Estimated reading time 3 minutes
Table of Contents
Introduction
Does your guitar sound dead and feel rough when you play it? Do you need help learning how to replace your strings? Being able to replace your guitar strings is an easy skill to learn that will save you time and money so you won’t have to bring your instrument to a music store. Plus, putting on a new set will make your guitar sound and play better. Keep reading an Easy Guide for Learning How to Replace Guitar Strings to learn how to do it.
This article uses musical terms. For definitions, see the Glossary at the end of the post.
This post contains affiliate links, which means I may receive a small commission from purchases made through the links. I’ll only recommend products I use, use in lessons, or ones my students or colleagues have recommended.
An Easy Guide for Learning How to Replace Guitar Strings: What You’ll Need
- Pliers
- Replacement string pack
- Surface to work on
- Tuner
- Winder
- Wire clippers
Click here for an online tuner.
An Easy Guide for Learning How to Replace Guitar Strings: Removing and Replacing
Replacement string pack
Your guitar will determine what replacement pack (see the square pack in the photo below) you’ll buy. For information on what to look for when buying strings:
Mobile users: for best results reading the examples, rotate your screen 90o to the right.
How to start
- Replace your strings one at a time, because this reduces the strain on your guitar neck.
- Find the thinnest one in the replacement pack.
- Use the winder to loosen the thinnest string (E1 – see the headstock photos below).
- I tried to find a stock photo of a winder, and the best I could get was a link to an automatic winder/tuner.
- The Roadie 4 is the Cadillac of winders, but it gives you the basic idea of what they do.
- However, you can also find manual winders.
If you have an acoustic, use the notch in your winder to pry out the bridge pin (the white buttons in the photo below). If you use pliers, it will damage the bridge pin.
Remove the old string, kink the new one near the ball end (see the photo below), and put the ball end of the new one in the bridge pin hole, then firmly reinsert the bridge pin.
Threading the bridge
- If you have a classical guitar, buy a classical pack with ball ends.
- That way you can just thread the string through the hole in the bridge.
- With traditional classical strings, you must tie them off, which is more difficult to do (see the photo below).
- Similarly, you can thread the string through the hole in the tailpiece (see the photo below) on your electric guitar.
- However, if you have a whammy bar, you’ll need to thread through the hole at the back of the guitar.
The headstock
For in-line headstocks, you’ll have the string curve around the capstan from the floor side (see the photo below).
If you have a traditional headstock, you’ll curve around the capstan from the center of the headstock (see the photo below).
Be sure to make two or three turns around the capstan (see the photo below).
An Easy Guide for Learning How to Replace Guitar Strings: Tuning Up
Place the winder over the end of the tuning peg.
- Use the winder to gradually increase tension by turning the tuning peg.
- Compare the sound of the string to the soundtracks at this link. That will let you know when you’re close to being in tune.
- Then, you can use a tuner to fine tune the guitar. (I like the Korg CA-2.)
If you go right to using the tuner, you can accidentally overtighten the string, causing it to snap.
- Repeat these steps for each string in turn: B2, G3, D4, A5, and E6.
- Use your wire clippers to cut off any excess wire after you’re done (see the photo below).
Once you have the whole guitar roughly in tune, start bending the strings.
- This will help to quickly stretch them.
- Alternate between bending and tuning until the tuning is mostly stable.
- For best results, change your strings regularly.
Play and enjoy.
Check out these best-selling string packs.
These popular Augustine packs have a reputation for superior tone quality.
Electric
Acoustic
Classical
Final Thoughts
Takeaway points:
- Your guitar will determine what replacement pack you’ll buy.
- Thread the string through the hole in the bridge or tailpiece on your guitar.
- You’ll have it curve around the capstan using two or three windings.
- Use your wire clippers to cut off any excess wire after you’re done.
- Tune and enjoy!
Glossary
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