How to install strings on an acoustic guitar. How to change strings on an electric guitar with Floyd Rose

Hello beginners, you are reading the School of Rock blog and today we will talk about how to change strings on an electric guitar

Strings are one of the most important elements of sound formation on an electric guitar, however, unfortunately, over time, they stop sounding (what a bitch) appropriately, and as a result we lose the sonority of our instrument, people are not fools and have come up with the idea of buying strings change at the same time. It is worth mentioning that the moment when it is necessary to change the set (don’t rush) comes not when the string has already broken, but much earlier

When to change strings

So, we change the strings when they no longer hold the tune, especially the third string, it is usually the first to begin to behave like a walking girl - in an inappropriate way, which means that such a girl must, correctly, be changed, preferably with a new one. The option of boiling the strings is far from the best; as a rule, the ringing tone of the metal is completely different, and besides, when the strings were boiled, they oxidized and immediately tore the hell out, so we go and buy new ones at the store

Changing strings on an electric guitar

Depending on the bridge (consider the Fender Stratocaster and Gibson Les Paul), the strings are changed differently, but in general the process is the same. So, first of all, we loosen the pegs and unwind our metal friends; if you are overcome by laziness, then we simply take a bunch of strings and cut off the strings. Next, it’s worth wiping the neck, because most likely you have some dirt left over from playing for a long time, wipe it back and forth with a cloth, and there’s no more dirt, don’t forget to wipe the dust off the pickups. Next, in fact, we need to install new strings. On a Fender Stratocaster, the bridge is a set of saddles, therefore, you need to remove the strings carefully so that the saddles do not move from their positions, make sure that you thread the strings first through the bridge and then to the tuners. The number of turns on the tuning pegs should be moderate, try to do no more than five, as confusion on the tuning cylinder can lead to a constant tuning raster (I don’t know how to say it differently)). At the same time, when you tension the strings especially zealously, you do not need to work with the tuning mechanism, the string should be tensioned smoothly, metal after all, also during the tensioning process the string should not dangle, for this purpose we take its middle and pull it up, or (if you have a Stratocaster) down (bass strings), so we press it against the headstock, then, although marks remain, it saves a lot of time.

Answering the question how to change strings on an electric guitar It’s worth saying that the Les Paul bridge is completely different from the Fender Stratocaster and here everything is a little simpler, only the headstock is completely different, if on the Fender we can give tension to the string (we do this so that maritime knots didn’t come out on the tuner) down, then here, alas, it won’t work, besides, the varnish on such guitars is not colorless, scratches will be more visible

It is definitely worth saying that when you have tuned your electric guitar, let it “sit” for at least 12 hours, this way the metal will stretch without stress and the strings will last on your instrument much longer. At the same time, we installed the strings, tightened them, checked the correctness of the tuning with a tuner, five minutes passed, checked again, tightened them again, this happened several times and then, as they said, we didn’t touch the guitar for about 12 hours.

Also, try to take care of the metal, wipe it from dust and dirt, and most importantly from sweat, as a rule, during a rehearsal, and even at home, your hands sweat, so get a special cloth to remove sweat from both the strings and your hands.

First, let's look at what strings there are. Metal – used in reinforced guitars, they have a ringing sound and are more taut than synthetic guitars.
Synthetic (nylon) – suitable for classical guitars. They are good for beginners to play the guitar, as they are soft and do not hurt your fingers too much when playing.

We thread the string through the hole in the guitar stand and fasten it according to the picture.

Having secured the string in the stand, we stretch it towards the pegs. Without broaching, the string often does not fall into place and this can create problems for you. extra work when pulling it.

We thread it into the peg you need, leaving some slack (for strings with braid - 5 cm, without it - 10 cm).
In order not to get confused about which peg for which string, below is a picture with string numbering. We bend the string in the direction of rotation of the peg.

Next, we tighten the string with a peg, while holding it in tension with our free hand to wind the turns more tightly.
When it has tightened up a little, insert it into the slot in the top sill.
Use pliers to bite off the remaining piece of string.
It is not recommended to fine-tune nylon strings right away, as they stretch. Tune your guitar and let it sit for a couple of days.
There is a quick setup method for nylon strings. It consists of tightening the strings one and a half to two steps higher than the standard tuning, repeating this procedure after a couple of hours. But the strings “live” less with this method.
That's all, have fun playing!

Video on how to change strings on a classical guitar!

Sooner or later, any novice guitarist is faced with the question of doing it correctly and quickly. Before asking this question, it is necessary to identify the reason why the gap occurred. If only one string is damaged, and you have changed the rest before, then you can only replace the broken part. If the change took place quite a long time ago, it makes sense to change the entire set, since when worn out, consumables tend to become thinner, leading to a duller and more metallic sound. Now that we have decided on the number of strings, let's look at how to string a guitar using both metal and nylon components. It's not very difficult.

Let's take the first option - metal strings for guitar, which you can buy in any specialized store. Let's prepare everything you need, including the tool itself, and begin the process. First you need to pull the wire through a special hole - the tailpiece, pass it through a special slot for fixation and pull it until it stops. Next, you should thread it into the peg, cut it to length with wire cutters, leaving a tail of about 20 centimeters, and wind several turns so that they press the free tip tightly. It is not recommended to pull it too hard before winding it to avoid the possibility of overtightening.

