How to String a Gibson Electric Guitar
You have heard the Gibson electric guitar in every kind of modern music. It took many years for the jazz musician Charlie Christian to pioneer the versatile capabilities of Gibson's first model, the ES-150, but it was artists like Jimmy Page, Paul McCartney, Eric Clapton, Pete Townshend and Frank Zappa that illustrated the depths of sound of the iconic brand and introduced generations of fans to the instrument. Playing the guitar takes skill and time but even these rock legends had to change their strings.
- Difficulty:
- Moderately Easy
Instructions
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Set up the Strings
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1
Gibson guitars do not use bridge pins but are threaded through the body instead.
electric guitar professional image by Jeffrey Zalesny from Fotolia.com
Lay the guitar down on a soft surface such as a table covered in a towel or your lap. You don't want to scratch the veneer. Face the guitar so the Gibson headstock is on your left.
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2
Take the E string--the thickest one--out of the pack. Packages of strings often come with a color guide that shows which string is which.
-
3
Thread the string through the hole that is closest to you in the back of the guitar. It helps to hold the guitar on its edge to better see what you are doing. Pull the string all the way through to the other side until the ball of the string sits snug in the hole.
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4
The Gibson Electric headstock mimics that of an acoustic guitar's like this one.
head guitar image by Adkok from Fotolia.com
The Gibson headstock is set up with three tuning keys on each side. Pull the string through the hole of the tuning key that is on the closest edge of the headstock, and is also closest to you and the body of the guitar. Leave slack in the string. You will add strings from thickest to thinnest and move clockwise around the headstock from the first tuning key.
Tighten the String
-
1
With experience you will coil the strings with ease.
guitar image by Jan Will from Fotolia.com
Hold the string with your right thumb against the neck of the guitar as you slowly turn the tuning key counter-clockwise by its peg with your left hand fingers or with a peg winder. The string will be winding its way around the key as you turn the peg. You want the string to coil around the key on top of itself as it winds.
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2
Test the string often to measure its slack. Stop turning the key when the string is tight enough to produce a low note. Ensure the string is laying in the correct saddle groove on the bridge, where the string comes up out of the body, and on the nut, between the neck and the headstock.
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3
Repeat this procedure with the rest of the strings, making sure you place the strings in the correct holes under the bridge and in the correct tuning pegs. You will turn the tuning pegs in different directions on the different sides of the headstock. Do not tighten too much as the smaller strings are fragile and can snap.
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4
Cut the excess string that is hanging off the tuning keys with the wire cutters. You risk scratching yourself or your veneer by leaving it there.
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5
A telephone dial tone is tuned to F, which is useful if you have no tuner on hand.
telephone 4 image by Aussiebloke from Fotolia.com
Tune the strings with a tuner. It takes a highly practiced musician, or a person with perfect pitch, to tune by ear. The lifespan of your strings depends on your playing. Change the strings when they begin to deepen in color or lose tone.
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1
Tips & Warnings
Take your time in the beginning. This is a skill you will acquire with time as you change guitar strings often.
Keep an extra set of strings around in case one string snaps during practice.
The higher and smaller strings snap with too much tension and can cause serious injuries, so don't over-tighten.
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- Photo Credit vintage5 image by alfred koch from Fotolia.com electric guitar professional image by Jeffrey Zalesny from Fotolia.com head guitar image by Adkok from Fotolia.com guitar image by Jan Will from Fotolia.com telephone 4 image by Aussiebloke from Fotolia.com
