Changing Guitar Strings

Vlad Drac · 08-02-2003 3:16pm #1

Could anyone give me some advice or a website with a good guide on changing electric guitar strings? Anytime i do it the strings go outta tune quick or buzz slightly ... so what advice would you give to do it proper so the strings are wrapped neatly on the tunning pegs? Don't wanna waste on more money on messing up strings ...

Thanks in advice

miju · 08-02-2003 3:34pm

sounds to me like it's not the strings that are the prob.

Buzzing strings are more than often caused by your bridge being off so you may have to adjust it higher so that the string wont buzz on the frets.

What guitar do you have?

Sterile Fish · 08-02-2003 4:48pm

ryan, im ashamed!! changing strings is easy, to wrap it round the tuning peg better, i use a pair of pliers and pull the thing tightly, and to stop teh strings going out of tune quuickly....tune the string to the proper note...then pull it out from the fret board at around fret 10 - 12, then re-tune it to the right note, do this a couple of times with the string, it'll get rid of the extra tension and shouldnt go out of tune so quick

Gordon · 08-02-2003 4:56pm

Ye just wrap around the peg a couple of times. If you have a very thin string - 0.8 or 0.7 then feed it through the peg twice or it may slip when tightening.

As you tighten and tune - pull the strings - stretch them and this will get the slack off them. I've seen people pull so hard that they pick up the giutar with the one string but I never go that far!

Only when you have successfully tuned and no more stretching is needed should you consider clipping the octopus ends off the head.

But as said - a buzzing after tuning is another problem. If buzzing when tuning - don't worry it's just the fact that the strings are loose.

Drunk pirate · 08-02-2003 8:53pm

The strings buzz of the frets. Just raise the nut.

Giblet · 08-02-2003 9:58pm

Raising the nut, requires getting a new nut for most standard guitars!?

I presume you mean the bridge.
What make is your guitar, or what guitar is it a copy of or whatever, and we can better help.

Oeneus · 08-02-2003 10:48pm

I have a book somewhere that tells you the best ways to restring different guitars. Telling you how much slack to give and how many winds etc. But I'm far to drunk to go look for it now. I'll help you in the morning... after you tell us what guitar you have.

Giblet · 08-02-2003 11:13pm

Ok restringing a guitar.

I presume you know the order of the strings (EADGBE from heavy to light, top to bottom), and have a tuner or some reference.

Ok for a Fender style guitar, look underneath the body of the guitar (opposite to the bridge), and thread the string through the hole, and pull it out the other side.. Pull the string through until the little ball at the end, the bullet, is sitting correctly. If its a Gibson style just put the string into the hole in the back of the stop-tail. Now pull the string down to its corresponding string post, place it through the hole, and give it some tension. Now wind the string, making sure it's winding on the inside of the toolpost, not on the outside. by turning the tuning peg ANTI-clockwise (when looking straight down on the top of the tuning peg). Now wind it slowly until it is up to pitch. Continue with the rest of the strings. If you have a "floating trem" you might want to put the string on in some order so to create even tension across the bridge. Try Low E, D, G, A, B, High E, in that order (remembering to put them into the right places, you are still string them in EADGBE) If you have a Gibson Style guitar or fixed bridge, string it in any order you want.

Now when you are tuning all the string to pitch, make sure to keep bending them at the 12th fret at regular intervals to stretch them. When you have them all tuned, play them and bend them for a while, and tune up again, and keep doing it until they don't go out of tune. If you have a Tremolo system, you might want go a bit mad on it as well to stretch. I clip the ends of the strings off at the tuning post, leaving about a cm sticking out of the tuning head, very dangerous otherwise :>

To stop the strings buzzing you might want to get heavier strings or raise the bridge. To raise the bridge on a Fender strat style guitar, open the back panel and there will be two screws attached to the tremolo system that going into the body. Loosen these screws by about half a turn to raise the bridge slightly, or you can remove one of the springs. I recommend having Three springs in it.

To raise the bridge of a Gibson style guitar, just turn the nut type things of the either side of the bridge.

You might also want to check the intonation. Intonation problems could mean that the guitar is not at the right pitch at all frets on the guitar. If this is the problem, tell me and I will tell you how to fix it.

darthmise · 08-02-2003 11:22pm

A couple of things i learned from trial and error.

First, loop the string around the peg first then through the hole, the other way around and the strings are more likely to snap.

Tune from high E back up to low E.

Always tune the string up rather than down. It's easier to hear if you're doing it by ear.

Don't go at the nut unless you know what you're doing.

Thats my two cents worth.

Oeneus · 08-02-2003 11:25pm

Gib, I can't believe you bothered!

Vlad Drac · 09-02-2003 10:29am

Thanks very much for replys! I have a Fender Sunn Mustang but the buzzing only really happens when strings are getting tightened so think the briidge is fine ... its just gettin the strings on with the correct numbe of winds around the tuning pegs and not all wrapped messy i was after ... managed to get most of em on perfect with around 3 winds but one string broke on me ... ah well!

fizzy · 09-02-2003 11:42am

im just gonna piggyback this thread. i have an acoustic yamaha FG402 and get a bit of buzzing (well more rattling really!) from the 4th string, even when i press it down properly and everything. any solutions?

miju · 09-02-2003 12:25pm

hhmmmm

could be a few probs there if it's specifically the 4th string it could be that your guitar neck has warped (eveer so slightly) or as i said before it could be your bridge.

In either case adjust the bridge if that doesn't work try and figure out which fret is causing the buzzing and get a VERY FINE file and file it slightly try it again and repeat ad nauseum till the prob is fixed.

Drunk pirate · 09-02-2003 4:03pm

I have no problems with my auchustic. On the count it's head fell off.

fizzy · 09-02-2003 7:27pm

thanks a lot for that

will try it out!

miju · 10-02-2003 8:15pm

anytime fizzy anytime

Oeneus · 10-02-2003 9:19pm

Originally posted by Drunk pirate
I have no problems with my auchustic.

You have problems spelling it, though.

ShayK1 · 11-02-2003 11:44am

Originally posted by Oeneus
You have problems spelling it, though.

My God that was fun!!

Drunk pirate · 11-02-2003 6:03pm

Tell me how to spell it then if your gonna be so fussy...

Dun · 11-02-2003 7:06pm

acoustic

as was already posted in Fizzy's original question.

Drunk pirate · 11-02-2003 7:08pm

Still..........who cares?

Giblet · 12-02-2003 10:41am

Well you should really.... It makes you look like Jimmy from southpark.

Samba · 12-02-2003 1:16pm

The Most important thing is to Never Ever take off all the strings at the same time, there should always be pressure on the neck.

That is how most necks end up being warped.

Don1 · 13-02-2003 11:58am

You may say that but if you send your beloved axe in for a full service, all the strings get whipped off straight awway so the green stuff on the fretboard can be removed with a good polishing. They also come off if you're getting a fret redress. The truss rod(s) hold it anway. The only guitars that you shouldn't take all the strings off (unless you know what you're doing) is ones with a Floyd Rose type floating tremolo cos it'll go all over the shop.

Oeneus · 13-02-2003 5:29pm

Green stuff? Christ, what are you guys using your guitars for?

Changing Guitar Strings

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