Time for strings, remove all at once or one by one ?

[SteveT2]

I probably should take them all off at once so I can wipe everything down but having the tailpiece come off gets on my nerves sometimes. Just one more step in a process I don't feel like doing. But I do like letting my new strings sit overnight. On that note I do have a question for long time Gibby owners, I'm still a bit of a newcomer with them. With the tendency of headstocks being a bit on the fragile side, is there some technique to stretching the strings that would be easier on the neck the neck than others or am I over thinking this ?

[rct]

Yer way way overthinking all of it. It's just a guitar.

 

rct

[johntrem]

Was taught long ago to change them one at a time in order to maintain neck tension but have since heard that this is B.S. I still do them one at a time out of habit. Also ease of tuning.

[brantobrien]

It would take a lot of work to screw up a neck just changing the strings. You don't have to worry about it.

[SteveT2]

It would take a lot of work to screw up a neck just changing the strings. You don't have to worry about it.

 

 

It was the stretching I wondered about. On my Fenders I yank them pretty good. But you never hear about the Fender headstock despair like you do Gibson. And good grief, that change was way overdue btw

[SteveT2]

Was taught long ago to change them one at a time in order to maintain neck tension but have since heard that this is B.S. I still do them one at a time out of habit. Also ease of tuning.

 

 

I loosen them up a little at a time around the tuners, kinda like lug nuts then tune high e, low e, around the tuners again for the same reason

[american cheez]

i do 3 at a time, so i don't have to reset the dam bridge every time i clean and change strings. call me lazy if you want to, but it's not too much to ask for the les paul to have a better bridge that stays where you put it.

[L5Larry]

If you have no other fingerboard/neck work to do, change them one at a time. This procedure just makes sense to keep all the bridge parts and tailpiece in their proper/previous positions.

 

IF.... you need to polish/dress the frets, or oil the fingerboard, etc, remove them all, do your maintenance, restring the guitar. When removing all the strings at once, always tape the bridge and tailpiece down to avoid "accidents", blue painters tape work great for this. Make sure you secure the bridge, stop-tail, and ESPECIALLY the height adjustment nuts of the bridge.

 

As for string stretching.....NEVER pull the strings straight up off the neck of any guitar. No guitar neck was designed to withstand the stress of pulling the strings off the neck like a bow and arrow. ALWAYS stretch the strings across the fingerboard in normal playing/bending style. The 12th fret mid-point is the spot I use.

[sparquelito]

You're supposed to change the strings?

 

:unsure:

[merciful-evans]

You're supposed to change the strings?

 

:unsure:

 

That's just for the cheapskates Spar. Real players just buy a new guitar.

[merciful-evans]

For 20 years I always removed all the strings. That way I could wipe down the fingerboard easier.

 

That had to change when I got a guitar with a Floyd Rose Bridge. If you don’t change one at a time and tune to pitch as you go, you whole setup is wrecked (Since then, I have always disabled any floating bridge by blocking up the recess apertures).

 

But I’ve become used to changing strings one at a time and still do.

 

In response to Larry’s advice. I do stretch strings by pulling away from the neck, but I use the other hand to hold the strings close to the neck on the nut side. So the angular pull is only against the bridge.

[sparquelito]

Seriously now, and all kidding aside;

 

I have always removed all the strings before mounting a new set.

I don't have any Floyd Rose-style trems on any of my guitars, and I have never really had a problem with my necks when changing the strings this way.

 

Reason I remove them all is, I really love to polish the fret wires and polish/buff the necks whenever I have the strings off, and it also allows me to clean-up and polish the pick guards, pickups, and all the tender bits you normally can't get at when the strings are on.

 

Now, I do have one concession, when removing the old strings, to the concern of sudden changes in neck tension.

I deliberately detune the strings at the tuning pegs down until they are loose and rattling.

Then I cut them off with diagonal pliers.

This is to avoid two things;

The sudden drop in neck tension when cutting them off at full tuning,

and

having a taught string snap up and pop me in the eyeball.

