To understand the principle string tension on the guitar, first consider the types of strings. They are metal and synthetic.
Metal - stretch more than synthetic and are used in reinforced guitars (which have a truss rod). Putting them on a classical guitar is a thankless task and can result in damage to an expensive instrument, but they are louder than synthetic ones.
Synthetic - find their application for classical guitars. They are durable and very good for beginners. after playing the guitar, the fingers do not hurt as much as after the steel ones.
The first three strings in them are made of carbon or nylon. The rest are covered with copper or silver-plated winding. Carbon is more durable than nylon, but more expensive.
But as they say, closer to the body)
How to string nylon strings?
To do this, pass the string through the hole of the guitar stand and fix it according to the picture.
After that, you need to push it into the hole of the peg you need, not too deep, so that it does not stick out. It was in the USSR that upright strings were fashionable, but as practice shows, they give nothing but a torn case.
Wind the rest of the string by hand around the peg in a clockwise direction - this is what most guitarists do.
For convenience, I give a photo of the headstock so that you do not get confused on which peg the string under which number is to be pulled
After you have set the strings, you need to tune them with the help of peg mechanisms. I recommend that you first put all the strings, pulling them to the point where they stop rattling. And then adjust each separately. Otherwise, you will have to check the standard more times (for example, with).
It is not necessary to tune nylon strings very precisely right away, because. they tend to get very upset for quite a long time. So tune your guitar and let it lie down for a couple of days. At the same time, tune the instrument from time to time.
There is a way to quickly tune nylon strings. It consists in the fact that you pull them one and a half to two tones above the standard system, repeating this procedure after a couple of hours. But strings stretched in this way “live” less.
Another tip for installing new strings, many guitarists practice it. Before as pull on must be pulled out by hand. You need to pull from the nut to the stand.
Stretching the stringson electric guitar
First install them in the tailpiece of an electric guitar or in a stand, depending on the design of the guitar.
On Stratocaster guitars, the tailpiece is located at the back of the body. And, for example, on such models, the design of which is similar to the Gibson SG - it is located on the upper side of the case.
Stretching guitar strings with locking mechanics
(Such mechanics are often referred to as Floyd Rose-type mechanics.)
To string a guitar with floyd, first fix the string on the stand by locking it with a screw mechanism. Next, thread its free end into the hole in the fixing nut.
See below for more information on how to string a locking action guitar.
- Bite off the ball end with pliers.
- Secure the string to the bridge using an L-key or some other tool, depending on the guitar model.
- Loosen the locking mechanism of the saddle and pull the string through the hole in the direction of the pegs.
- Tune the string to a pitch close to the desired note using the peg. At the same time, turn the tuning screw on the stand to an intermediate position in which the string will not be too tight yet.
- Tighten the latch located on the top nut.
- Adjust the sound to the reference with the tuning screw.
- Carry out the procedures described above for the remaining 5 strings.
- Another important addition. If you change the strings to thinner ones- do not forget release the springs inside the case. This is done in order to compensate for the reduced tension of the thinner strings.
If you have unscrewed the tuning screw to the stop, release the latch on the saddle, put the tuning screw in an intermediate position, pull the string with a peg and tighten the latch.
How do you string the strings on a guitar with a conventional tuning machine?
- Fix the string in the stand and stretch it towards the pegs. Without a pull, the string will often not fall into place and this can create extra work for you when it is pulled.
- Thread it into the peg you need, while leaving slack (for strings with a braid - 5 cm, without it - 10 cm).
- Bend the string in the direction of rotation of the peg. Most often counterclockwise.
- Tighten the string with a peg, while holding it in tension with your free hand for a tighter winding of the turns.
- When it has pulled up a little, insert it into the slot of the nut.
- Stretch it as in the case of a nylon guitar. While stretching, tune the string again and again until you get it to hold the line.
- Cut off the remaining piece of string with pliers.
That's it, the guitar is in tune. Enjoy your game!
Hello to all electric guitar lovers. Here you have chosen the strings for your electric guitar, if you have not chosen and do not know how to do this, read this. So you bought a set of new strings, and now the next question is: “How to change the strings on an electric guitar?”. In this article, I will describe in detail the entire process of changing strings, accompanied by photographs.
