How to Restring your Guitar

January 30, 2011

We get a lot of people coming in complaining about intonation issues, tuning issues and issues involving the strings breaking “Please please help, give me the full setup just stop the madness!” They cry.

We look over their guitar and simply say “Let me show you how to string your guitar properly.” The response is usually nothing short of worship, but hey, its the cross we bear in this industry.

We also have to thank the talented Ralee Winks for supplying us with these lovely illustrations

Step 1:

The string comes up and rests in the inner side of the machine head post. The string will be wound anticlockwise on machine head posts on the left hand side of the headstock (for 3 a side guitars like most acoustics and 6 in line like most electrics) and will be wound clockwise for the machine heads on the right hand side of the headstock.

Step 2:

Kink the string 1 and and half times around the post, ensuring that the hole in the post is facing the center of the headstock.

Step 3:

Feed the string through the hole so that it is above the wind on the outer side and comes out IN BETWEEN the two winds on the inner side.

Step 4:

Pull it nice and tight, we want a fit onto the post that has as much surface area contact as possible.

Step 5:

This is a crucial step, you have to KINK the string with a 90 degree bend by pulling it BACK toward the body of the guitar. This ensures that as you tighten the machine head, you won’t get any of the extra string not used, pulling back through the hole.

Step 6:

Now even though you have pulled the string tight onto the post it won’t be at its tightest. So grab a pair of needle-nose pliers and gently CRIMP the string, you will see that the tension already on the string will bind it closer to the machine head post. 90% of the “settling in” period of the string is just getting the string to hug the post nice and tight.

Now Rinse and repeat

You’re Finished!

And that my friends, is how to correctly string your guitar.

And don’t forget, applying our String Goo, will only help your set of strings last longer