Best Techniques on How to String Electric Guitar
If you find yourself taking your electric guitar to the shop to get the strings changed, maybe it's time to learn how to string an electric guitar yourself.. Doing this you want to be very careful as there is a lot of tension on the string and if it snaps, it can do a lot of damage, to your eyes! Lets get in to it.......
Step 1
The first thing we will do is remove the old strings by taking any bits off the tuning peg, and then taking out the "ball" of the bridge end. There is two main types of electric guitar with two different types of bridge.
Most Fender guitars and a few other brands have the string going through the guitar and coming out the back of the guitar. At this point check that the ball has been removed because if you don't, you might get two that wedge in there together and can be a real nightmare to get them out. Check by holding the guitar up to the light and looking through the whole, and then using a new string to poke it out. Also try and removing the back plate to see what you are doing
On a most Gibsons the balls are just hooked through the bridge and they can be seen clearly which makes them easy to be removed. Fter that is done you can feed the string into the whole where the ball was. Gibson guitars require you only poke the string through the whole, sharp end first, and pulling it through and stopping at the ball. On Fenders guitars you will have to put the sharp end of the string into the whole in the back of the guitar, under the rear plate. Then push it through, grab it at the front and put it through until its stopped by the ball.
Step 2
Now we are ready to wind the string on the peg, and the most important part here is to get the string on the correct side of the peg. So first we line up the whole in the peg so it's facing straight down the neck, then put the string through the whole and pull it back a little so you have some slack. The amount of slack required will depend on the thickness of the guitar string. The 1st string will need about 10cm and the 6th string about 10cm roughly. Now it's time to hold your string in the correct place with your right hand and hold the peg so the string can't slip and then turn the peg anti-cockwise. This is the case if you are looking at the peg from the top, but if it is underneath like some Gibsons, it will look clockwise.
As you turn the peg make sure the 1st time around the string should go above the hole and the Then next time around below, and so on. What this does is locks the string down and reduces slippage.
Step 3
Time to tune her up. I strongly recommend using a electric tuner, and fortunatly most Online Guitar lesson Software and Programs provide a onscreen tuner. It is really important to hear what your guitar should sound like when its in tune properly, especially when learning to play the guitar. Either way you to do it correctly, use something, even a piano.
Step 4
It is not uncommon for most to forget the last part of this process, stretching in. So with little pressure with your right hand pull the string up still keeping it in its correct position. You will that it has gone horribly out of tune, not a problem just keep winding and stretching and re tuning, until will stretch no more. Gentle is the word to remember here. There are locking systems available can prove very difficult to tune...
Happy tuning!!!
Now you know how to String Electric Guitar Read Our Top Picks For Learn Guitar Programs