Put the strings on a 6 string guitar. How to change strings on a guitar

The guitar is probably the most popular musical instrument among music lovers. Practically everyone can master the technique of playing the acoustic guitar, if desired. Like any other musical instrument, the guitar requires careful handling and care. Probably the most important routine for routine instrument maintenance is string replacement. In what cases it is required and how to correctly install the strings on an acoustic guitar - we analyze in this article.

Reasons for replacement

The most common and obvious reason strings need to be replaced is when strings break. Usually the thinnest ones are torn - the first and the second. It also has to be replaced when the strings stop sounding. This happens when:

heavy pollution;
long-term operation, when the string stretches from time to time and loses its elasticity;

Before an important performance or concert, it is also recommended to install strings on an acoustic guitar - both in order to obtain a qualitatively new sound, and in order to protect yourself from untimely breaking. It is advisable to make a replacement 2-3 days before the event. In this case, the strings will settle properly on the instrument, and it will be possible to thoroughly tune it.

In general, experts advise replacing the strings on an acoustic guitar at least once every six months, and even more often with an intense playing mode.

Preparation for work

Before installing strings on an acoustic guitar, you need to decide on the choice of a new set. Regardless of how many have torn, it is recommended to replace them with a complete set. First, strings from different manufacturers have different properties and can sound very differently. Secondly, during operation, they stretch, therefore, even taken from the exact same set, they will play differently.

Another important point is the choice according to the type of material: steel or nylon. If the instrument is originally designed for nylon strings, under no circumstances should steel strings be installed. Excessive tension can deform the neck or break out the saddle.

Before starting work, you must also prepare the necessary tools.

Replacement tools

To replace the strings you will need:

Accessory for changing strings. Sold in every music store and makes the job much easier. Puts on the peg and speeds up the twisting of old strings. In the lower part it has a recess with which you can pick up the locking peg.

A set of new strings. It is selected individually, depending on the level of the game, the owner's budget, the number of strings in the set.
Nippers or scissors for metal. If there is no purpose to preserve the old strings, then they can be cut to facilitate removal. After installing new ones, the remaining ends are bite off.
A piece of soft cloth. Use a microfiber cloth or regular flannel to wipe the neck and body.
Guitar care product. A special liquid for cleaning the surface of the instrument is sold at any music store. Facilitates removal of dirt and dust from the body and neck, dissolves greasy stains, and gives the surface a shine.

Removing old strings

To loosen the string tension, you need to start rotating the peg. If, instead of loosening, the string continues to stretch and the sound gets higher, change direction.

The rotation is carried out until the string begins to dangle. Then the end must be removed from the hole of the peg fittings. This procedure is performed for all strings.

If the pegs are too tight and won't budge, you can stick your hand into the resonator hole of the guitar and lightly press down on them. After that, it is advisable to wipe the neck and body of the guitar with a napkin treated with a special agent. Old strings can be rolled up and removed, and later used as spare.

How to put strings on an acoustic guitar

The 6 strings of the new set are removed from the package and unfold. The installation starts from the extreme, moving further to the middle. This will allow you to load the bar evenly and gradually.

Before placing strings on an acoustic guitar, it is advisable to check the height of the neck and, if necessary, adjust its position with a truss.

The end of the string, on which the hammer is located (a special cylinder that holds the string), is inserted into the hole under the lower bar, and a peg is inserted from above. In this case, you need to pull the string in the direction of the neck so that it is securely locked.

Then proceed to winding and final fastening. The strings are passed through the corresponding slot in the top shelf, then they are threaded through the hole of the tuning pegs and a couple of turns are made so that the end is under the turn.

The string is finally fixed by rotating the tuning peg screw. You don't have to tighten all the strings at once. There is a risk that one of them will burst and the entire set will become unusable.

After all the strings are taut and set, it is advisable to wait 1-2 days. During this time, excess tension in the new string will be removed. Then you should cut off the ends with pliers. But some lovers prefer to leave curls for added effect.

