Anyone else hate restringing?

Shadow of the Sun · #1 05-14-2009, 05:09 AM

Am I along in the fact that I completely despise restringing my guitar? I always get the feeling that the string is going to break, and that really makes it hard for me to feel comfortable when I do it.

Joe Dalton · #2 05-14-2009, 05:35 AM

You get used to it.
Some guitars are easier to restring than others though.

wordsmith · #3 05-14-2009, 05:47 AM

.....I have to get myself into a relaxed frame of mind and just proceed very slowly, with the impending result uppermost in my mind - a bright, new sound! I always use a tuner to make sure I don't go too high with a string, and just change one at a time.
If you really get the jitters tuning strings up to pitch, try covering the guitar with a heavy blanket as you wind up - a breaking string would then be safely contained. Obviously this has to be progressive - uncovering to check the current pitch as you go.
Safety goggles are a good idea otherwise.

rio · #4 05-14-2009, 10:13 AM

I like it. I actually would not mind if that were my job...

fast1 · #5 05-14-2009, 10:14 AM

serious? i thought everyone hates restringing

gpmedium · #6 05-14-2009, 10:32 AM

Nope, don't mind it at all.

mangotango · #7 05-14-2009, 10:34 AM

Something you have to do to be able to play. Nothing more.

But the results make it worthwhile.

derek · #8 05-14-2009, 10:46 AM

Not an issue for me either. On all the guitars I use for rock/pop, I typically put locking tuners on them. That is just for convienence if I break a string during a performance. For my jazz guitars, it just isn't an issue.

If you hate changing strings, look into locking tuners, they cut the time in half or less.

gravitas · #9 05-14-2009, 11:09 AM

I bought one of those manual tuning cranks... What would normally take me five minutes of rotation by hand now takes me about 20 seconds. Plus, I really look forward to the sounds/feeling of a fresh set of strings. Mmmm

lpdeluxe · #10 05-14-2009, 11:47 AM

Once you learn how to efficiently do the restringing, it's easy, and organization is rewarded.

Unless I have cleaning issues, I change one at a time, preferably with the guitar on my workbench; I get each one wrapped properly around the post, then tune it to rough pitch (comparing it with the other strings), and clip off the excess. I pull each string out of its envelope as soon as I've removed from the guitar/bass the one it will replace. Then I coil up the old one and put it in the envelope; when I've done all of them I put the envelopes back in the packaging (along with the trimmed-off ends) so I can neatly dispose of everything. String winders are a blessing, too, and made it easier to make neat wraps around the post.

I've owned 32 instruments, and the only one I haven't restrung is the one I got last week.

The single killer was a '67 Rickenbacker 366/12 that had twelve strings, which attached alternately to upright posts and horizontal posts in a classic-style slot that, however, was routed into the peghead and didn't go all the way through like the headstock slots do on a nylon-string. It also had a handsome "R" tailpiece held in place by string tension, AND a TOM type bridge, also held in place by the strings. One learns very soon not to take off all the strings at once -- the bridge falls off, the tailpiece falls off, and, if the stars are properly lined up, the nut falls out: you are left with nothing to anchor the strings to when you string it up. Needless to say, the SECOND time I restrung it I did them one at a time. I recall that there was a particular order in which I had to string the horizontal/vertical posts, too.

Some years later, a friend who owns a guitar sales/repair shop, and who coincidentally teased me about owning the Ric which "had to plugged into the wall to play" (in contrast to his beloved acoustics), got a Ric twelve in that required restringing. I happened to be there that day, and, yes, I stood silently by while he removed all twelve strings from it. I'll probably fry in hell for that moment of delicious revenge.

So, go for it, get organized. Using the one-string-at-a-time method gives some confidence that you won't snap a string by overtightening it. I seem to remember, back when I was first playing, making a few trips to the music store for replacement high E and B strings before I discovered this method.

TieDyedDevil · #11 05-14-2009, 12:06 PM

It takes me just under 40 minutes to restring both of my guitars (one of which has a Bigsby tailpiece), assuming that I lock the cat out of the music room before I start. If I have to dribble the cat (he jumps up on the table, I put him on the floor, repeat ad infinitum) it can take twice as long.

One string at a time is a big win. It's a lot easier to hear the target pitch if you can get a reference from another string. Get each string as close to in-tune as you can by ear as you bring it up to tension. Touch up the tuning using a tuner or pitch reference once you're changed all the strings.

For the guitar having standard tuners I use a technique where I take the free end of the string a half turn around the post and cinch it under the string as it winds onto the post. That locks the winding in place; I typically have less than a full turn on the post. The less string you have wrapped around the post, the less stretching you'll have to do to get the string to stay at pitch.

Locking tuners are even quicker, mostly because it's easier to release the old string.

I change round wound strings after about 20 hours of playing. For me that's once a month, on average. Flat wound strings can go much longer; I had a set of Thomastik Infeld strings that lasted nearly five months.

mr. beaumont · #12 05-14-2009, 12:16 PM

i actually really like it. gives me a chance to "bond" with the instrument, look it over, check on things like neck relief and intonation. I usually only do one guitar at a time, and i spend a good half hour with it, polish it up sometimes even--certainly at least clean the fretboard/frets....

i think you'll eventually grow to like doing it. i didn't always relish the task.

peterk1 · #13 05-14-2009, 12:19 PM

Usually, no big deal, but on my current favorite guitar I absolutely hate it. It scares the hell out of me.

