Here are some tips on how to change your guitar strings and when to do so!

You may want to change strings when;

• They show signs of rust

• The guitar seems out of tune even when tuned up

• 1 string breaks, we should change the lot

Tools we'll need are;

• Wire cutters

• A tuner

• Optionally, a string winder

• A set of strings!

To remove old string;

• Unwind slightly to reduce the tension of the string you're about to snip

• Snip somewhere in the middle of the string, leaving 2 parts

• Remove first half from acoustic bridge pin or remove from guitar bridge

• Unwind second half from tuning peg, leaving no string at all ready for a new one

Adding new string

• Place new string with slight kink at the ball end into the bridge pin hole, replace pin and pull the string slightly to really secure it

• Thread other end of string through tuning peg hole, see video for exactly how I do this!

• Give either end of the string and in the centre a pull to extra tighten the string at these key points. This helps massively with tuning stability

To re-string;

• Wind the string up to pitch and chop of the excess that's on the other side of the tuner hole

• Aim for 3 turns of thicker strings and more towards 5 of thinner strings - you can see this shown by how many stacks of the string there are around the tuning peg

• Be mindful of the direction the tuning peg turns and how the string then looks in comparison to the others. They should all turn the same way on one wide of the headstock and the same way on the other - Plus they should look the same; if they don't look the same, STOP there and start turning the other way.