Do you think playing acoustic guitar is the only thing you need to learn? No, you should also learn how to change acoustic guitar strings too. The strings of your acoustic guitar need constant changing from time to time to keep the tone in perfect shape. Sometimes the strings got damaged, and you have to restring them. Remember that an acoustic guitar needs less restringing as compared to the electric one. But, still, you need to be very careful about it. Therefore, it is essential to learn how to put the string on a guitar at home. Let’s take a look at the best way to change acoustic guitar strings complete procedure.
How to Restring an Acoustic Guitar
Before you start to change acoustic guitar strings, there are some essential things you need to do. Let’s break up this process into some easy steps.
1. Find A Quiet Time
Learning how to restring a guitar is like inspecting the tone of the instrument. So, it is necessary to hear the tone very carefully. The best thing is to choose the place where there are low or no external noises. In fact, you should prefer night time when people are sleeping.
The next thing you should do is to clean the acoustic guitar. It is effortless if there are no traces of the gunk and dust on it. Also, clean guitar sounds than the one with the dirt.
2. Gathering Important Materials
For changing guitar strings, you need some tools. Here are important things you should gather before starting the process.
- A new set of strings
- Tuning machine
- String winder
- A pair of wire cutters
You don’t need a tuning machine if you are playing the guitar for quite some time. Professional musicians can easily tune the guitar by their ears alone. Check out how to tune an acoustic guitar if you want to tune it yourself like a pro.
3. Balance The Guitar Neck
Choose a solid and flat platform and lay the guitar. Make sure to secure the neck of the guitar as that it doesn’t wobble throughout the process. Try to use polystyrene. This soft and curved material can adapt to the shape of your acoustic guitar.
4. Lose The Tension Of The Strings
Begin the restringing procedure by loosening the tension of the strings. You can use the tuning key or peg for this process. Lose them until such time you can remove strings. You can unwind these strings from the post and also detach them.
5. Take Out The Bridge Pins
After removing the strings on the headstock, it’s time to remove the pins on the bridge. Use the notch of the string-winder for this purpose. Clasp the pin and then gradually pull it from the bridge. After doing this, you can easily remove the strings from the instrument. Don’t forget to support the ball part on the string’s end so that you can keep the tone.
6. Place The New Strings
If you want to know how to replace old guitar strings with new ones, just remember to always begin at the 6E Bridge while restringing. You should pin the bridge pin groove against the hole together with the new string. Don’t forget to pull the string simultaneously when affixing the pin on the hole. It will help you to ensure a tight and secure hold.
7. Pull The String To The Tuning Post
In case you have secured the string’s end in the bridge, you can work through the tuning post. Carefully pull the string towards the respective tuning post. Now insert the string into the hole on the tuning post and then rotate the tuning key counterclockwise. It will pull strings to the bridge.
8. Use The String Winder
Use the string winder to tighten the string. While doing this, make sure that all the strings maintain proper tension and playability. Remember, you should not tune the string while doing this. When you have tightened the strings correctly, you can begin tuning. Try to tighten the strings in the following order;
- 5A
- 4D
- 3G
- 2B
- 1E
This is an excellent way to avoid repetition and confusion. Make sure to stretch the strings when tightening. It will help you to assess if the strings are correctly set.
9. Tune The Strings
It’s time to start tuning the guitar. Perhaps this process may not need any help from the tuning advice. Seasoned players can just tune all the strings out of a whim. You don’t need any help gadget anymore.
If you are a beginner, you should use the tuning device. It will ensure that the acoustic guitar will sound in the best way.
10. Cut The Excess Strings
After tuning the acoustic guitar, it’s time to do the finishing touches. Cut all the excess strings with the wire cutter protruding on the headstock of your guitar. Such loose wire may be irritating and dangerous as their ends are very sharp. They may create some difficulties in playing the guitar. These loose strings may prevent your hand to course freely through the guitar and thus cause some severe issues.
Conclusion
Whether you are a beginner, seasoned or expert guitar player, you have to restring your best acoustic guitar at some point. So, it is essential to learn how to replace acoustic guitar strings properly. Not only it helps the guitar to produce a perfect one, but it also keeps the guitar in the best possible shape.