Thursday, August 6, 2009

How To String A Guitar - Read These 5 Things Before You Start

By Jon J Tan

Changing the guitar string is a very important step in learning how to maintain your guitar. There is no reason why you should pay somebody to string a guitar for you when you can do it yourself easily. Changing a guitar string is a very straightforward process and the risk of damaging your guitar is very low. Here are 5 tips to help you do it correctly:

1. Type of guitar string. If you don't want to damage your guitar, make sure you use the correct kind of string for your guitar. You should know that different kinds of guitars should be strung with strings made of different materials. Nylon strings are typically used for classical guitars and metal based strings are used for electric and acoustic guitars.

2. Buy the correct tension of guitar string. For all kinds of guitar strings, there are different tensions. This might be indicated as a number known as "gauge". The higher the guitar string gauge, the higher the tension. For beginners, I recommend low tension strings, which have a lower gauge to make it easier to play.

3. Do not change all the guitar strings at once. Rather than removing all the strings from the guitar before restringing, it is recommended to change the strings one at a time. This helps reduce the chance that the guitar will be damaged by preserving the tension of the guitar neck and body during the process.

4. Use a string winder. A string winder is a valuable tool for any guitarist and it will save valuable time. It will cut down the time you will need to unwind and wind the strings by a significant amount. Use one so you can get back to playing the guitar quickly!

5. When to cut your strings. You should first tune the guitar up to the correct tension and pitch before proceeding to cut the strings to the right length. This is because the strings tend to slip slightly and if you cut before tuning, the strings might just run off the guitar during the tuning process.

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