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Re-stringing a guitar?

mca47mca47 Posts: 13,280
edited December 2004 in Musicians and Gearheads
i was wondering if anyone had some advice on restringing an acoustic guitar. i recently picked up a used acoustic to accompany the one i've been playing for a little over a year. i've never had to do it before and i don't want to pay to have it done. do any of you know of any "how to" sites or just wanna give me some tips? any help will be much appreciated! :)
Post edited by Unknown User on

Comments

  • who's_pearljam?who's_pearljam? Posts: 2,104
    The Taylor site has some good information

    http://www.taylorguitars.com/guitars/reference/techsheets.html

    Click on "some do's and don'ts about stringing your guitar". This is the best method I've ever used. It's the method that good stage techs , or guitarists without techs use, especially after you break a string on stage and have to replace one on the fly. When you do it right this way, you can string a guitar up and play it almost right away.
    It's a myth when they say that you have to let the strings stretch after you string a guitar. What's really happening is the slack is coming out of all the loose winds because the the string wasn't put on right in the first place.
    There's a lot of other good info on those tech sheets.
    Most of the time when a guitar goes out of tune a lot, it's not really the tuners, but the method you use to string'm up.
    It takes a bit of practice, but it's easy after a couple of times. (Maybe buy a couple of sets in case you don't get it right the first time.)

    Good luck. I love the sound and feel of new strings on a guitar!
    Be kind, man
    Don't be mankind. ~Captain Beefheart
    __________________________________
  • guitarjoeguitarjoe Posts: 5
    Taylor does have a good site for your needs. Just remember to do one string at a time. Some people would find this unnecessary, but it does keep a somewhat constant tension on the neck. Try this site its pretty simple to follow. I just did a google search on guitar tuning methods and looked the easiest. Good luck http://cnx.rice.edu/content/m11949/latest/
  • mca47mca47 Posts: 13,280
    thanks guys!
    the guitar is currently strung for a lefty, so i'm going to have to do all at once, unfortunately. oh well, i guess i got myself a project :)
  • mccreadyisgodmccreadyisgod Posts: 6,395
    mca47 wrote:
    thanks guys!
    the guitar is currently strung for a lefty, so i'm going to have to do all at once, unfortunately. oh well, i guess i got myself a project :)


    Not necessarily. Just take off the low-E and replace it with the high-E, and go from there. Some folks don't think it's a big deal, but with any set-neck guitar, I always replace one string at a time, to keep tension on the neck.

    It might also be worth it to have someone at a music store show you how, the first time. It can be a big help to see it done.

    One more tip, get one of these:
    http://www.musiciansfriend.com/srs7/g=home/search/detail/base_pid/429021/

    You may or may not ever use the winder itself, but it has a little notch in it designed to pull the bridge pins out. It makes the job a hell of a lot easier, and for $0.99, it's not a bad deal. Any music store near you should have one.
    ...and if you don't like it, you can suck on an egg.
  • who's_pearljam?who's_pearljam? Posts: 2,104
    I usually take all the strings off at once because I can clean up the fretboard and shine up the frets at the same time. It can make the neck bow back a bit, but it'll come back. The thing you have to watch for is that the saddle falls out at the bridge and you won't be able to remember which way it went in, :eek: , so make a mental note of it or mark it with a pencil.
    If those strings haven't been changed for a while, maybe your fretboard is due for a little fret oil and a rub with some "OOOO steel wool" for a shine.

    If the guitar is strung for a lefty and you're going to righty,,, hmm,,I'm not quite sure what you mean,,,but depending on how it's set up, the nut may need to be changed because the string slots are backwards, and the bridge saddle reversed. In that case, you may need to take it to a tech at a music store. Make the tech show you how to restring, though, while you're at it. Most techs don't use that method on the Taylor site, and I think that's the way to go..
    Be kind, man
    Don't be mankind. ~Captain Beefheart
    __________________________________
  • guitarjoeguitarjoe Posts: 5
    Wow. The guitar is strung for a lefty? Are you trying to change it for right handed play? If so I have to agree with the advice given by whos_pearljam. The intonation will be off. You will also have possible problems with the nut and the lower strings staying in place. Good luck
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