How to Change Strings on an Electric Guitar the EASY Way | A Step-by-Step Guide

How to Change Strings on an Electric Guitar the EASY Way | A Step-by-Step Guide - YouTube

Changing your guitar strings regularly is one of the most basic, fundamental maintenance tasks you can do to preserve your instrument. Doing so is critical to your guitar's feel, sound, and longevity. If you neglect this task, grime can build up on the strings, leading to a dull sound. How yucky is that?? Today, I am going to show you how to change strings on an electric guitar the easy way. Like practicing, this is something you should be doing on a regular basis to keep your guitar in good shape.

• First, make sure you have all the necessary materials to get the job done.  You will need a new set of electric guitar strings, a mat or towel, a string winder (optional), string cutters or pliers, a guitar tuner, a neck rest (or rolled up towels), a cloth, and a table to work on.  In the past, I've gotten away with changing guitar strings by working on a carpeted floor with towels and a pair of pliers.  At the bottom of this post, you'll find a list of links to the materials I used in the tutorial.
• Next, it's time to remove the old, dull, dead skin covered strings off your guitar.  Set your guitar on the mat/towel and lay the neck across the neck rest (or rolled up towel).  Loosen the old strings up by unwinding them from the guitar tuners before using your pliers/string cutters to snip them at about the 12th fret.  Once you've done this with every string, it's a perfect opportunity to take your cloth and polish your axe until it sparkles.
• Now it's time to bust out the fresh new strings and equip them to your axe.  You'll be ready for sonic warfare in no time.  Thread each new string through the bridge of the guitar with the plain end first so that the beaded end stops by the bridge of your guitar.  Once you've pulled the string all the way across the neck and through the hole in the tuning post, you're gonna want to make sure you create the right amount of slack.  Pull one from the book of Goldilocks: not too loose, not too tight--make it just right.  To do so, pinch the base of the string that is going in through the tuning post.  Pull it toward the neck of the guitar at the same distance that comprises the space between 2 tuning posts.  While still pinching the string in between your fingers, pull the string around the tuning post and over the excess string that is coming out of the opposite side of the tuning post.  Bend the excess string up so it stays out of your way when winding it.  Use your string winder (or fingers on your left hand) to tighten the string.  For guitars with standard headstocks, the string should be winding in a counterclockwise direction.  For guitars with tuning posts on the bottom side of the headstock, the string should wind in a clockwise direction.  Keep the tip of the index finger of your opposite hand pressed down on the side of the string that is closest to the neck of the guitar.  There should be about 2 or 3 layers of string wound around the tuning post by the time you are done.  Clip the excess guitar string with your pliers/string cutters.  Keep in mind that the strings should be in the corresponding grooves of the nut of the guitar.  Also, if your guitar has string trees at the headstock, make sure the strings are underneath them.  
• Lastly, you'll want to stretch the strings.  Give each string about 3 pulls by using your fingertips and lifting up from underneath each string.  Repeat this process up and down the guitar's neck and body.  All that's left now is to tune your guitar and you're READY TO ROCK.  You may have to monitor the tuning of your guitar shortly after just to ensure that the new strings are fully stretched.

If there is one maintenance task you could and should be doing for yourself, it’s changing your guitar strings.  It’s a task, like learning how to play guitar, that requires consistency.  I’d recommend changing your electric guitar strings every month (especially in the beginning so it gets easier to memorize). You can let them go up to 3 months and they should be fine, but I wouldn’t go longer than that.  Changing electric guitar strings every 1-3 months is the general rule of thumb.  

Watch the whole process in action HERE to get the full scoop: How to Change Strings on an Electric Guitar the EASY Way | A Step-by-Step Guide

Links to materials used in the video lesson:

-Guitar Maintenance Kit: GLOBAL HIVEMIND Cork Guitar Work Mat and Neck Rest in Storage Bag - Complete with Picks, String Winding Tool and Polishing Cloth : Amazon.co.uk: Musical Instruments & DJ

-Electric Guitar Strings: Ernie Ball Super Slinky 2223 (9-42) Nickel Wound Electric Guitar Strings | Music & Arts (musicarts.com)

-Cloth (included in a guitar cleaning kit): Dunlop System 65 Guitar Tech Kit | Music & Arts (musicarts.com)