Changing strings on an electric guitar is a very simple process and does not require the use of special tools, but a beginner may have some difficulties. I will describe to you the process of changing strings on an electric tremolo guitar.
Removing old strings from an electric guitar
Someone advises to bite the strings with wire cutters, someone twists the pegs, completely unwinding the string. I want to say that this is all utter nonsense. Removing old strings can be done very quickly and easily without the use of wire cutters (although they will still come in handy later). And do not twist the pegs until blue in the face. I remove the old strings like this: I sit on a sofa or chair, put the guitar on the floor between my legs so that the pegs are at eye level. And with my left hand I loosen the string a little, after the string has weakened, with my right hand I simply pull off the turns remaining on the peg. The whole process does not take more than a minute.
There is an opinion that in order to avoid curvature of the neck, the strings must be removed in a certain order: sixth, first, fifth, second, fourth, third. I don’t know how justified this is, but my opinion is that it is easier to distort the neck by improper storage of the instrument than by not following the order of removing the strings. When changing strings on a guitar, I advise you to remember this.
After all the strings are removed from the pegs, they must be removed from the guitar body. To do this, push the string inward until it appears from the back of the soundboard. On the back of the guitar, on the deck, there is a plate with holes, each hole gets its own string. And then just take the end that appears and pull it out. Do this with every string.
Electric guitar cleaning
If you have a new guitar and you haven't played it before changing the strings, then you can skip this part and go straight to installing new strings. If you have been playing the guitar for a long time, give this item a little of your time.
After all the old strings are removed and laid aside, inspect the guitar from top to bottom for physical defects. Pay attention to the condition of the frets, pegs, and cars. If visually no defects are detected, you can proceed to cleaning the instrument.
They sell a lot of cleaning products to care for guitars, I did not have such a product. I took the usual mr. Proper for furniture, diluted with water in a ratio of 1:5. And with an ordinary sponge, with light movements, he began to apply a cleaning agent to the surface of the soundboard and neck. Just remember to wring out the sponge before rubbing the guitar, so as not to flood all the insides of your instrument. The sponge should be damp, not wet. With this tool, you can clean the entire guitar from all sides.
Without letting the cleaner dry, I took a soft, clean cloth and wiped the entire guitar dry. I advise you to pay special attention to fret sills, because. on a dark overlay, pollution is poorly visible. Inspect your electric guitar again, this time for excess detergent and drips. If everything is in order, you can proceed to the next step.
If your guitar has an unvarnished neck, such as rosewood, you can clean it with a drop of lemon oil.
Installing new strings
To begin, take the new strings out of the package and arrange them in order from first to last. Then, into the already familiar holes on the back of the deck, you need to thread the strings, just do not confuse where the first string should be, and where the sixth. When winding a string on a fork, it is necessary to keep the string taut, otherwise it will unwind and slip off. This process is more convenient to carry out in a seated position with the guitar between the legs (as when removing old strings).
If you play the guitar or are just about to learn, you will definitely need to know how to change a string/strings on a guitar.
Let's see in the figure how the strings are attached from below and from above:
Stringing on an Acoustic Guitar (Fig. 1)
Keep in mind that string fastening on different brands of guitars may be different, but the meaning is about the same. In the picture I showed how the strings are attached to my guitar.
Above, it was shown how the strings are attached on an acoustic guitar. But on the classical guitar, everything is a little different ().
Let's see how the strings on a classical guitar look like:
Fixing strings on a classical guitar (Fig. 2)
Let's take a closer look at how the strings are attached to the saddle on the classic:
Attaching strings from below on a classic (Fig. 3)
That is, it is necessary to fix the tip of the string so that when pulled, the string tightens itself.
If you change all the strings at once, you will probably have a question: "How to figure out which string is which?" Indeed, sometimes their numbers are not written on the strings. It would be logical to decompose all six strings - from the thinnest to the thickest. The thinnest is the first string, the sixth is the thickest. By the way, you can read about strings in one of the guitar lessons - 1 lesson. Guitar hand placement. There you will find the string numbering, as well as the numbering of the frets and fingers.
How to change strings?