How to put nylon strings on an acoustic guitar

When choosing a guitar for training, novice musicians focus on nylon strings. They are much softer than steel. The first three - the sharpest - have no winding at all. This avoids the appearance of calluses on the fingers during the learning process. The plus is that you can install nylon strings on both an acoustic guitar and a classic.

Let's see how to install nylon strings on acoustics. The main difference is that there are no balls at the ends. The string is simply passed through the slot, threaded through the hole in the lower bar and fixed with a knot.

There are many ways to tie a knot, but the main thing is to securely fix the string to the bar. Then, by analogy with metal ones, they are fixed on the pegs at the top of the neck.

Guitar tuning

Once the strings are properly installed on the acoustic guitar, the instrument is tuned. New strings will stretch a lot at first, so you won't be able to achieve perfect sound right away. In the absence of sufficient experience during the tuning process, it is recommended to use a tuner.

Then it is advisable to give the instrument a “rest” and repeat the tuning. The first time after installation will require more frequent tuning of the tool But when the strings sit down, the guitar will get a qualitatively new sound.

It is quick and easy to learn how to set strings on an acoustic guitar, both steel and nylon, only by constantly practicing it. It may be difficult for beginners to do this on their own at first. In this case, it is advisable to turn to the services of specialized music salons, where they will help and advise how to put the strings on an acoustic guitar. A specialist will replace 6 strings within 15-20 minutes.

Sooner or later, any guitarist is faced with the need to replace old strings with new ones (we wrote in the article about how you can determine that the strings should be changed :). But not everyone, and especially a beginner, knows how to do it correctly, so in this article we will talk about this, though not complicated, but very important process.

Changing strings on an electric guitar

How to remove old strings

The easiest way is to first release the tension on the strings, to avoid injury, bite them with pliers, then remove the remains from the machine and the tuning pegs. The method is more complicated, first you need to twist the old strings from the pegs, you can do it quickly with the help of such a turntable (we talked about it and other accessories useful for the guitarist in this article :).

How to install new strings

Before installing new strings, make sure that you put them in the correct order, usually each envelope from the package is marked with the number of a particular string, but if there is no such marking, and this also happens, you will have to select the strings by eye, but it is better to do it in advance and not in the process, so as not to spoil the kit.

It is best to set the strings out of order, but in the sequence 1-6, 2-5, 3-4. This setting will make the tension of the strings on the neck symmetrical and uniform, which in turn will have a positive effect on the condition of the neck and minimize the possibility of violating its geometry.

The installation of the strings in the bridge primarily depends on its design, if with the fact that the headtrail and the classic Strat tremolo you can simply thread the strings through the bridge, then with the floyd, kaler, etc. everything is not so simple and the string will still have to be fixed in the machine using special keys.

After installing the strings in the bridge, you should pass the string through the hole in the peg rod, but there are nuances, such as the number of turns, because if there are a lot of them with the tuning, problems arise, the optimal number is 2-4 turns on strings without braiding and no more than 2 -x turns on braided strings.
For a more secure fixation of the string in the tuning peg, you can install it as follows:

However, such manipulations are often superfluous and of course on instruments with lock tuners or top lock, such an installation will not bring any benefit.

Changing strings on an acoustic western guitar

How to remove old strings

There are also two ways here: the first, with the help of pliers, is just to bite the strings and remove the remains from the tuning pegs and bridge, and the second also to loosen the tension of the strings with the help of a turntable for the tuning pegs, and use it to remove the buttons holding the strings in the bridge:

However, if you do not have such a device, you can remove the fixing buttons using improvised means, such as a coin.

How to install new strings

Installing new strings on a Western guitar is very similar to the procedure described above with an electric guitar, in the same way you should set the sequence of strings, make no more than 2-4 turns on strings without braiding and no more than 2 turns on strings with braids and fix on a peg string.

However, the installation of the string in the bridge is very specific, for a start you should place the string in one of the holes in the bridge, close it with a button and push it well so that it does not squeeze out when the string is pulled.

