How to Restring a Stand-Up Bass Guitar

This article will teach you how to restring a stand-up bass guitar. By taking care as you restring your bass you can be sure to get the longest life possible out of your strings and keep your instrument sounding its best.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Bass guitar
• strings
• lubricant

1. Loosen your first string by turning the tuning peg. When changing strings be sure to change only one string at a time. If you take all of your strings off at once your sound post will fall out of place since the sound post is connected only by the pressure of the strings.

2. Continue to turn the tuning peg until your string feels relatively loose.

3. Pull your string out of the hole at the end of your bass.

4. Lubricate the indents on your bridge and nut slots. You want to make sure these indents are lubricated and smooth so that they do not catch and grind down your string until it's ruined. If your new strings are a different size than your old ones you may need to file down the indents in order to house the new string. Graphite from a pencil is often used by bassists as a lubricant.

5. Put your new string into the roller and begin to turn the tuning peg. Take care to wind the string neatly and carefully on the roller. This will ensure good intonation.

6. Repeat these steps for your remaining strings then play!

Tips & Warnings

• Bass strings take a long time to stretch. So be patient. They will go out of tune often until they set in. You may want to give your self at least a few days before performing with your new strings.