Tying on nylon guitar strings

[Woody Sound]

I have decided it's the biggest pain in the ass second only to trying to iron contoured bed sheets.

[mr. beaumont]

Ooooh, I actually love doing it! But I'm also very, very, weird.

[AaronMColeman]

Over, under, over under. Reverse, over under. Tune to pitch, play for 6 months while strings stretch, trim. What could be easier

[ragman1]

I have decided it's the biggest pain in the ass second only to trying to iron contoured bed sheets.

That's because you ain't doing it right!

Do the bridge first, then the pegs.

Pegs:

Put bass and treble on alternately. Keeps the tension equal: low E - high E - A - B - D - G.

Use a half hitch.



Keep tight hold of the end and start turning. Turn bass pegs towards the top of the guitar and the treble pegs towards the bottom.

(The point is that the string is trapped on itself. So the more you turn, the more secure it gets)

Once you've got it it's easy. Ignore all confusing internet instructions :-)

[AaronMColeman]

That's because you ain't doing it right!

Do the bridge first, then the pegs.

Pegs:

Put bass and treble on alternately. Keeps the tension equal: low E - high E - A - B - D - G.

Use a half hitch.



Keep tight hold of the end and start turning. Turn bass pegs towards the top of the guitar and the treble pegs towards the bottom.

(The point is that the string is trapped on itself. So the more you turn, the more secure it gets)

Once you've got it it's easy. Ignore all confusing internet instructions :-)

I don't even tie on the pegs...though that's a nice way to do it. I usually wrap it around the peg once, then slide the loose end under the winding and tighten...same idea I guess.

[Mark M.]

I like the 12 hole method of tying the bridge. It’s easy and it also provides more string tension by increasing the break angle.

[ragman1]

I don't even tie on the pegs...though that's a nice way to do it. I usually wrap it around the peg once, then slide the loose end under the winding and tighten...same idea I guess.

That's all I usually need to do with the bass strings. The trebles might need a bit more stability, hence the hitch. It doesn't really matter as long as the string's trapped against itself when you're winding it.

[lammie200]

Amazon.com

I used the darker version of these on the last classical guitar that I had. They worked really well. Probably should have taken them off before I sold the guitar but the buyer dug them, too.

[Woody Sound]

I usually spend a lot of $ on Savarez Extra High tension, but the D and G are not long enough to wrap enough, and the nylon G is way too stiff to twist into shape at the bridge and the peg. For a shorter scale guitr, maybe, but on a full scale, is shouldn't be that hard. FWIW, i've been doing this for probably 45+ yrs.

[ragman1]

the D and G are not long enough to wrap enough

the nylon G is way too stiff to twist into shape at the bridge and the peg

Jeez. Time to get some sensible strings!

[RJVB]

I use Alba string beads or else make knots in the bridge end of the strings. Increases the break angle over the saddle. In the pegs, I just pass the free back up to the front and then under the business end of the string, from the outside for the E strings, from the inside for the others so when I pull the free end tight I can guide the string winding in the direction I want in order to minimise the exit angle at the nut. (I pass it twice under the string for the high E).

More or less like this:

I really dislike the back/downwards facing pegs though; makes it much harder to use a (manual) string winder which you need much more than on a steel string...

EDIT: I never remove all strings at once, normally, not anymore than you'd do on a floating bridge guitar. I was surprised my teacher (who only playse CG) does the same, to keep the tension on the neck as constant as possible.

[bmw2002]

I like the 12 hole method of tying the bridge. It’s easy and it also provides more string tension by increasing the break angle.

I have two nylon string guitars with 12 hole bridges, but they are drilled in the opposite direction from each other (i.e., on one the string exits from the top hole, on the other from the lower hole).

I literally watch this video every single time I change the strings on either guitar. It’s just part of the zen of string changing now for me.

[Mark M.]

I have two nylon string guitars with 12 hole bridges, but they are drilled in the opposite direction from each other (i.e., on one the string exits from the top hole, on the other from the lower hole).

I literally watch this video every single time I change the strings on either guitar. It’s just part of the zen of string changing now for me.

Me, too. I have guitars with the holes going in different directions, so I had to write the correct twisting direction for each guitar on my cardboard bridge shield.

[Doctor Jeff]

I watched a video recently on tying on classical strings, and it really messed me up. For 40 years I have just crossed the strings across the bridge--a half hitch like Ragman suggests--and let tension hold them. Crossover once for larger bass strings, twice for thinner strings.

I also cross the strings at the tuner and let tension hold them. I haven't completely tied them and have never had them loosen once.

I did have a bridge pop off due to low humidity, but that had nothing to do with how the strings were strung.