Let's consider the installation nylon strings using a classic pigtail fastening and one hole for each string. Fastening strings on guitar pegs in a separate article
In this article we will discuss in detail how to tie strings. We will also learn some principles that are important to remember so that the strings do not unravel or gradually unravel.
I’ll say right away that we’ll look at fastening strings to a stand using two holes for each string in a separate article, as well as fastening using beads in a separate article.
So we consider a simple but insidious knot.
You yourself have tied a regular knot for fastening nylon strings more than once, you have a good idea of it and can see it in the first photo. It's simple.
This method is used everywhere. The knot is formed easily and clearly; you insert the string into the hole, wrap the tail around the base on either side and thread it through the loop. Just like a normal node. But there are a couple of points to pay attention to.
Incorrect stringing and two golden rules
The first rule of good installation:
In order for the string to hold securely, you need to place the tip of the string behind the edge of the string-holding panel.
I see strings that are incorrectly fastened to the stand all the time. It doesn't matter what qualification the guitarist has. Moreover, the string slipping out from behind the edge can occur with a slight weakening during tensioning. Those. The guitarist ties everything correctly, but then, when he turns his attention to tightening the strings on the tuning mechanism, and loosens the string, the knot loosens a little, and this is enough for the tail to pop out.
We look at the incorrect connection in the photos, which are even posted on photo services.
The photo above clearly shows that the 6th and 4th strings were tied incorrectly when the tails of all the other strings were thrown over the bone edge. Although there is interesting fact that the tails of the wrong strings are pushed under the adjacent string. More photos.
Anyone who understands everything from the above, in this photo sees the incorrect fastening of the 6th, 4th, 3rd and 2nd strings. Very bad - only two out of six, four penalty loops! And there are no knots.
The insidiousness of the situation is that such an unfinished knot will hold for some time, and for bass strings with gimp, perhaps even quite a long time. But I recommend that you do not tempt fate, because if it pops out it will be ugly and painful.
But that's not all, there is second rule which is best done when installing strings:
The first and second strings of the guitar should have a knot that will prevent the string from slipping out.
Oh, they never slipped out! What are you saying?
They never slipped out, because everything was done before the first time. The unwinding string hits the soundboard with such force that if your guitar has a varnish coating and not a varnish shield, it will punch a decent groove or make a dent.
Thin and soft strings slip, and these are not cheap carbon sets.
How to properly set guitar strings
Let us repeat two rules for those who skim through the article instead of reading - I'm playing the "Aranjuez" concerto with an orchestra so that I don't know how to tie the strings! Nevertheless:
- We tie knots on the first and second strings of the guitar.
- When braiding strings around a bridge, place the tip of the string behind the edge of the string-holding panel ( red line in the photo below). This is what jams the string.
It is better to braid the first, second and fourth strings several times before bringing them over the edge.
Also a few turns, but a little on the other side.
The option for thick strings differs in that they can be immediately wound over the edge. This is especially true for the sixth string.
The number of threads or turns can be correlated with the width of the string-holding panel of the stand. The first thin string allows you to make several turns without any clutter. In this case, the knot will not spontaneously unravel when the tension is loosened, and the additional knot will itself go beyond the corner of the stand.
Don't leave the tails of the strings too long - they can scratch the soundboard at the same time, these tails are necessary if you still do not tie additional knots. While the main knot is tightened, the string can slip and the long tail is pulled up. The tails can be cut off later at the very end, when the strings are already stretched. Of course, don't cut them too short.
The string has no direction, i.e. it doesn’t really matter which end or where you install it. But some strings have loose threads for ease of threading. Secure it in such a way that this sparseness does not fall on the lower bridge of the guitar. There may be trouble with the gimp.
After a few months active play, nylon guitar strings fall into disrepair. The sound becomes poor, the strings themselves become harsher, and the feeling when playing becomes unpleasant. It's time to replace the strings with classical guitar.
