FretSpider!

All you will need is your guitar and a new set of strings. No fancy tools or equipment is necessary! All guitars are different and do have different string setups, different bridges, and therefore methods for changing a string may vary slightly from guitar to guitar.

A note before we start, you must never remove all strings of your guitar at once! Guitar necks are designed on a slight inward curve, the tension of the strings assists with this. When this tension is removed it can be damaging for your guitar.

Alright let’s jump straight to the steps to changing guitar strings.

Step 1 – Unthreading through the headstock

Unwind the string from the tuning peg (machine head) until it is loose enough to unwind by hand and unhook it from the head and nut of the guitar altogether.

If your guitar has a locking nut tremolo you will firstly need to unlock it.

When restringing the entire guitar you can start at whatever string you like. I normally start from the 6th string and work my way up to the 1st string, ensuring I replace each old string with a new string before I undo the next.

Some people like to get out the wire cutters at this point and cut the loose string where the bridge is, this is a good practice as you get rid of the loose string. A loose string can cause serious injuries, not to mention damage the paintwork of the guitar!

Step 2 – Unthreading through the bridge

Thread the string through the bridge following the course of the string. Some electric guitars have their strings threaded through from the back of guitar body and through the other side to the bridge, some strings are simply threaded around the bridge. – Remember which way your strings are threaded so that you will easily be able to replace them.

Step 3 – Threading through the bridge

Unravel your new corresponding string, insert it through and around the bridge, up through the nut, and into the tuning peg. Ensure you are careful not to drag the string over the body and damage the paint.

Give a little tug on the string to make sure it is inserted into the bridge correctly, clip it into the nut and basically just make sure it it set up as the other strings are.

Step 4 – Threading through the peg

Pull the string through the tuning peg and wrap it around a couple of times weaving around itself for a strong hold. Make sure the string has a little bit of slack for winding the string tighter. – If you pull too much tension before winding the tuning pegs there will not be enough string wound around the pegs, which can lead to the string falling out of tune too often. The string should wind around the peg at least three times.

Turn the tuning peg until the string has roughly the right tension and roughly the right note (no need for exact pitch just yet). If you have some difficulty finding the right tension, play the string on the 5th fret and compare it to the string above. – See my tuning page to grasp this concept.

Step 5 – Stretching the string

You can’t expect to simply change a string, tune it, and expect it to stay in tune for more than five minutes! New strings stretch, if they are not pre-stretched when stringed to the guitar, they will stretch when you start playing, and as such go out of tune right away.

To properly stretch a string once attached to the guitar, firstly grab it with your four fingers, gently pull the string straight up and away from the fretboard. – Use your thumb on the fretboard as a leverage point. Do this in an up/down method to ensure the string is thoroughly stretched.

The string should now be a lot looser and down-tuned. tune it up to approximately where it was and repeat the stretching process. This stretching process should be done at least 2-3 times per string.

You must be extremely careful during this process because it is very common to stretch too far and snap a string. – This is mainly the case with the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd strings.

Step 6 – Tuning

Now that your beloved guitar is armed with fresh new strings, all stretched and ready to go, you will need to know how to tune a guitar