How to Put Strings on an SG Guitar
The Gibson SG emerged in 1961 as a bold statement in the electric guitar world. Replacing the strings on your SG can be tricky, especially if you are attempting the task for the very first time. Each type of guitar requires slightly different technique to replace the strings. The SG uses a tail piece to secure the strings to the base of the guitar; this will act as the starting point for replacing the strings.
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Instructions
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Remove the old strings from your Gibson SG. To make this easier, and to avoid the strings snapping at you, release some of the tension from the strings first by unwinding them slightly with the string winder. Now that you know the strings will not snap violently, proceed to cut them with the wire cutters. Pull the bottom half away before pulling the top half free from the nut and discarding the old pieces of string.
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Feed the new strings through the tail piece of the Gibson SG. Simply feed them through the outer side of the tail piece before pulling them all the way through.
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Pull the strings through the tuning machine and align them with the nuts on the guitar head.
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4
Create slack by placing three fingers under the string on the 12th fret. With another finger, press the string down at the top of the guitar neck to keep the slack; you can then remove your other fingers from under the string.
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Thread the string through the nut before winding it around once and bending it underneath the string. Use the string winder to wind the string on until it begins to bend and create a kink on the other side of the nut. At this point pull the excess string tight and over in the opposite direction. This will lock the string, allowing you to wind it all the way down.
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Wind the string using the string winder until there is tension and the string ceases to rattle against the neck.
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Cut off the excess string using the wire cutters. Repeat this process for the remaining strings before tuning the guitar.
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References
- Photo Credit guitar image by Bosko Martinovic from Fotolia.com
