How To String a Guitar Archives

How to String a Guitar

String Corrosion Example — A picture showing string corrosion near the nut. Notice the string discoloration.

Before we jump into how to string a guitar, let’s first cover a few guitar string basics.

Use the Right Strings – Before you purchase a new set of strings for your guitar, make sure you know what type of guitar strings your guitar uses. Electric and steel-string acoustic guitars are built for using metal strings, but they use very different alloys and gauges. Classical and folk acoustic guitars are made for nylon strings, and, again, there are different types. Installing the wrong strings could ruin your setup or, worse, damage your guitar. Also thick guitar strings (medium and heavy gauge) are harder to hold down. For beginning guitarists it is usually best to start with lighter gauge strings, and go heavier as your hands get stronger.
Always Change Strings When They Are Worn – Guitar strings should be replaced regularly. As metal guitar strings age, they become corroded. Some last longer than others, but all guitar strings tend to lose their brilliance over time. If your guitar strings are really old or worn out, your guitar will sound dead and be more difficult to tune. Corroded strings can also be harder on your fingers.

What Tools Do I Need to Change Guitar Strings?

As you learn how to string a guitar properly, these basic tools will make it easier:

Strings

You will need a new set of strings that are appropriate for your guitar and style (see the list of guitar and string types below).

String Winder (String Crank)

An inexpensive string winder (or string crank) is indispensable. Without it, you’ll have to crank the guitar tuning key with your fingers — a very tiring task! Professional guitar shops have to change strings so often that they normally use battery-powered string winders. A standard guitar string winder usually features a special slot for pulling up bridge pins found on steel-string acoustic guitars. You’ll find a standard string winder in the eMedia Guitar Accessory Kit. These look similar to the pictures to the right. These tools crank on the guitar tuning key so that the string wraps around the tuning machine and gets tuned up to pitch faster.

How to string a guitar tools - standard guitar string winder. — A standard string winder.

Wire Clippers

You don’t absolutely need a wire cutter, but without it you’ll end up with long tails on the end of each string that get in the way when you’re changing the other strings. Some companies make string winders with integrated wire cutters (see photo). Most wire cutters, snips, or pliers with snips will do the job. When clipping the end off the string try to leave about 1/2 inch.

How to string a guitar tools - String winder with string clipper — String winder with integrated clipper.

Steps for How to String a Guitar

For the step-by-step instructions on how to string a guitar like the one you own, please select the link below that corresponds to your guitar. These lessons will also have links to help you learn more about string types used for the individual guitar types.

How to String a Classical Guitar

Instructions for how to string a nylon string guitar. Useful for both classical and folk guitars.

How to String an Acoustic Guitar with Steel Strings

Here you learn how to change strings on a steel-string acoustic guitar. Be sure to read about acoustic guitar string types. Guitar string variations can greatly affect the sound and playability of your guitar.

How to Change Electric Guitar Strings

This gives you a great guide on how to string an electric guitar. To bend strings easier, select light gauge electric strings.

Tips for Changing Guitar Strings

Wash your hands before changing you guitar strings. Oils from your fingers make the strings corrode faster.

While your strings are off, you may wish to polish your guitar, particularly the neck and underneath where the strings are around the sound hole or pickups. You can remove the dust by wiping with a damp cloth. Remove dust by wiping with a cloth that has been sprayed lightly with guitar polish (also included in the eMedia Guitar Accessory Kit).

How to String a Classical Guitar

Here are step-by-step instructions and a video to help you learn how to string a classical guitar. This technique also works for folk and flamenco nylon-string guitars.

Step-By-Step Guide: How to String a Classical Guitar

Learn about guitar string basics and the types of nylon guitar strings available, and then purchase a set of nylon guitar strings.
Remove one old string by loosening the string and then pulling the string gently off the tuning peg. It’s best to change strings one-at-a-time instead of removing all of the strings. Keeping some tension protects your guitar neck.
Insert one end of the new string into the hole at the bridge. You will need about 1 1/2″ of the string available on the side opposite the sound hole.
Bend the 1 1/2″ length of string back towards the sound hole and wrap it around the rest of the string (see picture below). Two times is preferred. Keep gentle tension on the long end of the string as you proceed with the next step to prevent the wrap from coming undone. When learning how to string a classical guitar you need to be sure the string is wrapped/tied-off securely. Note that with folk guitars, the folk strings have a plastic ball that goes through the bridge, so it does not require being tied.
Locate the corresponding peg at the head of the guitar and wrap the loose end of the string around the peg once or twice.
Insert the end of the string through the hole in the peg.
Pull the end of the string through the hole.
Turn the tuning peg away from you to tighten the string. Use a tuner to bring the string up close to pitch and avoid over-tightening the string.
Once the string is close to pitch, move on to the next string. Wait until you are done changing all of the strings to attempt precision tuning.

