I just don't like changing guitar strings.

Grunfeld

poopot said:

Ffs! I once changed a broken string mid song during a gig without the band stopping!... It ain’t that difficult to do chaps!!!!

man up!...

Thank you, a voice of sanity!  How is string changing even an issue?

The only thing I'd add is that for me, cos restringing is a regular thing, I've found three things have made it easier (not that it was ever difficult) :

(1)  locking tuners -- as has already been mentioned they speed things up.  All my guitars other than the RGs have them.

(2)  string winder -- it costs fuck all and is a super handy little tool and it speeds things up.

(3)  a support for the guitar neck so you can get at the machine heads and do the change super speedy.  This goes hand-in-hand with doing the string change on a bench/ kitchen worktop so you're not breaking your back or doing anything daft.

It probably took longer to type that than change the strings on my JM yesterday.

Dave_Vader

How far on are you lot winding your strings?

I'm pretty sure I'd spend more time looking around for where I left the bloody string winder than it takes me to twist a machine head round a few times

BeardyAndy

@Rocker ;I'll fit yours if you'll pay for mine!

ICBM

I like changing strings, but I hate the sound of brand new ones .

bacchanalian

Changing strings regularly is one of the fundamentals for me. 
I find that split post are nearly as quick as locking tuners.

I am always amazed if I go to look at a guitar, with a view to purchase, and the strings are dead. I don't know how anyone would know if a guitar is 'super-resonant' with old strings.

Changing more regularly will speed the process as there is less cleaning required if you keep on top things.

Nearly as bad as not filing your nails properly.

ICBM

bacchanalian said:

I find that split post are nearly as quick as locking tuners.

I find that standard through-hole posts are too - if you do the half-back-turn-and-lock method, and it's also just as secure.

Corvus

Optiwebs and NYXLs have cut down on a load of re-stringing for me. That and wiping with a string cleaner pad thing. I hate when they get draggy.

scrumhalf

ICBM said:

I like changing strings, but I hate the sound of brand new ones .

I'm gobsmacked that nobody has tried to market strings that are not quite as bright. Well, you could always buy from dodgy Ebay sellers, I suppose.

guitarfishbay

carlos said:

guitarfishbay said:

I bought one of these ^

Makes string changes a lot less of a chore.

I have a peg adapter for the drill I use at home for assembling furniture and other DIY stuff. Just go easy on the trigger when winding strings!

I considered that but I felt a safer going with something I couldn’t mess up.

ICBM

scrumhalf said:

I'm gobsmacked that nobody has tried to market strings that are not quite as bright. Well, you could always buy from dodgy Ebay sellers, I suppose.

Actually, Newtones do have quite a 'played in' sound straight out of the packet, which is one of the reasons they're my favourites for my own guitars.

BeardyAndy

bacchanalian said:

Changing strings regularly is one of the fundamentals for me. 
I find that split post are nearly as quick as locking tuners.

I am always amazed if I go to look at a guitar, with a view to purchase, and the strings are dead. I don't know how anyone would know if a guitar is 'super-resonant' with old strings.

Changing more regularly will speed the process as there is less cleaning required if you keep on top things.

Nearly as bad as not filing your nails properly.

I bought a Strat' this week and the ball ends were locked in the bridge, I can only imagine the strings were of the same vintage as the guitar!

SteveF

Rocker said:

And this despite @ICBM posting on how to do it correctly.  I printed out that post ICBM, got it laminated and it sits on the shelf behind my guitars.

Not being a gigging guitar player, I am lax at string changing.  I was forced to come to the conclusion that five of my guitars need new strings and I want to fit a set of flats on my Precision.  Oh how I wish there was a shop with a tech to do this work for me.  But I live in rural Ireland, such luxuries only happen in cities.

I suppose there is nothing for it except doing it myself, one by one.  

This has intrigued me. I always assume I’m doing it ‘right’ and never had any issues. It I find myself wondering about this post and whether I’ll find out I’ve done it ‘wrong’ all these years! 

off to the search I go

edit - didn’t find it. Oh well, ignorance is bliss!  

WiresDreamDisasters

Grunfeld said:

poopot said:

Ffs! I once changed a broken string mid song during a gig without the band stopping!... It ain’t that difficult to do chaps!!!!

man up!...

Thank you, a voice of sanity!  How is string changing even an issue?

The only thing I'd add is that for me, cos restringing is a regular thing, I've found three things have made it easier (not that it was ever difficult) :

(1)  locking tuners -- as has already been mentioned they speed things up.  All my guitars other than the RGs have them.

(2)  string winder -- it costs fuck all and is a super handy little tool and it speeds things up.

(3)  a support for the guitar neck so you can get at the machine heads and do the change super speedy.  This goes hand-in-hand with doing the string change on a bench/ kitchen worktop so you're not breaking your back or doing anything daft.

It probably took longer to type that than change the strings on my JM yesterday.

String changing is quicker than changing underpants!

King85

It's boring sure but I honestly can't imagine ever paying someone else to do it. Although I'd say the same of a cleaner, gardener, etc so maybe it's just different strokes for different folks.

Bridgehouse

WiresDreamDisasters said:

Grunfeld said:

poopot said:

Ffs! I once changed a broken string mid song during a gig without the band stopping!... It ain’t that difficult to do chaps!!!!

man up!...

