Changing Strings

[ladytexan]

Happy New Year, Everyone!! Clearing up a few files and found this....... Even with all the string changing 'stuff' and after lots of years doing it, I still get jittery.

 

[dreadnut]

A job I hate to do, but love the result.

 

[Westerly Wood]

i change strings more often than most folks. it's fun for me.

however, when i was 13, i got hit in the eye with a snapped B string. right smack in the eyeball.

to this day, i still look away when i am tuning up the B string. lol

 

[DrumBob]

I hate changing strings. I would rather pay someone to do it.

 

[adorshki]

i change strings more often than most folks. it's fun for me.

however, when i was 13, i got hit in the eye with a snapped B string. right smack in the eyeball.

to this day, i still look away when i am tuning up the B string. lol

Ode To A B String:

 

[davismanLV]

Happy New Year, Toni!!! I love to change strings because I get to clean and polish and love my guitar and new strings are amazing. But I only have patience for one guitar at a time, and only SIX strings!!

 

[walrus]

I change the every month or every two months. I love new strings! And I play enough to justify it, one advantage having only a few guitars!

walrus

 

[Westerly Wood]

I change the every month or every two months. I love new strings! And I play enough to justify it, one advantage having only a few guitars!

walrus

what strings you like Walrus?

 

[Guildedagain]

I love changing string, much better at it than the average mortal.

I've been going through this thing where I can't stand the squeak of roundwounds, changing over to flatwounds, but I can't do the wound G, and the TI Jazz Flats were too quiet for me, settled on GHS Brite Flats, can't recommend them enough.

Lots of string changes here. Some out of need, most for fun.

Need to buy more strings!

I can swap strings on a flattop in five minutes.

Have you ever noticed how twisted up your strings are after being on a guitar? I developed this theory that you twist them as you tune them, so after tuning all the way, slacken the strings one at a time, pull the pin take the string out, untwist it, put in back in and re tension for an untwisted string.

 

[Opsimath]

What? You're supposed to change the strings???

Just kidding!!

I don't really like doing it. It seems to take me way longer than it should so I tend to put it off, for a really really long time. Paying someone to do it would be easier, but it's a 30 to 45 minute drive just to get to someone whom I could pay, so I do it myself but not very often.

 

[Opsimath]

I love changing string, much better at it than the average mortal.

I've been going through this thing where I can't stand the squeak of roundwounds, changing over to flatwounds, but I can't do the wound G, and the TI Jazz Flats were too quiet for me, settled on GHS Brite Flats, can't recommend them enough.

Lots of string changes here. Some out of need, most for fun.

Need to buy more strings!

I don't care for the squeak either. May have to try those GHS Brite flats. Thank you for mentioning that.

 

[davismanLV]

My string drawer currently looks like this:

 

[Westerly Wood]

real impressive array of string brands Tom, love it. is GHS still your fave?

 

[Opsimath]

Just got back from Amazon, Sweetwater, and Guitar Center websites. I can't find the GHS Brite Flats, except for electric guitar. The only acoustic ones I looked at were roundwound, but there were a LOT and I did not click on all of them. Any nudge in the right direction would be appreciated.

 

[walrus]

what strings you like Walrus?

Ernie Ball Aluminum Bronze .11 - .52 on the F-30, Ernie Ball Nickel Wound Custom gauge, .10 - .50 with a wound third on electrics.

walrus

 

[geoguy]

I can't find the GHS Brite Flats, except for electric guitar. Any nudge in the right direction would be appreciated.

Those are indeed electric guitar strings.

D'Addario makes some flatwound strings for acoustic guitars:

D'Addario Flat Top strings

 

[Stuball48]

When you are changing strings, you got any little "nuggets" you would or could share? Do you thread and wind? Do you thread, lock, and wind? Do you "stretch" the strings? Do you "dress" the nut by sliding old string (same slot it came from) back and forth a couple times in that nut slot? Maybe put a little graphite powder in slot if that particular string clicks and jumps past tuning? Or take some wide dental floss and slide back and forth to add tiny bit of wax to slot? What do you do that makes changing strings better?

 

[Westerly Wood]

I slide it in the hole, then turn it in the proper direction to the inside of the machine head, then crimp the excess upwards, out of my way, then wind it till it's taught enuff.

then i do it 5 more times.

then i tune it up, pulling all strings up at the 12th fret to stretch them. I do this to each string twice down and back. so each string is stretched at the 12th fret 4 times.

then i retune.

then i cut the excess off at the head

then i retune one last time

i can do 6 strings in 15 minutes, sometimes 20.


i am sure there is a better way, but i done it this way since i was 15 so, outside of getting hit in the eyeball that one time and then cranking a string too tightly it broke the machine head clear off the guitar while sitting at airport in Mexico waiting for my plane, it has been successful.

 

[F312]

Get enough spiral on the post to get the most break on the strings.

Ralph

 

[ladytexan]

As always, great info shared. Who knew we're supposed to have a String Drawer (love it, Tom)!!! All y'all ROCK!!!