The bridge of a classical guitar showing the string windings.

Tune Up

After changing strings, it’s time to tune your guitar. New strings will stretch and need to be brought back up to pitch as you play. This is normal, as nylon strings stretch considerably more than steel strings. They will keep stretching for days, so don’t be alarmed if you need to retune several times until the strings stabilize. Here’s a post to help you learn how to tune your guitar. If you want a high-quality, inexpensive, digital guitar tuner to make tuning faster and easier, check out the PitchBoy. This amazing mini tuner is so portable that it even fits on a key chain!

How to String an Acoustic Guitar

Learning how to string an acoustic guitar helps you sound your best. Old strings sound dull and break more easily. So learning how to string an acoustic guitar is really important if you want to always sound your best.

Watch the video and read the step-by-step guide below to learn how to string an acoustic guitar with steel strings. If your guitar has nylon strings, read out post covering how to string a classical or nylon string acoustic.

Step-By-Step Guide: How to String an Acoustic Guitar

Learn about guitar string basics and the types of acoustic guitar strings available, and then purchase a set of acoustic guitar strings to put on your guitar.
Remove one old string by loosening the string and then pulling the string gently off the tuning key. It’s best to change strings one-at-a-time instead of removing all of the strings. Keeping some tension protects your guitar neck.
Remove the string from the bridge by pulling the plastic bridge pin using a lever (the U-shaped slot cut into a string winder is made for this task).
Insert the end of the new string with the metal ball into the hole.
Replace the plastic pin so that it holds the new string down firmly.
Locate the corresponding tuning key at the head of the guitar.
Wrap the loose end of the string around the tuning key once or twice.
Insert the end of the string through the hole in the tuning key.
Pull the end of the string through the hole. It should look like the picture below.
Turn the tuning key away from you to tighten the string.
Use a tuner to bring the string up close to pitch and avoid over tightening the string.
Once the string is close to pitch, move on to the next string. Wait until you are done changing all of the strings to attempt precision tuning.

How to String an Acoustic Guitar - Steel-String Acoustic Winding — A steel-string acoustic guitar tuning key displaying good string winding technique.

Time to Tune Your Guitar

After changing strings, it’s time to tune your guitar. New strings will stretch and need to be brought back up to pitch as you play. This is normal. Here’s a post to help you learn how to tune your guitar. If you want a high-quality, inexpensive, digital tuner to make tuning easy, check out the PitchBoy mini tuner that fits on a key chain.

About the Truss Rod

Guitars designed to use steel strings have a metal truss rod that runs through the guitar neck to counter-act the tension of steel strings pulling forward on the guitar neck. If your guitar strings are very hard to press down, or are buzzing when you play notes and chords, you should have your truss rod adjustment checked by a qualified repair person.

How to Change Electric Guitar Strings

Use the video below and step-by-step instructions to learn how to change electric guitar strings.

Steps for How to Change Electric Guitar Strings:

Learn about guitar string basics and the types of electric guitar strings available, before you purchase your next set of electric guitar strings.
Remove one old string by loosening the string and then pulling the string gently off the tuning key. It’s best to change strings one-at-a-time instead of removing all of the strings. Keeping some tension protects your guitar neck.
Insert the end of the new string with the metal ball into the slot at the tailpiece or bridge. You may need to thread the string through a hole in the back of some guitars (such as tremolo style bridges shown below).
A common electric guitar tremolo bridge.
Gently pull the string through until the metal ring at the other end clicks into place.
Locate the corresponding tuning key at the head of the guitar.
Wrap the other end of the string around the tuning key once or twice.
Insert the end of the string through the hole in the tuning key.
Pull the string through the hole.
Turn the tuning key away from you to tighten the string. Use a tuner to bring the string up close to pitch and avoid overtightening the string.
Once the string is close to pitch, move on to the next string. Wait until you are done changing all of the strings to attempt precision tuning.