When installing strings on an electric guitar, you need to pay attention to the direction of the pegs. When the tension is increased, the peg should rotate counterclockwise, and when loosened, it should rotate clockwise. If there are two rows of pegs on the fingerboard - three on top and three on the bottom, make sure that the direction of rotation of the upper and lower ones is different.

The second mounting option, where the string head passes through the guitar bridge and is held in place by a locking mechanism, is suitable for modern guitars. In this case, the string is fixed in two places - on the stand and the top nut, which ensures better retention of the guitar's tuning when playing with active sound extraction. Let's look at how to string a guitar with locking action.

One end of the wire should be fixed in the stand using a special L-shaped key, and passed through a special slot, having first loosened the sill lock. Then we make a preliminary rough adjustment, securing it to the peg and tightening it to the required tension. We install a special adjustment screw in an intermediate position, and then fix the string on the top saddle. Now we can fine-tune the sound using the trim screws. It is clear that all these steps must be repeated for each string being installed.

Let's consider one more nuance, how to string strings on a guitar using synthetic ones. It is very important that the nylon does not slip out of the holes and is firmly secured to the stand. The ends of the strings, in addition to securing the ends, must be twisted several times according to the principle of the sea

Knot. Also, when you wind them onto the pegs, it is recommended to hold them with your hand, applying a little force, so that the turns are even and more durable.

Make sure you always have replacement consumables. It is better to buy guitar strings in advance, choosing sets with the necessary characteristics (softness, composition, etc.), so that in a force majeure situation you can quickly change them.

How to replace and tighten guitar strings

When stringing a guitar, beginners usually have two problems. How to tension the strings so that they do not slip out of the holes in the rollers and how to secure the strings to the stand. As for nylon strings, the most questions arise about securing the strings to the stand.

You need to tighten the strings on the guitar by securing them to the stand. To do this, there are holes in the stand into which the strings are threaded. The photo shows how the ends of the nylon strings are threaded and secured. The strings placed in this way are well fixed and do not slip out of the holes in the stand. This way the first, second and sometimes the third string are secured. For strings with gimp, there is no need to twist the string several times. The following pictures show all the strings. The ends of the strings, depending on which side the loop is made on, can be directed downwards (as in the top picture) or upwards as shown here.

After setting the string, use a little force to pull the string until it sits tightly and proceed to the next stage - fixing and winding the string onto the roller of the tuning mechanism. Nylon strings are very easy to attach to the roller and when winding, lightly hold the string right hand, giving it a certain tension. This way, the string will be wound onto the roller evenly.

Please note that each string must correspond to a specific roller of the tuning mechanism. If you do not follow this rule, the strings will interfere with each other when taut when tuning the instrument.

Let's move on to tensioning the strings on an electric guitar. Here we must take into account that the strings are metal, and the bolsters are recessed into the headstock on only one side. Such strings are easier to remove - just loosen the peg and the string will slide off easily without any long unwinding. The strings on an electric guitar also need to be tightened by fastening them. The strings of an electric guitar are held by the bridge, and this is where you should start stringing.

Having fixed the string with the bridge, we thread the other end of the string into the hole of the roller located on the headstock. After threading the string through the hole (photo 1), turn the string around the roller in the opposite direction of winding the string (photo 2), pass the end of the string from below (photo 3) and wrap it around the string going into the hole of the roller (photo 4). When the mechanics begins to rotate the roller, the string is automatically blocked and does not slip out of the roller hole (photo 5-6). The blue arrow shows the direction of the string being tensioned. When you tension the string by rotating the peg with your left hand, be sure to hold the string with your right hand, creating some tension, so that the string will be wound onto the roller evenly and you can control the wound turns.

After putting all the strings on the guitar, tune all the strings at once; this will give an even tension to the bridge and then tuning them one by one will become much easier. New strings on a guitar tend to go out of tune quickly, especially with nylon strings. It will take some time for the strings to stretch. You can speed up this process a little if you stretch the tensioned and already tuned strings a little by hand along the entire length of the string, but this must be done with some caution. It is not advisable to tension the strings higher, since their service life will then be significantly reduced; it is better to give the strings time to stretch themselves by tuning the guitar from time to time. The “” section, which presents all the sounds of the guitar strings, will help you tune your guitar.

In general, I quite often come across complaints from guitarists that their guitars quickly go out of tune and don’t hold up.

Many people make mistakes with their inexpensive guitars and cheap accessories, without even suspecting that the guitar does not stay in tune, not because of the accessories.

It's all about setting the strings correctly on the guitar!

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

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

Step 1:

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

Step 2:

Leave a small amount of string to wrap around the peg and pull the string lightly toward the headstock. Try not to jerk the string back and forth - it may 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 maintaining tension on the string, wrap the string around itself, making a sort of “lock.” Try to keep the string in a taut position, this will prevent the string from deforming and will help it to be installed correctly.

Step 5:

While holding the string under tension, begin turning the peg. The string should clamp itself. The string must be wound down the peg shaft to increase its angle relative to the nut.