So, now let's figure out how to change the strings. All strings change in the same way, that the first, that the sixth, that all the rest. First you need to remove the old string. To do this, we weaken it, that is, we twist the peg until the string weakens. Next, just unwind the string. Then we pull it out from below.
If the guitar is acoustic, then first you need to pull out the plastic peg:
Plastic pegs for attaching strings (Fig. 4)
Next, insert a new string and start winding. Please note that when attaching the string at the top, a small tip (1 cm) should stick out. In the process of winding the string, this tip will hide under the wound string.
It doesn't matter which way you wind the string - clockwise or counterclockwise. The main thing is that all the strings are wound in the same way.
So, you have wound the strings, everything seems fine, but to what state should you wind them? If you know how to tune a guitar, that's fine, of course, but what if you don't know how?? Then take a look here: How to tune a guitar? And wind the strings to such a state that the sound matches the desired note.
Conclusion
So we learned how to change the strings on an acoustic guitar, now you can help others do it, of course, for a fee 🙂
If you have any questions, write them in the comments, or directly to my mailbox. Good luck to you, and may you be happy!
Hi everyone, I've been trying to write a step by step guide to stringing guitar strings.
What are the best strings to string on a guitar?
The first thing to say about string selection for the guitar you are goingpull on the guitar - this is a personal matter for everyone, which depends on the quality of the instrument and the personal qualities of the player playing this instrument. Each person has their own musical preferences. You can only make out what types of strings are:
- Vein strings (strings are made from animal intestines) existed in the distant past. These strings havemost beautiful tone. But, unfortunately, such gut strings did not play for long, and quickly became frayed.
- Synthetic ( nylon)strings(with the addition of special additives) have many advantages. They are not so difficult to press to the neck, which makes life easier for a beginner guitarist. And also these strings have good durability. The first three strings are synthetic (with different additives). The fourth, fifth, sixth (bass) are covered with wire, called cantilever, to increase durability and sound.
The worst nylon strings which I pulled on the guitar, these are Penza. After stretching and tuning, the Penza strings suddenly broke by themselves at night.
- Metal strings require more force to play than synthetic strings. Accordingly, the body of the guitar must be strengthened, which in general affects the sound of the guitar as a whole. On a classical guitar, it is better not to use such strings, as you can warp the body.
Well, we have decided on the strings. Now I need strings pull or replace On guitar.
Let's proceed to the direct stretching of the strings on the guitar.
If you string strings on a guitar that doesn't have strings yet. It would be safer to follow this sequence:
First (E; mi) - Sixth (E; mi), Second (B; si) - Fifth (A; la), Third (G; salt) - Fourth (D; re).
Usually the guitar already has strings, especially new ones. But if the strings are old and bad, then they need to be replaced. Strings can be changed in many ways.
- You can immediately relax all the old strings, and then remove them one by one. So you evenly distribute the load on the bar.
- I change the strings gradually, one by one. Loosen the first (E) old string, remove it and string the new one. In the same way, I take on the second and subsequent strings. This way seems to me to be simpler.
When replacing synthetic (nylon) strings, a knot must be made on the first three strings so that it does not slip out of the loop. Bass strings are wound without a knot, as the gimp will hold the loop. Some synthetic bass strings have lugs.
On the other side of the knot, we stretch the string into the nut.
We leave 6-8 centimeters from the side of the knot.
We make a loop. We skip the nodal side of the string under the main length of the same string.
Now we draw our knot into the loop formed, and press the string with our finger into the corner of the saddle.
And we tighten the loop.
Next, we fix the other end of the string in the peg mechanism. I thread the string into the mechanism, deep enough that I have to, then wind less. It is necessary to turn the peg mechanism in the same direction, so that later when setting up it does not go astray. I usually spin clockwise.
It is also necessary to direct the string first in one direction, on the first turn, on the second in the other. This is done so that the end of the string is sandwiched under the wound rings of the string on the peg. In this way, it will be easier for you to change the strings later, since you do not have to completely unwind it. You just need to loosen the string well.
The first string is wound on the nearest peg, the second a little further, then, respectively, the third. The other three strings (bass) I mirror.
Strung the strings on your guitar? It remains to tune the guitar.
