Changing Strings

[Johnny Robbo]

I don't know if I'm telling you chaps anything you don't already know here, but I thought I'd share it just in case someone finds it useful. You know how, when you change strings, they take ages to settle down & stay in tune? Well do it like this and they'll be rock solid, in tune from the outset...


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k6zqlARxCiA

[Redler]

Thanks for the useful video, Johnny!!

Is this a good method for classical guitar as well?

[Pete C]

Good video Johnny - I've used that stretching method for a long time and it certainly works. I have a slightly different method of locking the string over itself but I'll give yours a try next time as it looks a lot easier. Thanks for the tips !

Pete

[Johnny Robbo]

Thanks for the useful video, Johnny!!

Is this a good method for classical guitar as well?

Erm... good question. I've never owned a nylon string guitar so I'm not sure. Worth a try though... give it a go. I'd be interested to know if it improves tuning stability on a classical guitar.

[Redler]

Next time I change the nylon strings, I give it a go with your tips and report here about it.

[Oldrottenhead]

bugger!

 wish i watched this before i restrung my jasmine.

[IanR]

Thanks John,

My son has a Les Paul that he was complaining about going out of tune all the time until one day I changed the strings on it and it suddenly got better. He wasn't fastening them on the tuner properly and didn't have enough turns on the fat strings, so of course they were slipping. Now that he knows what to do, he doesn't complain (about the guitar).

Cheers,


Ian

[Hook]

When I was doing clubs and bars nightly I couldn't get through a four-hour gig without popping a string. So I was changing my strings everyday. I never did the lock thing right, still dont , but I use much more of the string and have many winds around the tuner peg. I do stretch each string a lot, I like to move around each string and stretch by the nut and bridge and by the 12 fret, etc.
Good stuff here.
Rock on!

[Groundy]

You posted this earlier in the year John, I searched for it for ages and couldnt find it, Thanks for re posting it.....

Cheers    Alex

[64Guitars]

Great video John. I'd add one bit of advice though. Every time you change your strings, clean out the nut slots and lubricate them with Big Bends Nut Sauce or something similar (some guitarists use graphite). For many years, I had problems with the strings going out of tune (especially the G string) when I'd bend them or use the whammy bar. And it wasn't just one guitar. It happened with several different guitars. I eventually discovered that the strings were sticking in the nut slot. I first noticed this on my Ibanez which was the first guitar I bought that had a whammy bar. I found that if i bent the G string, it would go out of tune nearly every time. But if I gave the whammy bar a quick tap, the G string would 'snap' back to the proper pitch. This made me realise that it must be binding in the nut and failing to return to pitch after a bend. I heard about Big Bends Nut Sauce, so I ordered some and gave it a try. Problem solved! Now, every time I replace the strings, I clean the nut slot and lubricate it with Big Bends Nut Sauce. No more tuning problems. It doesn't last forever though. So, if I don't change my strings all year (which is normally the way it goes with me), then I might have to loosen off the strings and clean & lubricate the nut slots again once or twice throughout the year. But if you change your strings often, then once every string change should be enough.

You can also lubricate the saddles and string trees with Big Bends Nut Sauce. They say that it helps to reduce string breakage. I've never had a problem with that though, so I just do the nut slots and don't bother with the saddles. And none of my guitars have string trees.

And a string change is a good opportunity to clean up the gunk that can accumulate on the fretboard and along the frets. I also clean the pickguard and/or body between the bridge and the end of the neck. I find it gets pretty dusty in there and it's too much trouble to clean when the guitar is fully strung.