Preparation
There are two types of classical guitar strings: regular (tie-on) and with tips (ball-end). There is no global difference between them, except that strings with tips are easier to install. Below we will look at the installation process for both types of strings.
Being in music store, choose a high-quality set of nylon strings of normal tension. Excellent kits are produced by D’Addario, Rotosound, and Mr. Musician.
ATTENTION!
Never buy a set of strings for an acoustic guitar! The tension on the metal strings is too high for a classical guitar neck that does not have a reinforcement truss rod. With 100% probability, such strings will ruin the instrument.
After purchasing a new set, remove the old strings. You can use wire cutters, or you can just twist the old set. If you decide to twist the strings, purchase a special machine that will make the winding process easier.
Installing strings in the bridge (tailpiece)
If the strings are tipped
If the new set is equipped with special tips, then changing the strings on a classical guitar will be a simple task. Pass each string through the hole in the tailpiece, and then proceed to secure the strings in the pegs.
If the strings are without tips
Replacing strings from a set without tips is more difficult. Insert the string into the hole in the bridge (tailpiece) and leave a margin of 3-5 cm at the end. Such tails will be needed to tie a knot that will hold the string.
Take your time and insert the strings one at a time. Trying to insert all six strings at once will complicate the replacement: the strings will get in the way and become tangled with each other.
Wrapping
Take the remaining tail and wrap the string around itself as if making a knot. Look at the image to see what needs to be done.
Weaving
Wrap the string around itself three to four times to create a distinctive braid. Do not braid the entire string allowance - we will still need a small free tail.
Securing the strings in the bridge using a knot
Bass strings
Press the string onto the soundboard as shown in the image. Grasp the tail and the rest of the string, and carefully tighten the knot.
Make sure the knot is tight before tightening other strings. A knot that is not strong enough will come undone when the strings are tensioned.
First three strings (melodic strings, treble)
Since the upper strings are smooth, make 2-3 more turns when braiding. This way you will protect yourself from the strings slipping while winding.
String tails
If you don't want changing strings on a classical guitar to become torture, don't do it all. The remaining tails of the strings will protect us during tension. Without them, knots can come undone and strings can pop out.
Attaching strings to pegs
Bass strings
After all the strings have taken their places in the bridge, we will begin attaching them to the tuning mechanism. Insert each string into the special holes. Wrap it around the peg and thread it through the hole again. The resulting knot will securely hold the string.
Follow the order in which the strings are installed. Each of them has its own place in the tuning mechanism: strings 1 and 6 are located closer to the fingerboard, 2 and 5 in the middle, 3 and 4 closer to the edge of the headstock.
Slowly wind the strings using a machine. Make sure that the turns are spaced evenly.
Upper strings
The holes for the strings in the tuning mechanism are the same. Therefore, to secure the top three strings, you need to thread them twice, unlike the bass strings.
Most likely, you can make a double knot without problems for 1-2 strings, but the third string will have to be secured in the same way as the bass strings. It all depends on the diameter of the strings.
Guitar tuning and string stretching
This completes the replacement of strings on a classical guitar. All that remains is to configure the instrument.
Tensioning and tuning a new set on a classical guitar involves one important nuance- Nylon strings continue to stretch for several days after tension. For this reason, the guitar will constantly be out of tune.
You can minimize instrument upset by pulling back the strings. To do this, tune the string and then pull it away from the fingerboard as shown in the figure. After holding the string in this state for 5-10 seconds, release it and tune again.
This simple operation will speed up the stretching of the strings. However, don't expect to get your new kit running smoothly in just a few hours.
Final stage
Once the strings are stretched and the guitar is in tune confidently, get rid of the excess string ends at the bridge and tuning pegs. Now that you know how to change strings on a classical guitar. Although the process is different, after a few times changing strings on a classical guitar will become a simple task.
The time will come, and every beginner who decides to master musical instrument, you will have to face a problem replacing strings with acoustic guitar
. At first glance, everything is quite prosaic, but in practice, many beginning guitarists do typical mistakes, sometimes with disastrous consequences. I propose to take a closer look at all the rules for replacing an old kit with a new one.