Once all the strings are on the guitar, you can tune them. But remember that strings tend to stretch, especially synthetic ones. So there is no need to fine-tune. You can repeat the tuning procedure after 5 (five) minutes, then after 10 (ten), and so on several times until the strings are fully stretched.
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After a few months of active play, nylon guitar strings wear out. The sound becomes poor, the strings themselves become stiffer, and the sensations when playing become unpleasant. It's time to change the strings on your classical guitar.
Training
There are two types of classical guitar strings: regular (tie-on) and tipped (ball-end). There is no global difference between them, except for the fact that tipped strings are easier to install. Below we'll walk through the installation process for both types of strings.
While in a music store, pick up a quality set of normal tension nylon strings. Excellent kits are produced by D'Addario, Rotosound, Mister Musician.
ATTENTION!
Never buy a set of acoustic guitar strings! The tension of the metal strings is too tight for a classical guitar neck that does not have a truss rod. With 100% probability, such strings will ruin the instrument.
After purchasing a new set, remove the old strings. You can use wire cutters, or you can just twist the old kit. If you decide to twist the strings, get a special machine that will facilitate the winding process.
Installing the strings in the bridge (string holder)
If the strings are tipped
If the new kit is equipped with special tips, then changing the strings on a classical guitar will be an easy task. Pass each string through the hole in the tailpiece, and then move on to pinning the strings to the tuning pegs.
If strings without tips
Changing strings from a kit without tips is more difficult. Insert the string into the hole in the bridge (string holder) and leave a margin of 3-5 cm at the end. Such tails will be needed to tie a knot that will hold the string.
Take your time, insert the strings one at a time. Trying to insert all six strings at once will complicate the replacement: the strings will interfere and tangle with each other.
wrapping
Take the left tail and wrap the string around you as if you were making a knot. Look at the image to see what needs to be done.
Weaving
Wrap the string around you three or four times to make a characteristic pigtail. Do not braid the braid from the entire allowance of the string - we still need a small free tail.
Securing the strings in the bridge with a knot
bass strings
Press the string against the soundboard as shown in the image. Grasp the tail and the rest of the string, and carefully tighten the knot.
Before tightening other strings, make sure the knot is tight. A knot that is not strong enough will untie when the strings are pulled.
First three strings (melody strings, highs)
Since the upper strings are smooth, make 2-3 turns more when braiding. So you protect yourself from slipping out of the strings during winding.
string tails
If you don't want string changing on a classical guitar to be torture, don't do it all back to back. The remaining string tails will insure us during tension. Without them, knots can come undone and strings pop out.
Fixing strings in pegs
bass strings
After all the strings have taken their places in the bridge, we will start attaching them to the peg mechanism. Insert each string into the dedicated holes. Wrap it around the peg and thread it through the hole again. The resulting knot will securely hold the string.
Follow the string installation order. Each of them has its own place in the peg mechanism: 1 and 6 strings are located closer to the neck, 2 and 5 in the middle, 3 and 4 - closer to the edge of the headstock.
Wind the strings slowly with the winder. Make sure the threads are evenly spaced.
upper strings
The holes for the strings in the peg mechanism are the same. Therefore, to secure the top three strings, you need to thread them twice, unlike the bass strings.
Most likely, it will be possible to make a double knot without problems for 1-2 strings, but the third string will have to be fixed in the same way as the bass ones. It all depends on the diameter of the strings.
Guitar tuning and string stretching
This completes the replacement of strings on a classical guitar. It remains to set up the tool.
Tensioning and tuning a new set on a classical guitar involves one important nuance - nylon strings continue to stretch for several days after being stretched. For this reason, the guitar will be constantly out of tune.
You can minimize the disorder of the instrument by pulling back the strings. To do this, tune the string, and then pull it back from the fretboard, as shown in the figure. After holding the string in this state for 5-10 seconds, release it and tune again.
Such a simple operation will accelerate the stretching of the strings. However, do not expect that in a few hours you will force the new set to confidently hold the line in this way.
Final stage
Once the strings are stretched and the guitar is in tune with confidence, get rid of the excess string ends at the bridge and at the pegs. Now that you know how to change strings on a classical guitar. Although the process is different from , after a few times, changing the strings on a classical guitar will become an easy task.