Tune Up and Play!

After changing strings, it’s time to tune your guitar. New strings will stretch and need to be brought back up to pitch as you play. This is normal. Here’s a post to help you learn how to tune your guitar, If you want a high-quality, inexpensive, digital tuner to make tuning easy, check out the PitchBoy mini tuner that fits on a key chain.

A Note About Your Truss Rod

Electric guitars are constructed with a metal truss rod that runs through the guitar neck to counter-act the tension of steel strings pulling forward on the guitar neck. If the strings on the guitar buzz while being strummed, or if the strings are very hard to press down and a high distance from the guitar’s fingerboard, then you should have your truss rod adjustment checked by a qualified repair person.

Types of Guitar Strings

Guitar strings affect the tone of your guitar, its ability to play in tune, and even how easy it is to play. While it may seem obvious that it is important to know about strings when learning guitar, not everyone takes the time to research the subject.

Different Guitars Use Different Types of Guitar Strings

Steel String Acoustic Bridge Shot — A steel-string acoustic guitar showing the strings attaching via bridge pins.

Nylon String Classical Guitar — A classical guitar with nylon strings, which are tied at the bridge.

Guitars are designed to use certain types of guitar strings. For example, electric and steel-string acoustic guitars are built to use metal strings. They feature a metal truss rod which runs through the center of the guitar neck. The truss rod braces the neck against the tension of strings pulling forward. Also steel-string acoustic guitars terminate the strings to bridge pins while electrics use other methods. Classical and folk guitars use nylon strings and have no truss rod. You can’t use metal strings on classical guitars or you might damage the guitar.

Here are links to learn more about the specific types of guitar strings:

Types of Guitar String Materials

Steel-string manufacturers are often creating new alloys and winding techniques. A wound string features one string coiled tightly around another. Materials used for creating metal guitar strings include steel, nickel, brass, bronze, and a multitude of custom alloys. The wound strings can be round, filed to half-round, or flat. String materials are chosen based on the desired tension, acoustic or amplified tone, and playability. For example, flat wound strings sound less bright and hide finger fret noises. Note that if you changing your string gauge you may also need to adjust your guitar setup to re-balance the instrument and keep strings from getting caught in the nut slots. Note that these types of guitar strings are usually associated with different musical styles such as using flat-wounds for jazz, stainless round wounds for rock, etc.

In order to slow down the inevitable corrosion of metal strings, some manufacturers offer metal strings coated with very thin layers of plastic. Although coated strings are never as bright-sounding as uncoated strings, the tone tends to stay consistent over a longer period of time.

Classical guitar strings were traditionally made from sheep or cow intestine and silk. Today we use nylon, and the three bass strings are wound by threads of silver-plated bronze or copper wire.

Gauges of Guitar Strings

String gauge is another way of saying string “thickness.” String gauges can vary from .008 inch for plain strings to .055 inch for heavy wound strings. Smaller gauge strings have a lighter sound. They are easier to bend, but they can break more often. Heavier gauge strings produce a louder (or heavier) sound and are a little tougher to bend, but they are more durable. It is usually better for a beginner to start with lighter gauge strings and go heavier as hand strength increases.

Guitar strings break more easily as they age because they lose their pliability. If you regularly break strings, you might inspect the bridge and nut slots for sharp corners and file them down. When replacing a single string, be sure to pick the right string from your replacement set since each of the six strings is of a different thickness.

The Types of Guitar Strings You Use Affects Guitar Playability

Steel strings can be hard on fingers because of their stiff material and tension. A metal string holds up well against hard strumming with a pick. Bending a steel string is more difficult if it is a heavier gauge. Using a light gauge strings, you’ll find it easier to bend strings, but the volume of the string will be weaker.

Nylon strings are very easy on your fingers and easy to hold down. For these reasons, a nylon-string guitar may be preferred by beginners; however, there are some noteworthy challenges. Because nylon strings are thicker and need more space to vibrate on the neck, the guitar necks tend to be wider. Some guitar chords may be more difficult to reach on a wider neck, especially for smaller hands. Also, while bending nylon strings is easy, the resulting change in pitch tends to be very slow. It’s very difficult to precisely bend a note played on a nylon string from one pitch to another.