Restring and care of strings

Being able to restring your guitar properly is of great importance; if a guitar is not strung properly the following problems may occur:

• Strings rattling at the nut or saddle
• Strings incorrectly tied can slip out of tune
• Tremolo will not return to pitch
• The set up of the guitar may be affected

There are many types of machine heads on the market that require different approaches to restringing. Some general tips to make the process much easier are;

• Change one string at a time
• Pull string through and make sure it is well secured at bridge.
• Make sure there are no string windings sitting on the saddle
• A decision also needs to be made with how many winds should sit on the post for required tension needed at the nut. This varies due to headstock angles, post height, tremolo units and personal preference.
• To avoid loose winding never cut a wound string prior to bending
• Avoid overlapping winds
• Generally string winds should graduate from the top of the post towards the bottom

There are two ways of attaching the string, standard and with a knot locking string to post. The standard method is used by many manufacturers. It is easy to remove strings as well as install them, it is easier for the strings to slip out of tune on guitars with tremolos. Locking a string to the post requires an accurate technique which secures the string. This method is used by major manufacturers like Maton, Martin, and Gibson.

Care of strings

String to fret contact over time causes strings to wear therefore affecting the strings performance. The method I recommend for cleaning strings is to wipe down the strings after use with a lint free cloth, which can be purchased from a supermarket.

From the time you restring your guitar you will notice the following; the strings will be stretching out of tune and the tone of the strings will be very bright. However, as the strings settle the tone will even out and the tuning will stabilize. When excessive dents are left from fretting the strings you will notice the tone is mellower and in some cases excessive string wear will affect the intonation and tuning. This could be an indication to change strings.