How to string an acoustic guitar in 11 minutes ?

You bought an acoustic guitar not long ago, you’ve realised that the guitar sound is quite dull and you are wondering how to string your guitar? Well, that’s because strings deteriorate with time and they’ll either break or produce a dull sound. You’ll need to know how to change guitar strings, and you only need to follow this 4-step process.

What you’ll need to string your guitar:

– A guitar (could be complicated without it). If you’re looking for an acoustic guitar, you might want to check our acoustic guitar reviews.
– New strings (again, complicated without it..)
– A string winder/ a snipe-nose plier
– A wire cutter

If you don’t know whether you have to change your guitar strings or not, we made a list of reasons just for you:
– One of your strings broke, and you want to play on a guitar, not on a ukulele.
– Strings show signs of oxidation, rust, dirt (yes, it happens to the best of us)
– The sound has changed; it lost its smoothness.
– You have to tune your guitar a lot more often than before
– You don’t remember the last time you’ve changed them

Removing the old string is easy :

Pro tip: Don’t cut your strings, they will make excellent spares – your future self will thank you.

Loosen the strings until you can’t make a note anymore
Pop-out the bridge pins. You might need a winder tool or a snipe-nose plier to pry them out if it’s stuck.
Remove the strings entirely.

Attach the strings to the bridge :

Each string will be different due to its size and thickness.
Remember the phrase: “Eddie Ate Dynamite ? Good Bye Eddie” will help you memorise the note names of the open strings: E, A, D, G, B, E. Should you have a thing against Eddies, you can go with: “Every Acid Dealer Gets Busted Eventually.”

The thickest string is the 6th string also referred to as the low E string., it is the closest string to your chest when you play. Then moving down the fretboard, you’ll find the 5th string, A, the 4th, D, the 3rd, G, the 2nd, B and the skinniest of all the 1st string, E.
Don’t worry; usually, each new string has its label.

Take your new string. Place the ball (the round piece of metal) inside the hole. Make sure that you put the strings to their correct positions.
Wedge the bridge pin back into the hole with the slot facing the neck.
Pull gently on the string until you feel the ball resting against the bottom of the peg and push the pin further in.
Test the string by pulling the string towards the headstock to make sure it is secure.

Attach the string to the tuning post -turner side :

Thread the string through the tuning peg, and kink it towards the centre of the guitar. Start with the skinniest string, the E string.
Tighten the string, and place the string in the right nut slot of your acoustic guitar.
Pro tip: You can use a peg winder to turn the tuning pegs faster.

Tune your guitar :

As you wind the string up, you’ll begin to hear the string come up to the correct pitch. You can use a guitar tuner app, a clip-on tuner, or by ear if you’re awesome, brilliant, and have this god-given talent.

Trim the leftover of strings with a wire cutter (or a toenail clipper) or, if you are feeling bold, bend it back and forth until it breaks.
Play a G chord. You might have to tune it after a few hours as the strings tend to slacken.