This is what I'm playing right now (scroll all the way to the bottom of the page...the blonde one)

Hopkins Guitars - Custom Archtops - Penticton, BC

Check the bridge...for cosmetic reasons, the balls of the strings are hidden underneath that floating bridge. So I have to get the ball into the slot upside down...keep the tension as I attach to the tuner all the way on the other end...and still maintain the tension as I wind the tuner up through the first few turns. And then peek underneath to check that the ball hasn't slipped before finishing up. Takes about 5 mins a string.

I'm used to it now and have no mishaps, but when I started, I used to have strings pop out during playing...sometimes 2 days after restringing. Very painful to see/hear a metal ball hit that nice finish at full speed.

Advice to anyone who gets a Benedetto or something similar with a bridge like this: be careful; lay some polishing cloths down on the top while restringing to avoid any dings.

lpdeluxe · #14 05-14-2009, 12:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TieDyedDevil

It takes me just under 40 minutes to restring both of my guitars (one of which has a Bigsby tailpiece), assuming that I lock the cat out of the music room before I start. If I have to dribble the cat (he jumps up on the table, I put him on the floor, repeat ad infinitum) it can take twice as long.

One string at a time is a big win. It's a lot easier to hear the target pitch if you can get a reference from another string. Get each string as close to in-tune as you can by ear as you bring it up to tension. Touch up the tuning using a tuner or pitch reference once you're changed all the strings.

For the guitar having standard tuners I use a technique where I take the free end of the string a half turn around the post and cinch it under the string as it winds onto the post. That locks the winding in place; I typically have less than a full turn on the post. The less string you have wrapped around the post, the less stretching you'll have to do to get the string to stay at pitch.

Locking tuners are even quicker, mostly because it's easier to release the old string.

I change round wound strings after about 20 hours of playing. For me that's once a month, on average. Flat wound strings can go much longer; I had a set of Thomastik Infeld strings that lasted nearly five months.

Good advice, and you included some details I left out. I failed to mention Bigsbys (useta have a Country Gent, but no more) which are no more daunting than others, EXCEPT THAT you have to keep in mind that, as you bring each string up to pitch, you are rotating the bar with the string anchors, and thereby detuning the other strings.

I can't restring all my guitars at once -- I don't have the stamina -- but fortunately my cat mostly stays outdoors. Loved the "dribbling the cat" bit.

TieDyedDevil · #15 05-14-2009, 12:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lpdeluxe

Good advice, and you included some details I left out. I failed to mention Bigsbys (useta have a Country Gent, but no more) which are no more daunting than others, EXCEPT THAT you have to keep in mind that, as you bring each string up to pitch, you are rotating the bar with the string anchors, and thereby detuning the other strings.

Yes. If you're replacing with the same gauge strings, though, it all comes out in the wash if you change one string at a time. Once you get the new string back up to pitch, the trem ends up pretty much where it belongs.

When "finalizing" the tuning on a guitar having a Bigsby tailpiece (or any vibrato tailpiece, for that matter), you do have to make a few passes to account for the effect you've described.

Quote:

Loved the "dribbling the cat" bit.

Thanks. Props to Mrs. TDD for that expression.

Jake Hanlon · #16 05-14-2009, 12:48 PM

i love re-stringing my guitars. It's like therapy or something to me. I don't do it often enough because strings can be expensive. I used to change my strings weekly and it was a thing. I'd watch TV and restring my guitars or put on Family Guy or Simpsons and just go to town.

I just had all my guitars worked on and set up so they all have fresh strings so I won't get to restring for a while

lpdeluxe · #17 05-14-2009, 01:46 PM

Just be happy that none of us who have so far checked in on the subject have sweaty hands -- my stepson, who derives about half of his income in Austin from guitar gigs, has corrosive sweat that eats up strings in a few hours. He and I did some recording sessions and we could not do retakes because the strings deteriorated so fast! Luckily he has the chops...but he buys strings by the case.

whiskywheels · #18 05-14-2009, 02:38 PM

Can't say I love it exactly, but it's not really something I hate generally; on the Fender strat, dead easy, same with the Gibson ES339, and the Taylor acoustic is usually OK providing the bridge pins don't get stuck. The Ibanez archtop is also OK but sometimes the ball ends get stuck in the tailpiece.
If you want something to complain about, restring my Hanika classical guitar! Endless knot tying and fiddling about! Takes ages! And then days later one of the strings still won't stop slipping. AAAARRRGGHHH

riovine · #19 05-14-2009, 09:11 PM

Eh, ball end steel strings, piece of cake. How about changing nylons. I used to shudder about the thought of that, until I got a nylon and did it a lot, it's actually not that bad once you get the technique down, but still not as fast as steels, and I would definitly recommend a string winder. The real pain in the arse is it takes so long for them to hold pitch. Whenever I change my nylons I need to make sure I don't have a gig I'm planning on using it on for at least several days. A unsettled set of nylons on a gig can be a nightmare, but the upside is they tend to last a long time, a lot longer than my steels.