Lesson 19 - Changing Your Strings

Changing your strings is a simple task that can better tone quality, better  finger response, wider range of dynamics possible and more range of tone to mention a few. If you’re a beginner it will also really help make your hands a little more comfortable.  In this lesson we will walk through how and when to change your strings.

You will want to make sure you use the same gauge you had on your guitar before. Gauge is simply how thick the strings are and a package is marked by the thinest ( high E string). Most electric guitars come with extra-light or '9's'. Acoustic guitars tend to come equipped with light or medium strings. Your intonation may be off if you use a heavier or lighter set than you currently use. You can experiment with other gauges but this might entail a setup of your guitar to accommodate the change in tension. Ask a professional before changing string gauges. If you are not sure what you have on currently stick with what was mentioned above.

Step one in changing your strings is to remove the old string. Removing one string at a time will leave tension on the guitar and make it easier to tune later. Simply loosen the string until you can pull it out of the tuner. After the string is out at the headstock pull the bridge pin and remove the string. Insert your new string into the hole and replace bridge pin. Push down firmly on the bridge pin to make sure it is in snugly. Take the top of the string and go half way around the tuner, from the inside of the headstock, and then insert into the whole of the tuner. The string should now be facing back at the body of the guitar. You will want to pull the string slack out so you do not have to much string wrapped around the tuner. Hold string until tuner grabs the string and then tighten until string is at the right tension. Here is a video outlining this process.