How do YOU restring your guitar?

Sassafras

I didn't know it was commonly known as the Martin Method but I've seen it mentioned so often on the forum that I call it the @ICBM Method.
  

Alnico

I pull 2 " through the tuner and pull the string taught.
I pinch that with my left hand and pull the string back through the tuner until the pinched bit hits the tuning post. I put a 90-degree kink in the string. Then I wind the tuner so it's at 90 degrees to the string and put an opposite 90-degree kink in the other side of the string, so it's like an S shape either side of the tuner hole.

With my right hand, I pull the string up off the fretboard keeping tension on the string and using my index finger on the headstock behind the nut and with my left hand I wind the string onto the post using a string winder, keeping all the wraps BELOW the hole.
I end up with 2 - 3 wraps on bass strings and 3-4 wraps on treble strings.

Alnico

Just watched the Martin video.
I don't know if I've ever actually watched 'The locking Method' being done, I've always just thought it unnecessary, however, one thing i did notice is that it IS neater.

I'm constantly being told by my friends that I'm a caveman and I'm often wrong so I've got a few guitars to restring in the next few weeks, I'll give this a chance and see if there's any difference.

Gagaryn

boogieman said:

ElectroDan said:

i pull the string through then do up the locking nut! 
When I was doing non-locking guitars in the shop, I used Mark Arnquists Technique.
I'd pull the string through.. measure 3 fingers worth hanging out the other side.. then pinch that with my left hand and push the excess back to the post.
The first wind of the string would go arond the post ABOVE the string and all others would add UNDERNEATH. Don't forget to stretch a little and retune.
The guy is on youtube.

Wis'd. That's the way I've always done mine too, except on my Strat with split post tuners. 

And me!

fandango

I'm sure the Martin method is the same as the Gibson Method.

sm55onl

I half remember that in a noughties (?) edition of Guitarist and interview with BB King - he noted (what seemed to me to be) an elaborate mthod of stringing, which he claimed was (paraphrasing) 'rock solid'.
Whether said method was similar to any of those mentioned already, above, i'm not sure......can anyone else remember (have a hazy recollection) of this ?

ICBM

sm55onl said:

I half remember that in a noughties (?) edition of Guitarist and interview with BB King - he noted (what seemed to me to be) an elaborate mthod of stringing, which he claimed was (paraphrasing) 'rock solid'.
Whether said method was similar to any of those mentioned already, above, i'm not sure......can anyone else remember (have a hazy recollection) of this ?

He wound the whole string onto the post, by poking the end through then wrapping most of it on by winding it round the post by hand, only turning the key at the end.



It seems to have worked for him, but for normal mortals it's pretty much the guaranteed worst possible way of doing it other than tying the string through the post several times and winding on in the wrong direction...

Sassafras

I think the added mass on the headstock allowed for more sustain.

DesVegas

In the garden. Under a blood red sky

normula1

Gagaryn said:k

boogieman said:

ElectroDan said:

i pull the string through then do up the locking nut! 
When I was doing non-locking guitars in the shop, I used Mark Arnquists Technique.
I'd pull the string through.. measure 3 fingers worth hanging out the other side.. then pinch that with my left hand and push the excess back to the post.
The first wind of the string would go arond the post ABOVE the string and all others would add UNDERNEATH. Don't forget to stretch a little and retune.
The guy is on youtube.

Wis'd. That's the way I've always done mine too, except on my Strat with split post tuners. 

And me!

Me too

mike_l

One the Floyd-loaded guitars, I pull the string through the machine head (so the ball is at the headstock end) then cut the string at the end of the Floyd. This give a couple of turns on the post.
On the 2-post Strat and Explorer, I pull the strings through the bridge, and cut off at the post next to the one I'm restringing (so, restringing 6th, I'll cut at the 5th string tuner). This is assuming I'm doing things properly, if no, I'll just wind everything onto the post.
I do always run my fingers from bridge to nut 3-4 times to "stretch" them and stop them losing their tuning.

Nikko

cruxiform said:

GuitarZero said:

I use the Bill Baker method. Tuning is always solid with neat winds around the post and no faffing about with wrapping the strings over etc.

Me too. Works a treat.

Me too. Never has an issue doing it this way.

scrumhalf

When I first started out pon electric the way I was shown was to wind the string a couiple of times roound the post then poke the end back through the hole and tune up.

This has worked well for 9s for years.

Sassafras

My preferred method is to have the strings running parallel to the fretboard at a 90 degree angle to the frets, if you can imagine that.

Arktik83

I do it the way that Jobo's tech does, I used to do the old wrap over the top but I found it such a nuisance to remove the string from the tuning post without getting stabbed to death by the end that was snipped. 

Never had any issues and definitely have not broken a string.

Flanging_Fred

I use the "hyperdermic finger injury and plenty of swearing" method.

ESBlonde

Fender split capstans, run the string to about the second capstan after the one you want (less as the strings get thinner) and cut, bend about 1/4" or 6-7mm at right angles and poke it down the 'ole. Holding one finger down on the string near the nut and running the loose string up over the little finger to apply some tension then wind about two laps of the capstan and tune to taste. Stretch acouple of times and tune repeat stretching until string tuning is stable.

On conventional capstans I do the first part different, I pull through the hole leaving the same amount of slack up over the Right hand little finger (as above) and bend the string at rightangles so it holds at the hole. Tune up about two revolutions of the capstan max is enough, stretch etc. Once the string is stable I put a further 90 degree bend in the string and then cut off after another 1/4", theory being that if the string ever slipped through the hole it would catch on the second bend and you could retune. In the 40 years I've gigged I only recal this happening once but it might have been more. Tuning is very stable and I've used the technique for many decades.

BoopDeWoop

Honestly all of those methods seems like a faff. Wrap the string round once or twice, poke it through, tighten up with tuner and it's fine. Unless it's really sloppy and the windings are all over the place or overlapping it seems to work. Plus my guitars stay in tune pretty well and strings only ever snap at the bridges of my guitars anyway.

Also doing big kinks or knots in the string looks like it would weaken the string at that point.

ICBM

BoopDeWoop said:

Honestly all of those methods seems like a faff. Wrap the string round once or twice, poke it through, tighten up with tuner and it's fine. Unless it's really sloppy and the windings are all over the place or overlapping it seems to work. Plus my guitars stay in tune pretty well and strings only ever snap at the bridges of my guitars anyway.

Also doing big kinks or knots in the string looks like it would weaken the string at that point.

You definitely don't want knots. The 'Martin' method doesn't use a knot, you simply trap the loose end under the string on the post. It's actually less of a faff than any other method once you get used to it too.

GuitarZero

BoopDeWoop said:

Honestly all of those methods seems like a faff. Wrap the string round once or twice, poke it through, tighten up with tuner and it's fine. Unless it's really sloppy and the windings are all over the place or overlapping it seems to work. Plus my guitars stay in tune pretty well and strings only ever snap at the bridges of my guitars anyway.

Also doing big kinks or knots in the string looks like it would weaken the string at that point.

A little bend in the string doesn't weaken it, at least I've never had one snap on me at that end, like yourself, mine go at the bridge. I think the thread just proves a point that there are several methods that work very well and different people have their own preferred way of doing it.

The reason I use my preferred method is because my wraps were always untidy and I'd tried several ways of doing it, none of which I was completely happy with.  Someone pointed out the video I linked on the last page, I followed it and it worked perfectly.