's. The gauge of string should be matched to the neck tension. This is best done when the guitar is "set up" by a luthier. You should have your guitar "set up" when you first get it and occasionally throughout it's lifetime. This is the best time to set the proper string gauge for that particular instrument.
Third, set up your guitar string changing station. You'll want to put a few folded towels out on a table (or, you might have a snazzy string changing station with a neck guard). Also, you should have a chromatic tuner (I recommend the Boss Stage Tuner), a 1/4 inch instrument cable, a string winder, and a string clipper. Place your guitar in its comfy station. Make sure the neck is secure and not under any tension from being at an odd angle.
Fourth, start with the "low" E (that's the big E string). Unwind the old string slowly. Once a bit of slack is revealed, you may either cut the single string or unravel it through the tuning key hole and bridge hole. It's your choice. I prefer not cutting and unwinding naturally.
Fifth, select the new string. Pass it through the bridge hole (underneath the guitar for Fender's, through the bridge for Gibson's). Pull it along the body of the guitar, over the neck, and through the tuning peg.
Sixth, pull the string so that you have six to eight inches of slack. Ideally, you'll want to have no less than two wraps around the tuning peg and no more than three wraps. This provides the right amount of tension and play for the string. A good rule of thumb is to pull the string above the pick-ups or sound hole so that a half hand length of slack is available.
Seven, lock the string around the tuning peg. This is the trick that will allow you to play a gig right after changing your strings. You'll want to check the string once through the tuning peg, wrap it around one half time, and then pull it across the head and away from the guitar. If done right, you should be able to pull on the string over the pick ups without it slipping. With Fender guitars, you don't have to do this. Fender tuning pegs are self locking...all you do is push the string through the top of the peg.
Eight, begin wrapping the string with the tuning machine. By hand is fine, but a string winder makes this go faster. Shoot for no less than two wraps but no more than three. If you don't have a gig that night, less than two or more than three is passable, but still risky. Less than two doesn't provide enough stability for the string--these often break. More than three adds too much slack to the tuning peg, causing the string to constantly slip out of tune, at least for the next few days. Wrap the string until you reach the desired pitch, as notated on your chromatic tuner.
Nine, repeat steps 4 through 8 with the remaining five strings. The strings will stretch as you put them on. Just continue to tune the strings as you change them.
Finally, clip your string slack at the neck. It is not a good idea to let these strands of metal fly about. Clip them less than an inch from the tuning peg. You can also wrap them in individual circles, if you are going for flair. It's better to just cut these, though. Really, don't not cut the ends. They can put your eye out. Seriously. Metal strings can stab the skin without forgiveness.
If you follow these steps, you'll notice that your guitar plays more in tune and that the strings have a nice twang to them. This is a great window for playing your instrument. A gig or a recording session would be a wonderful treat for your guitar just a day after this great event.
Needless to say, we got through that gig back in '97. My strings didn't break, but they did slip out of tune throughout the set. Conversely, my partner's guitars sounded great, in tune and very professional. He taught me this string changing method and it hasn't failed me yet. We even got our first record label offer after the set. Unfortunately, the label folded the next week. There were more gigs and more showcases, though. From that point forward, I was able to play with confidence...all because I knew how to properly change my strings.