How to Replace the Strings on an Electric Guitar

With regular playing, guitar strings lose their elasticity and tone quality. If you are playing your electric guitar every day, you may need to change the strings every 1 to 2 weeks. Electric guitars are strung with steel strings, much like a steel string acoustic guitar.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• Small wire cutters
• Peg winder

1. Identify E, the lowest bass string. Loosen the tuning peg for this string until the string has some slack. Clip the string with wire cutters. Pull the bottom end of the string out through the bridge, or through the back of the guitar. Unwind the top from the peg until you can remove it. Discard these pieces of the old string.
2. Remove the new bass E string from the packet and observe that the ends are different. The end that will attach at the bottom of the guitar has a round metal knob on it, and the other end is straight.
3. Pass the straight end of the string through the available hole at the bottom end of the guitar so that the metal knob on the end of the string catches at the bottom and the straight end of the string reaches the tuning pegs.
4. Poke the end of the string through the hole in the tuning peg. Loop the free end around and under the string while holding a bit of tension on the string so it stays in place.
5. Turn the peg using the peg winder until the string has enough tension on it to stay firmly in place. You are now ready to tune the string.
6. Cut the excess string from the peg end using the wire cutters and discard.

Tips & Warnings

• New strings will stretch considerably before they hold tuning. With the stings in place, stretch each one gently from the middle and retune it. Do this several times for each string. Play for a few minutes and retune again, repeating this until the strings stay in tune.
• Different electric guitars models have different ways of attaching the strings at the bottom. There may be a bridge, as on a more traditional guitar, or the strings may simply pass through holes from the back of the guitar body.
• Do not clip the string with wire cutters until you have loosened it at the tuning peg. The strings are tensed and when cut can snap back to injure your face or eyes.
• Note that the ends of steel strings are sharp. Do not let the end of the string fly around in the air, and watch your fingertips.