How to Properly Restring a Guitar

Properly restringing a guitar is a trial-and-error process. The first couple of times may be awkward, but you'll get your own method down by first learning the process and practicing. Take your time, be patient and enjoy the sound and feel of fresh strings.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Plastic peg winder
• Guitar strings
• Cloth to wipe off guitar
• Wire cutters
• Tuner

Restring at the Bridge

1. Work on a flat surface with the low E closest to you. Use a peg winder to loosen the string at the head. Unwind and remove the string from its post.

2. Remove the bridge pin. Plastic peg winders have a slot that you can use to pull this out. Pull the string from the bridge pin.

3. Open the string packaging carefully. Find the appropriate string by paying close attention to how the labeling corresponds to the strings.

4. Take the ball end of the sting and insert it into the bridge pin. You want the ball to stick out from the bottom of the pin and the string secured in the pin.

5. Pull the string up while pushing in the bridge pin. Strings can pull out here as you tighten, so periodically check the bridge pin and push it back in if needed.

6. Guide the string up to the head. You want to leave slack in the string. One way to do this is to use your index finger to hold the string in place around the fourth fret, while using your thumb and middle finger to pinch off the slack above the sixth fret.

Restring at the Head

7. Turn the tuning peg until the holes are vertical.

8. Bring the string up to the inside of the string post and bend the string at a 90-degree angle so the string end points out toward the tuning peg.

9. Feed the string end through the string post till you reach the crimp. Keep the string taunt from the head to where your hand is pinching off slack. Snip the string end here, leaving an inch or less, or before you tune in Step 6.

10. Begin to wind the string. The first wind passes over the string end and subsequent windings pass under the string end.

11. Coil the string neatly around the string post. Wind the string so that the string wraps below the previous wind from the top of the string post down toward the head.

12. Tune your guitar. New guitar strings need to stretch, so it's common for them to fall out of tune during the first few playings.

Tips & Warnings

• Ideally, you'll have about three winds around the string post. If there are excessively more or less winds, adjust the amount of slack you keep in the string.
• Restringing an electric guitar is similar but the string is fed through the back since it doesn't have bridge pins.
• Don't let the string overlap another wrap at the string post.