How To Change Guitar Strings Without Tools

Tutorial: How to Restring a Guitar With Your Bare Freakin' Hands

All images by Matthew Wendler

Chances are if you lot're reading this blog, you already know how to restring a guitar. It isn't a very difficult task, but I've seen some poor technique in guitar restringing from experienced guitarists earlier. Guitarists who restring their guitars well are oftentimes reliant on expensive and unnecessary tools. Even if you prefer to use tools, you lot could find yourself in a scenario where you're forced to go without them. Apply this simple method if you're looking to ditch the tools and restring your guitar like a boss.

Pace one: Fix the string

Set your cord to the bridge. This Taylor has a fairly straightforward bridge. If your guitar has a floating bridge, you'll take to take care that it doesn't move while you're restringing. The important thing is to exist sure that the cord is fastened to the bridge by whatever machinery your instrument uses. In one case information technology'due south fastened, lace the string through the right spot on the nut.

Pace ii: Measure

Pull the cord and so that it'southward flat against the neck, then use your fingers to measure it by the head's peg. I marking the string at near three finger widths. If you accept pocket-sized fingers, you lot may demand to go closer to 4 finger widths.

Footstep 3: Ii folds

Fold the cord at the spot you measured. You lot desire information technology to be at a xc-degree angle. Run the tip of the string through the hole in the tuner. Set the fold in the cord confronting the hole in the tuner. Make a second bend in the string on the opposite side of the tuner so that it goes up and abroad from the head of the guitar. This will allow you to brand a better coil when you put the string on.

Step 4: Tighten

I like to tighten the cord past hand. Brand sure yous're turning the tuner counter-clockwise. While you're doing this, keep the string taut by holding information technology down against the nut with your gratuitous mitt. As you tighten, the folds you made in the string previously will make the string wind neatly downwardly the tuner's peg. It's very important to keep the string taut with your complimentary hand; if it's also loose, then you won't become a overnice, tight wind around the tuner, and your guitar will become out of melody easily.

Stride 5: Cutting

Once the string is roughly in melody, you tin feel free to cut the excess length. Exist certain that you stop upwards with a dainty tight roll every bit pictured higher up. I tend to wait until I've completely restrung the guitar for this step. It too doesn't hurt to continue the strings uncut and exit the guitar alone for a short time after you lot restring information technology. New strings may take some time to stretch out, which will make information technology difficult to keep the guitar in tune for whatsoever length of time. Of course, if y'all're changing strings in a hurry, that may not exist an option. Either way, at some betoken you should cut the strings. This is the only pace that you'll demand to use some kind of tool for.

This restringing technique was taught to me past a guitar technician some time agone, and I've never had a problem with strings since. Haphazard restringing, or strategies such every bit tying knots around the tuners, result in strings that either autumn out of tune or pause as well hands. With this method, you go the nearly effective style to stay in tune as well every bit the most forcefulness possible out of the strings.

Matthew Wendler is a blogger and multi-instrumentalist from New Jersey. He specializes in guitar, bass guitar, and bagpipes, and is passionate about writing both professionally and for enjoyment. His personal blog tin be followed on Twitter at @ymiatvmi.