Let's start with a step-by-step analysis of the entire process.
Removing the old set.
1. First you need to loosen all the pegs, for their convenient rotation, it is advisable to purchase a turntable. The price of such a device is minimal, but the benefits are maximum. We turn the pegs until the strings are completely loosened until they begin to sag freely.
3. After the strings have been removed from the side of the neck, it is necessary to remove them from under the plugs on the lower nut. We will remove the plugs carefully, using a special device. It is strictly undesirable to do this with pliers or wire cutters; after such careless treatment, traces of damage may remain on the pins (plugs) or even on the threshold. Afterwards we get it metal string from the hole.
Installation of a new kit.
Before installing a new set, do not forget to wipe the instrument in particularly dusty areas. Then clean the body and neck with special acoustic guitar care products.
1. Let's start stringing new strings. To begin with, we thread it (with the side where the coil is) into the hole in the bottom sill and clamp it tightly with a stopper.
2. The next step is to secure the string on the other side; to do this, we pass it through the hole in the peg, so that the end protrudes no more than 7 cm.
3. Holding the tail under tension, we make one turn with the main part of the string around the peg, so that it is on top. Next, using torsion of the peg, we make another 1-2 turns, but from below, under the tip.
We do this in order to fix the strings with a minimum number of turns, so we create a kind of knot that will not allow them to slip out.
It is important to know.
1) Cutting the strings when they are under tension is prohibited! During this process, a bitten string can hit your hands, at best. In addition, sudden changes in tension can damage the guitar neck.
2)
A large number of turns harms the tuners. We do no more than 4 on the first, and no more than 2 on the sixth.
3)
When the string begins to create tension, we reduce the speed of rotation of the peg, otherwise the pin may fly out.
4)
Under no circumstances should we tune new strings immediately to the required sounds, otherwise they may break. We tighten it a tone, or even two less (if the gauge is less than “ten”), wait 15-20 minutes and finish it.
5)
The strings will still be actively stretching for the first few days, so be prepared for constant adjustments.
6)
If this is your first time doing such a procedure, do not rush to cut off the “extra” string with pliers; there is a possibility that it will slip out if the winding is bad. Leave the ends for 1-2 days; a cut string is very difficult to re-stretch.
You will also find this article useful:
Sooner or later, any guitarist is faced with the need to replace old strings with new ones (we wrote about the signs that strings should be changed in the article:). But not everyone, especially beginners, knows how to do this correctly, so in this article we will talk about this, although not complicated, but very important process.
Replacing strings on an electric guitar
How to remove old strings
The easiest way is to first loosen the tension of the strings, in order to avoid injury, bite them with wire cutters, then remove the remains from the machine and pegs. The method is more complicated, first you need to twist the old strings from the pegs, this can be quickly done using such a turntable (we talked about it and other accessories useful for a guitarist in this article:).
How to install new strings
Before installing new strings, make sure you place them in in the right order, usually each envelope from the package is marked with the number of a specific string, but if there is no such marking, and this also happens, you will have to select the strings by eye, and it is better to do this in advance and not in the process, so as not to spoil the set.
It is best to install the strings not in order, but in the sequence 1-6, 2-5, 3-4. Such an installation will make the tension force of the strings on the neck symmetrical and uniform, which in turn will have a positive effect on the condition of the neck and will minimize the possibility of violating its geometry.
The installation of strings in the bridge primarily depends on its design; if with a tom, headtrail and classic Strat tremolo you can simply thread the strings through the bridge, then with a floyd, caler, 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 tuning rod, but there are nuances here, such as the number of turns, because if there are a lot of them, problems will arise with the tuning, optimal quantity- this is 2-4 turns on strings without braid and no more than 2 turns on strings with braid.