Changing strings on an acoustic classical guitar

How to remove old strings

The easiest way is to simply loosen the tension on the strings to cut them and carefully untie the knots on the tuning pegs and bridge, you can, of course, untie them without cutting, but this method will take more time and effort.

How to install new strings

First, make sure the string order is correct before installing. Then thread the string through the bridge hole and carefully make a knot as shown:

Carefully make sure that the knot was tighter and did not fall apart.
Then thread the strings into the tuning pegs, starting with the first and, according to the diagram in the figure, make a knot:

Again, keep an eye on the tightness of the knot and remember that strings 4, 5, and 6 wind in the opposite direction of strings 1, 2, and 3.

Replacing strings on a bass guitar

How to remove old strings

Due to the fact that cutting or biting the strings on a bass guitar is a rather complicated and time-consuming task, the easiest way is to simply release the tension on the strings with the tuning pegs, do not forget about the turntable, this will be much faster.

The tension should be loosened in the following order 1-4-3-2, so the force acting on the bar is relatively evenly distributed and the chance that you break the geometry of the bar will be close to zero.
Then remove the strings from the holes of the tuners and bridge.

How to install new strings

First of all, before installing, you need to make sure that the strings are in the correct order. Then pass the strings through the holes in the bridge, depending on the design, the strings can also pass through the body.
It is worth noting the fact that the strings on bass guitars are often inserted directly into the tuning head:

To correctly insert the string there, you should attach it to the peg, simulating the tension, step back 1.5-2 centimeters to the top and cut off the end of the string, this will be easy, since the strings at the end of the bass guitar are usually much narrower. You should place the strings in the same order as you remove 1-4-3-2.

Conclusion

In conclusion, I would like to say that, depending on the instrument, the force acting on the strings can reach up to 100 kilograms, as a result of which, in order to avoid injuries during replacement, you need to be very careful and not apply unnecessary efforts, especially when tensioning new strings.

To understand the principle stringing to the guitar, let's first consider the types of strings. They are metallic and synthetic.

Metallic - pulls harder than synthetic ones and are used in reinforced guitars (which have an anchor). Putting them on a classical guitar is a thankless task and may result in damage to an expensive instrument, but they are louder than synthetic ones.

Synthetic - find their application for classical guitars. They are durable and very well suited for beginners because after playing the guitar, fingers do not hurt as much as after steel ones.

The first three strings are made of carbon fiber or nylon. The rest are covered with copper or silver plated winding. Carbon is more durable than nylon, but more expensive.

But as they say, closer to the body)

How to pull nylon strings?

To do this, you need to thread the string through the hole in the guitar stand and fix it according to the picture.

After that, you need to push it into the hole of the peg you need, not too deep, so that it does not stick out. It was in the USSR that strings were fashionable upright, but as practice shows, they do not give anything except a torn cover.

Wind the rest of the string by hand around the peg in a clockwise direction, as most guitarists do.

For convenience, here is a photo of the headstock so that you don't get confused on which peg to pull the string under which number

After you have placed the strings, you need to tune them using the tuning mechanisms. I recommend putting all the strings on first, pulling them down until they stop rattling. And then adjust each one individually. Otherwise, you will have to check the reference more times (for example, with an online tuner or tuning fork).

You shouldn't tune the nylon strings very accurately right away. they tend to get very upset for quite some time. So tune your guitar and let it sit for a couple of days. At the same time, tune the instrument from time to time.

There is a way to quickly tune nylon strings. It consists in the fact that you stretch them one and a half to two tones above the standard tuning, after a couple of hours repeating this procedure. But the strings pulled in this way “live” less.

Another tip for setting new strings, which many guitarists practice. Before as pull on, pull them out manually. You need to pull from the nut to the stand.

Stretching the stringson the electric guitar

Place them first in the bridge of your electric guitar or in a stand, depending on your guitar design.

On Stratocaster guitars, the tailpiece is located on the back of the body. And, for example, on such models, the design of which is similar to the Gibson SG - it is located on the upper side of the case.

