How to Restring a Bass Guitar

In this article, you will learn how to restring a bass guitar. Properly stringing your guitar will keep your instrument in tune, allow you to get a good sound and keep your bass guitar in working order.

Things You'll Need

• Bass guitar
• Bass strings
• Wire cutters
• Electronic bass tuner
• Soft cloth

Instructions

1. Remove your old bass strings. Loosen the strings first by turning the tuning pegs clockwise.

2. Clean your bass. Once your strings are off, it is a great time to clean the frets of your bass. Playing can cause a lot of grime to build up. Use a soft cloth to rub the gunk out of the frets. Cloths meant for cleaning basses can be purchased at your local guitar shop.

3. Insert a new string into the appropriate slot or hole on the bridge of your bass. Start from lowest string to the highest string.

4. Pull the string up towards the headstock of your bass. Keep tension as you pull the string up.

5. Cut your string with good-quality wire cutters. New strings are always longer than they need to be. Cut your string to the appropriate length. If you are not sure what length your string should be, then first compare it to your old string that you took off in Step 1. Cut all the strings to the same length as your old strings to be safe.

6. Wind the string onto the post. Place the cut string into the hole at the top of the tuning post. Bend the string at a right angle and begin winding the tuning peg. Make sure to keep tension on the string as you wind. Each successive wrap of your string should go underneath the first one.

7. Repeat this process for each of your strings.

8. Tune your bass. Once all of the new strings have been added it's time to get your bass back in tune. Plug your bass into an electronic tuner. Tune up, and your new strings are ready to go!

Tips & Warnings

• Be careful not to over-tighten your strings when you tune them up or they may break.