Changing Electric Guitar Strings

If you've ever thought that changing electric guitar strings was a royal pain, you are not alone. Historically, all guitar players hate changing their guitar strings. It's a boring process, it takes a lot of time and sometimes it doesn't go as well as you like. You can even break the new strings you are trying to put on if you are not careful. However, like many things in life, changing your strings is a necessary evil, and your guitar will sound and play beautifully again once you get your fresh new strings in place. This article will help to take the sting out of changing your electric guitar strings by providing you with a simple and easy to follow step-by-step set of instructions.

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Before you get started, go over this little checklist to make sure you have everything you will need to complete the job.

• New Strings – One important thing to make sure of is that the new strings you are putting on the guitar are the same gauge as the previous strings you had installed. For example, if you were using light gauge strings and you put medium gauge strings on your guitar, it will affect the guitar's set up and could negatively impact its performance. Your guitar is in a state of balance when it is set up properly, and using the same gauge strings assures that that balance will be maintained after a string change.

• Tuner – You will need a tuner to set your guitar to the right pitch when you are done changing the strings. Make sure it is a tuner you can plug in, and make sure the tuner's batteries are fresh.

• Cleaning Rag – When all the strings are off, you have a great opportunity to give your guitar a wipe down in areas you usually can't reach.

• A Good Work Area – Dining room tables and workbenches make excellent surfaces for changing electric guitar strings. Make sure you have enough room to lay out your guitar and comfortably do your work.

• Wire Snips – You need these for trimming the string ends when you are done.

• String Winder (Optional) – A string winder is a little device you can pick up at a music store that winds your strings quicker than doing it by hand. These devices save time and are handy, but you surely don't need one to change your strings.

1. Remove the old strings from the guitar. Loosen them at the headstock with the tuning pegs until they are slack enough to unravel by hand. Pull the freed strings out of the guitar through the bridge and dispose of them.
2. Take this opportunity to give your guitar a good wipe down. Get between the pickups, back by the bridge, and up on the headstock. A lot of dust and grime gets accumulated in these areas between string changes.
3. Get out your new pack of strings. Pull out the low E string, which is the fattest string in the pack. Unwind that string so it is straight. Feed the string through the bridge of your guitar and pull it through until the ball end hits the bridge meaning it is in as far as it can go.
4. Feed the loose end of the low E string through the low E tuning peg and pull it through so about eight inches of string is through the peg. Eight inches is only an estimate, as you will have to develop the exact right amount for your guitar by trail and error. The goal is to have the string wrap around the tuning peg three times when the string is tuned up to pitch. If you don't pull enough string through initially, the string will wrap around the tuning peg too many times creating a knotty mess. If you pull too much through, the string won't wrap around enough and therefore won't be properly anchored and could slip out of tune more often.
5. Once the string is through the peg, begin winding it. You want the string to wrap around the peg from the top to the bottom, not the other way around. On an electric guitar with two sets of three tuning pegs, the pegs that hold the three lowest strings (E, A, and D) get wrapped around in a counter-clockwise manner. The pegs that hold the three highest strings (G, B, and E) get wrapped around in a clockwise manner. On guitars with six pegs all in a line, all the strings get wrapped counter-clockwise. Tighten the string so that is no longer slack, but do not over tighten! It is much better to err on the side of too loose than too tight since you can easily break a string by over tightening it. Don't worry about pitch yet, just adjust the strings so they are not loose and slack.
6. Repeat the process in step four for the other five strings.
7. Once all the strings are in place, it's time to plug in your tuner and begin tuning up your guitar. The first time you tune it up, don't worry too much about perfection. Just get all the strings close to their general pitch.
8. After all the strings are close to pitch, it's time to stretch them. To stretch your strings, simply pinch them one at a time and lift them away from the guitar about an inch or two. You will actually feel them stretch out a little bit. Give each string four or five gentle stretches.
9. Retune your guitar after stretching the strings.
10. Stretch and retune all your strings two more times to get them perfectly settled. The last time you tune your guitar after stretching your strings three times, make sure you tune as accurately as possible as you are now ready to start playing again.
11. The last thing you need to do is snip the ends off your strings with your wire snips. Try to clip them about a half an inch from the tuning peg.

Now that you've got a fresh set of strings on your guitar, it should sound and play just like new. Try to replace your strings as often as possible to ensure that your guitar is in the best playing condition it can be.

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