How to Change The Strings On a Guitar

Oh No! you broke a string on your new guitar and nobody showed you how to change or replace your strings. You'll learn the quick and easy way to change your strings the right way on your acoustic or electric guitar.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• New set of strings
• Wire Cutter (or strong scissors)
• String winder/ peg remover

1. Removing the old strings. Place your guitar on a pad or cloth on a table top. Take your string winder and first unwind all the strings to the point where you are able to remove the pegs on your acoustic guitar. Then take the stringwinder/peg remover (the string winder should have a peg remover at the bottom of it) and remove all the pegs. Either Acoustic or Electric, you will now unwind the strings off and pull them off of the top of the tuners on the tuning head. On an electric guitar, you will feed the strings through and out the back of the guitar.

2. Setting the new Strings. From left to right, looking at the front of the guitar as if you were looking into a mirror, you will feed the strings through the holes from lowest/fattest string to highest/thinnist. 1-2-3-4-5-6. You string packaging has directions you may also want to look at. Pull on the strings tightly to make sure they are fed correctly in the pegs at the base of the guitar.

3. Feeding the string through the tuning pegs. Start at the lowest/fattest string and feed the tip of the string through the corresponding tuning peg (bottom left/or the peg furthest to the left). Pull it all the way through. You will notice it is way too long to wind so you must trim the string. Cut about 2 inches above the tuning peg.

4. Winding the Strings. Push the string backwards to give the string some slack - to wind. Bend the tip (about 1/4") against the tuning peg and wind. Make sure you are winding the first 3 strings counter clockwise and the last 3 strings Clockwise (this is if your tuning pegs are split 3 on the left side and 3 on the right side of the tuning head. If your tuning pegs are 6-straight in a row you will want to wind counter clockwise. Wind the strings until they are rigid but not too tight.

5. Tune your guitar. Use your tuner to match the strings to the pitches on the tuner. Just remember to have patience and practice this. You'll be a pro in no time at all!

Tips & Warnings

• be patient
• get a stringwinder/peg puller, this will make this so much easier instead of twisting the tuners with your hand.
• Be careful with the thin strings, the tips are very pointy and could stab your finger.