How do YOU restring your guitar?

Lewy

Like this (skip to 1:35 if you're not interesting in acoustic):

Philly_Q

I don't know why all tuners aren't made with slot-headed posts like vintage Fenders/Klusons, they make string changes so much easier and there are no stray ends to stab yourself on. 

For non-Fenders, I like the look of that Bill Baker method, I must give it a try.

Sassafras

The Martin way is the fastest. You don't end up with loads of wraps round the post. It's so boring winding on loads of string, even with one of those little plastic spanners.

thomasw88

in.normula1 said:

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

Similar to me I think although I just cut the excess off after i feed it through the string post.  (leaving enough for about 3-4 fingers slack).

stretching in the strings is essential.

McSwaggerty

What about restringing a slotted headstock ? What method do you guys use to do that ?

I always find it a hassle, puts me off changing strings and I tend to keep the old ones on way longer than I should.

ESBlonde

McSwaggerty said:

What about restringing a slotted headstock ? What method do you guys use to do that ?

I always find it a hassle, puts me off changing strings and I tend to keep the old ones on way longer than I should.

See my post above Para 1.

Teetonetal

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.

I've done that since 8 years old as that's what my dad taught me.

ICBM

McSwaggerty said:

What about restringing a slotted headstock ? What method do you guys use to do that ?

I always find it a hassle, puts me off changing strings and I tend to keep the old ones on way longer than I should.

I do the same as the 'Martin' method. The only tricky bit is to make sure you do it in the right direction so the string winds away from the direction it's trying to pull in - ie usually towards the centre of the headstock for the E strings and towards the outside for the others - so it locks tightly.

Roland

New Martin video. Locking the string into the machine head starts at 9:00.

https://youtu.be/BwgrukU7jPU

vivalacoulter

It turns out that I always do the Bill Baker method, I didn’t know it had a name. To me it’s the neatest and I’ve never had issues with it.

ToneControl

ICBM said:

McSwaggerty said:

What about restringing a slotted headstock ? What method do you guys use to do that ?

I always find it a hassle, puts me off changing strings and I tend to keep the old ones on way longer than I should.

I do the same as the 'Martin' method. The only tricky bit is to make sure you do it in the right direction so the string winds away from the direction it's trying to pull in - ie usually towards the centre of the headstock for the E strings and towards the outside for the others - so it locks tightly.

same here, was taught to do this by a luthier

ToneControl

Classical guitars are something else of course!

MartinBush

I use the same method as @BoopDeWoop - I expect that's what I was shown years ago pre-YouTube and I presume it works.

I did have locking tuners on a guitar I no longer own and that was far easier

DavusPG

+1 for the Bill Baker approach & no tuning issues although the majority of my guitars have locking tuners now

dazzajl

What is this thread even about? Don’t you all get the shop to put strings on and tune the guitar when you buy it??

merlin

I used to like the Martin Method but more recently have been using the Merlin Method. 

DiscoStu

I've always put the string through the tuner then used three fingers past the post to get enough slack then put a bend in it, like Bill Baker. Pull the string back through until the bend hits the post then use the Martin round and over method to lock the string in place. Once tuned, I stretch the strings by pulling them up at the 12th fret, retune, then repeat the stretching until it doesn't go out of tune. It only takes a couple of minutes and means only occasional and very small retunes are necessary.
I think I saw that process in Guitarist magazine when I was starting out and I've always used it. I'm gonna try Bill Baker's double bend locking method next time though, it looks quicker.

JayGee

Teetonetal 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.

I've done that since 8 years old as that's what my dad taught me.

That’s me (for guitars with non-locking, hole through the post tuners anyway) too. Quick, easy, and if you do it right tidy - I aim to end up with just the one one turn round the tuner above, one to two below on the wound strings, and two to three for the plain ones and that gives solid tuning on all my guitars after a couple of good firm pulls around the 12th fret to take all the slack and any residual stretchiness out of everything.

I’m actually a big fan of the Fender vintage slotted tuners with the hole down the post - they get three fingers past the tuner post, the end of the string poked as far down the hole as it goes and then just wind the slack on down the post and tune to pitch - it’s almost as quick, easy, and foolproof as the locking tuners on my PRS...

Voxman

My roadie restrings all my guitars...I assume  everyone here has their roadie to do all theirs too. 

BahHumbug

When I bought a Taylor in 2011, I discovered 'the Taylor method' on their web site.  I've been using it ever since.
Prior to that I had used the locking method for a few years, but had found it the devils own job to get the strings off the posts when er unstringing.  I was glad to find a method that felt logical, was low on faff, and produced a neat, stable result.