To more securely fix the string in the peg, you can install it as follows:
However, such manipulations are often unnecessary and, of course, on instruments with locking pegs or top locking pegs, such an installation will not bring any benefit.
Replacing strings on an acoustic western guitar
How to remove old strings
There are also two ways: the first, using wire cutters, is to simply bite the strings and remove the remains from the pegs and bridge, and the second is also to loosen the tension of the strings using a peg turntable, 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 locking buttons using improvised means, for example, 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 string sequence, make no more than 2-4 turns on strings without braid and no more than 2 turns on strings with braid and fix it on the peg string.
However, installing a string in a bridge is very specific; first, you should place the string in one of the holes in the bridge, close it with a button and press well on it so that it does not squeeze out when the string is pulled.
Replacing strings on an acoustic classical guitar
How to remove old strings
The easiest way is to simply loosen the tension of the strings, cut them and carefully untie the knots on the pegs and bridge; you can, of course, untie them without cutting them, but this method will take more time and effort.
How to install new strings
First, make sure the string order is correct before installation. Then pass the string through the hole in the bridge and carefully make a knot as shown in the picture:
Carefully ensure that the knot is tighter and does not fall apart.
Then thread the strings into the pegs, starting with the first one and make a knot according to the diagram in the figure:
Again, monitor the tightness of the knot and do not forget that strings 4, 5 and 6 are wound in the opposite direction from 1, 2 and 3.
Replacing strings on a bass guitar
How to remove old strings
Due to the fact that cutting or cutting strings on a bass guitar is a rather complicated and time-consuming task, the easiest way is to simply loosen the tension of the strings using pegs; don’t forget about a turntable; this will be much faster.
You need to loosen the tension in the following order 1-4-3-2, so the force acting on the bar will be relatively evenly distributed and the chance that you will break the geometry of the bar will be close to zero.
Then you should remove the strings from the holes of the pegs and bridge.
How to install new strings
First of all, before installation, you need to make sure that the order of the strings is correct. Then thread the strings through the holes in the bridge; depending on the design, the strings may also pass through the body.
It is worth noting the fact that strings on bass guitars are often inserted directly into the peg rod:
To correctly insert a string there, you should apply it to the peg simulating tension, move 1.5-2 centimeters to the top and cut off the end of the string; this will be easy to do, since the strings of a bass guitar are usually much narrower at the end. The strings should be installed in the same order as they were removed: 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 when replacing, you need to be very careful and not apply excessive force, especially when tensioning new strings.
The principle of attaching strings to the shaft of a tuning machine is similar to attaching them to a stand - the string must be clamped with a tightening loop. The harder the strings are pulled, the stronger the loop holds. Of course, the turns around the shaft are also of great importance, since this is all the frictional force that additionally holds the string.
There is nothing special to write about dismantling the old strings - they unscrewed it, pulled it out and threw it away. To rotate the tuning mechanics, it is very convenient to use special twisters, which you can buy, or you can make yourself from ebony, amaranth, Indian rosewood and mahogany.
Unfortunately, the mother-of-pearl button at the end of the handle is not visible. Changing guitar strings with such a twister is a pleasure.
String installation order into the guitar pegs is not of fundamental importance, but it is more convenient to start with the 1st and 6th strings, moving in order, then the already tucked strings will not interfere with installing the next ones. In other words, the order of the strings is: 1st, 2nd, 3rd and also 6th, 5th, 4th.
A few more tips before we look at how to thread the strings:
Fastening the string to the pegs, forming a knot
Keep the string slightly under tension so that the knot on the stand does not unravel. The string is threaded once or twice (for the fifth and sixth, once is definitely enough). There is no need to wind too much string onto the shaft so that the turns are piled on top of each other. 
Now wrap the free end around the string and start winding. The string should begin to wind along with its tail. A couple of overlaps is enough. Remember to pull the string by hand until it becomes taut on its own. 
After the tail has been crossed several times, move it to the side opposite to the direction of winding and place the turns of the string neatly one after another. 
