Stringy Situation

How to Change Your Electric Guitar Strings

Many beginning guitarists will break at least one string early in their lessons of guitar mastery. This document will teach the beginning guitarist how to change their electric guitar strings, specifically for a Stratocaster.

Brendan Cassidy ENGL 202C 4/9/2012

Introduction
Are you a beginner when it comes to playing guitar? If so, you most likely dont have your playing style down quite yet, and are just figuring out what playing style is most comfortable for you. As a result, youve probably encountered a situation when at least one of your guitar strings suddenly snaps out of place, accompanied by a loud BOINK! Yes, you have just broken a string, but dont worry, it happens to the best of us. However, as a beginning guitarist, you probably have no idea how to fix a broken string, or change all six guitar strings at once, yet alone retuning your guitar after you have finished changing your strings. Although this may seem like a lot, changing the strings on an electric guitar is really not that complex of a process. This guide presents a nicely tuned (no pun intended) step of instructions in teaching you beginning guitarists how to change the strings on your electric guitar, specifically for a Stratocaster, one of the most famous and widely used body types, whether it be from Fender, Squier, ESP, or even DUB. Oh wait, not quite sure what a guitar body is? Dont worry; we will go over the important parts of the electric guitar that are essential to this process. This document will also go over the necessary materials, continue with a stepby-step process in how to change each guitar string, and conclude with the process of retuning your guitar, allowing you to continue rocking out with a proper and well-tuned sound.

***WARNING***
Use caution when working with cutting pliers and the tips of guitar strings, as both have very sharp edges. Therefore, it is recommended that this process be done with adult supervision if under the age of 12.

Materials Needed
Your electric guitar, strictly a Stratocaster model 1 pair of cutting pliers 1 new pack of guitar strings, quantity of six strings, preferably Ernie Ball or DAddario brand. For a Stratocaster, medium-sized strings are recommended. Make note of each string size; for medium they run .013 inches (high E), .017 (B), .023 (G), .030 (D), .039 (A), and .047 (low E). 1 guitar tuner (optional, but preferred)

Parts of the Guitar

While it is important to know the parts of a guitar from a general perspective, especially if you aspire to be a great guitarist someday, there are some components that need to be known and understood for this process, as they play an important role in restringing a guitar. In this case, they are the bridge, body, pickups, neck, nut, headstock, and tuning pegs.

Bridge: responsible for supporting strings and transmitting vibrations Body: shape and design of a guitar, typically made of wood Pickups: transducer that captures mechanical vibrations Neck: base for the fingerboard, used for playing notes and chords Nut: supports strings closes to the headstock Headstock: responsible for holding the strings in place Tuning Pegs: a screw used for making the strings tighter or looser for tuning

Instructions on Restringing Your Electric Guitar

Preparation:
1. Well it looks like youve just broken a string, so lets get this process going. First, gather your needed materials together: your Stratocaster, cutting pliers, new pack of guitar strings, and optional tuner. This will allow you to have everything at your side prior to starting this process. Also, play some rock music while you get ready, as this process can be slow and drawn out without a good pick-me-up.

2. It is now time to remove the current strings on your guitar. The first part is to loosen the strings by downtuning on the tuning pegs (counterclockwise) located on the headstock. Loosen each string enough to be able to grab the string from the center.

3. Now, remove each of the six guitar strings by pulling them from the back of the bridge, located on the backside of the body; there will be six little holes where you can pull them out from.

Changing the Strings

4. Next, it is time to physically change the strings on your guitar. It is recommended that you start with the low E string, at the most top location (string size .047 inches). Insert the tip-end of the string through the top hole behind the bridge and pull until there is no slack. Lay the string along the grave on the nut, and insert the tip into the hole of the left most tuning peg on the headstock, tightly wrap it around counterclockwise, and cut the excess string off with the cutting pliers. 5. This is where things get repetitive, as you will now repeat step 4 five more times, with each following string. It is recommended that you change the strings in descending order, going A, D, G, B, and high E. Make sure each string is properly placed overtop the pickups and inserted in its proper nut grave and tuning peg hole, in descending order. Also be careful using the cutting pliers to cut the excess string.

Finishing Up
6. Now, twist the tuning pegs until each string is tight and on correctly. It is recommended to pull each string up gently as you twist its respected peg, in order to make sure all slack is gone.

7. Next, use your tuner to tune each string properly, going from low E, A, D, G, B, and high E. Simply pluck each string with either your finger or guitar pick like you would if you were playing, and allow your tuner to tell you if the note is tune correctly. After you believe each string has been tuned, continue by playing some chords to make sure they sound right.

8. Youre almost done. Now, it is important to make sure your guitar is working properly. Crank your guitar up to an amplifier, play some power chords, and rock out! You have just successfully changed your strings!

Conclusion
So beginning guitarists, now you have the tools you need to know as you continue down your rock and roll journey to better guitar playing, specifically how to overcome the obstacle of breaking a string in order to continue rocking out. Changing the strings on your electric Stratocaster can certainly be an annoying process, but its not terribly complicated, and as an aspiring guitarist it is a very important skill to know and understand. Use these tools wisely, and continue the rock and roll dream!

Photo References:
Images for Introduction and Conclusion: From Clip-Art Image for Parts of the Guitar: http://www.electric-guitars-guide.com/images/electric-guitar-parts.jpg Image for Step 1: http://www.instructables.com/image/FETH1RBGB3XJSWZ/Materials.jpg Images for Steps 2 8: http://www.wikihow.com/Change-Strings-on-an-Electric-Guitar