Thank you, a voice of sanity!  How is string changing even an issue?

The only thing I'd add is that for me, cos restringing is a regular thing, I've found three things have made it easier (not that it was ever difficult) :

(1)  locking tuners -- as has already been mentioned they speed things up.  All my guitars other than the RGs have them.

(2)  string winder -- it costs fuck all and is a super handy little tool and it speeds things up.

(3)  a support for the guitar neck so you can get at the machine heads and do the change super speedy.  This goes hand-in-hand with doing the string change on a bench/ kitchen worktop so you're not breaking your back or doing anything daft.

It probably took longer to type that than change the strings on my JM yesterday.

String changing is quicker than changing underpants!

You change your underpants??

ICBM

SteveF said:

This has intrigued me. I always assume I’m doing it ‘right’ and never had any issues. It I find myself wondering about this post and whether I’ll find out I’ve done it ‘wrong’ all these years! 

off to the search I go

edit - didn’t find it. Oh well, ignorance is bliss!  

I wouldn’t go as far as saying it’s “right” and that by implication all other methods are “wrong”... but I do think it’s the best method, because it’s the quickest, most secure and most tuning-stable I know of.


Fit the string at the bridge/tailpiece, and pull it tight to the machinehead post. Bend it sharply on your thumbnail about 1/4” (6mm) past the post.

Set the hole in the post so it’s pointing across the width of the headstock. Poke the string through from the middle of the headstock up to the bend.

Take the loose end of the string round the far side of the post (away from the bridge), and pull it up tightly under the main part of the string. Wind on and tune up, stretching the string as you go.

The string should come up to pitch within one full turn of the post. Make sure it goes under the bend in the string as it goes past. Cut off the excess as close to the post as you can.

That’s it.

poopot

Bridgehouse said:

WiresDreamDisasters said:

Grunfeld said:

poopot said:

Ffs! I once changed a broken string mid song during a gig without the band stopping!... It ain’t that difficult to do chaps!!!!

man up!...

Thank you, a voice of sanity!  How is string changing even an issue?

The only thing I'd add is that for me, cos restringing is a regular thing, I've found three things have made it easier (not that it was ever difficult) :

(1)  locking tuners -- as has already been mentioned they speed things up.  All my guitars other than the RGs have them.

(2)  string winder -- it costs fuck all and is a super handy little tool and it speeds things up.

(3)  a support for the guitar neck so you can get at the machine heads and do the change super speedy.  This goes hand-in-hand with doing the string change on a bench/ kitchen worktop so you're not breaking your back or doing anything daft.

It probably took longer to type that than change the strings on my JM yesterday.

String changing is quicker than changing underpants!

You change your underpants??

Done that midway through a gig as well!

Bridgehouse

poopot said:

Bridgehouse said:

WiresDreamDisasters said:

Grunfeld said:

poopot said:

Ffs! I once changed a broken string mid song during a gig without the band stopping!... It ain’t that difficult to do chaps!!!!

man up!...

Thank you, a voice of sanity!  How is string changing even an issue?

The only thing I'd add is that for me, cos restringing is a regular thing, I've found three things have made it easier (not that it was ever difficult) :

(1)  locking tuners -- as has already been mentioned they speed things up.  All my guitars other than the RGs have them.

(2)  string winder -- it costs fuck all and is a super handy little tool and it speeds things up.

(3)  a support for the guitar neck so you can get at the machine heads and do the change super speedy.  This goes hand-in-hand with doing the string change on a bench/ kitchen worktop so you're not breaking your back or doing anything daft.

It probably took longer to type that than change the strings on my JM yesterday.

String changing is quicker than changing underpants!

You change your underpants??

Done that midway through a gig as well!

Doesn’t surprise me...

WiresDreamDisasters

poopot said:

Bridgehouse said:

WiresDreamDisasters said:

Grunfeld said:

poopot said:

Ffs! I once changed a broken string mid song during a gig without the band stopping!... It ain’t that difficult to do chaps!!!!

man up!...

Thank you, a voice of sanity!  How is string changing even an issue?

The only thing I'd add is that for me, cos restringing is a regular thing, I've found three things have made it easier (not that it was ever difficult) :

(1)  locking tuners -- as has already been mentioned they speed things up.  All my guitars other than the RGs have them.

(2)  string winder -- it costs fuck all and is a super handy little tool and it speeds things up.

(3)  a support for the guitar neck so you can get at the machine heads and do the change super speedy.  This goes hand-in-hand with doing the string change on a bench/ kitchen worktop so you're not breaking your back or doing anything daft.

It probably took longer to type that than change the strings on my JM yesterday.

String changing is quicker than changing underpants!

You change your underpants??

Done that midway through a gig as well!

Hence the username!

thegummy

King85 said:

It's boring sure but I honestly can't imagine ever paying someone else to do it. Although I'd say the same of a cleaner, gardener, etc so maybe it's just different strokes for different folks.

It is indeed relative - the more money someone has, the more realistic it is for them to pay others to do chores in order to regain the time they save doing it. Inversely, the closer is to what I'd say was financially normal, the more we try to do ourselves to the point of only hiring others to do work that requires skills we don't have.

I think even if I was rich, string changes would be very low down on the list of things I'd delegate right enough. If I got to that level I think I'd be doing very little by myself - "okay I'm finished, you can wipe now Jeeves"