Stringing Guitar with Locking Mechanics

(This type of mechanic is often referred to as a Floyd Rose type mechanic.)

To pull the strings on a Floyd guitar, the first step is to fix the string to the stand, locking it with a screw mechanism. Next, thread its free end into the hole in the locking nut.

For more information on how to string the strings on a guitar with locking mechanics, see below.

Bite off the end with the ball with pliers.
Secure the string to the stand using an L-wrench or some other instrument depending on the guitar model.
Loosen the nut locking mechanism and pull the string through the hole towards the tuning pegs.
Stretch the string to a pitch close to the pitch of the desired note using the peg. At the same time, tighten the tuning screw on the stand to an intermediate position, in which the string is not too tight.
Tighten the retainer on the saddle.
Bring the sound to the reference with the trim screw.
Follow the above procedures for the remaining 5 strings.
Another important addition. If you change strings to thinner - do not forget release the springs inside the housing... This is done to compensate for the decreasing pulling force of the thinner strings.

If you have unscrewed the tuning screw all the way, release the lock on the saddle, put the adjusting screw in an intermediate position, peg the string and tighten the lock.

How to string the strings on a guitar with conventional tuners?

Fasten the string into the stand and pull it towards the tuning pegs. Without pulling, the string often does not fall into place and this can create unnecessary work for you when pulling it.
Insert it into the peg you need, leaving slack (for braided strings - 5 cm, without it - 10 cm).
Bend the string in the direction of the tuning peg. Most often counterclockwise.
Stretch the string with the peg, while holding it in tension with your free hand for tighter winding of the turns.
When it has tightened a little, insert it into the slot in the nut.
Stretch it out as you would with a nylon guitar. As you stretch, tune the string over and over again until you achieve tuning hold.
Bite off the remaining piece of string with pliers.

Many are already familiar with nylon strings... And they know very well that they have no "hammers"
(special small balls, thanks to which the strings are held on the tailpiece - bridge.)

For such strings, a special knot has been invented, which must be tied around the bridge.
In fact, there are several nodes, one of which I remember well. This method is a little more complicated than others, but in the end it is more universal and neat.

It's easier to show you clearly, using the photos below. The third black string is taken solely for better visibility. :)

1. Insert the end of the string into the hole in the tailpiece and drag it about 10-15 centimeters (see photo).

2. Tie a knot at the end of the string, the closer to the edge, the better.

3. We take the knot and wrap the string with a ring, passing it under it (as in the photo).

4. Pass the end with a knot into the resulting ring, thereby forming a loop around the bridge. You do not need to tighten it.

5. Pull back the tip of the knotted string again, as if trying to wrap it around the loop again. (take a closer look at the photo)

6. Wrap it around the loop a second time to form a loop, wrapped twice around its axis. (photo explains more clearly 🙂)

7. Put the tip with a knot under the bridge and slowly pull the free end of the string. At this point, you need to try so that the end with the knot remains under the bridge. (photo for help)

In general, I quite often met complaints from guitarists that their guitars quickly get upset and do not hold.

Many people sin on their inexpensive guitars and cheap accessories, not even suspecting that the guitar does not hold in tune, not at all because of the accessories.

It's all about getting the right strings on your guitar!

Replacing strings on a guitar is only a trivial process at first glance, but there are some tricks here.

At the very least, learning how to put or change the strings on your guitar can make your life a lot easier.

Step 1:

Once you've secured it, bring it up to the headstock and pass it through the tuning peg hole.

Step 2:

Leave a small margin for winding around the peg and pull the string slightly towards the headstock. Try not to jerk the string back and forth - it can bend and break.

Step 3:

Bend the end of the string towards the center of the headstock and pass it under the string.

Step 4:

While holding the tension on the string, wrap the strings around you, making a kind of "lock". Try to keep the string taut, this will prevent the string from deforming and aids in proper installation.

Step 5:

Keeping the string under tension, start turning the peg. The string should clamp itself. The string should be wound down the tuner shaft to increase its angle of inclination relative to the nut.