(I also wear eyeglasses when changing strings, go figure.)

 

On my hollow body electric with the cello-style bridge, I just make a tiny mark with a pencil to show me where to put the bridge back when restringing is done.

 

 

Re; stretching the strings.

I usually mount the new strings with a tuner, and purposely tune them just a smidge above standard tuning.

Then I stretch them all by strumming and doing a great number of string bends and pull-ups.

 

Set them to proper tuning, and bingo-bango, they are good to go.

 

:)

[BigKahune]

.

Along with other things to watch out for, rarely to you see the advice "remove all the strings at once" accompanied with - watch out for non-locking bridge/stop falling off and banging up or scratching your guitar. Yes, there have been plenty of posts on these forums by new users detailing this mistake.

 

+1 on Larry's spot on advice.

 

If you have no other fingerboard/neck work to do, change them one at a time. This procedure just makes sense to keep all the bridge parts and tailpiece in their proper/previous positions.

 

IF.... you need to polish/dress the frets, or oil the fingerboard, etc, remove them all, do your maintenance, restring the guitar. When removing all the strings at once, always tape the bridge and tailpiece down to avoid "accidents", blue painters tape work great for this. Make sure you secure the bridge, stop-tail, and ESPECIALLY the height adjustment nuts of the bridge.

 

As for string stretching.....NEVER pull the strings straight up off the neck of any guitar. No guitar neck was designed to withstand the stress of pulling the strings off the neck like a bow and arrow. ALWAYS stretch the strings across the fingerboard in normal playing/bending style. The 12th fret mid-point is the spot I use.

[L5Larry]

... Yes, there have been plenty of posts on these forums by new users detailing this mistake.

 

How do you think I learned the "one string at a time" and "tape down" method...... by bouncing the stoptail across the body of my Les Paul...... ON THE FIRST STRING CHANGE WHEN IT WAS BRAND NEW.

[capmaster]

...

 

Now, I do have one concession, when removing the old strings, to the concern of sudden changes in neck tension.

I deliberately detune the strings at the tuning pegs down until they are loose and rattling.

Then I cut them off with diagonal pliers.

This is to avoid two things;

The sudden drop in neck tension when cutting them off at full tuning,

and

having a taught string snap up and pop me in the eyeball.

(I also wear eyeglasses when changing strings, go figure.)

 

...

 

Re; stretching the strings.

I usually mount the new strings with a tuner, and purposely tune them just a smidge above standard tuning.

Then I stretch them all by strumming and doing a great number of string bends and pull-ups.

 

Set them to proper tuning, and bingo-bango, they are good to go.

 

:)

Very good calls. I even go that far and tune down strings pairwise symmetrical, usually proceeding from fretboard edges to fretboard centre, in particular on basses, to avoid torsion buildup to the neck.

 

Anyway, in next to all cases I replace strings one by one.

 

Stretching should not be overdone. The windings may diverge and contract inconsistently causing sonic impurities and lack of sustain, and in particular the E1st may break, let alone the G octave string on 12-string guitars.

[johntrem]

Regarding merciful-evans joke about real players buying a new guitar at string change time, I read that Carol Kaye, iconic studio bass player, used to do just that when she needed new strings. She would literally get a new bass. Also read that James Jamerson, the other iconic studio bass player, NEVER changed his strings. He felt it was part of his sound.

[Eracer_Team]

Only time you don't remove all the strings us when you have a dobro, then cones need constant tension

[saturn]

I just do whatever I feel like at that moment. This latest string change on my Gold Top I did 2 at a time.

 

What, no suggestions from anyone to boil the strings first?

[merciful-evans]

 

On my hollow body electric with the cello-style bridge, I just make a tiny mark with a pencil to show me where to put the bridge back when restringing is done.

 

 

I've done that too.

 

Before buying it I told the 'boss' at Guitar Village that the intonation was sharp past the 12th fret. He took it away for his tech to examine. It returned working perfectly. It was then I realised they had positioned the bridge at 24.75" instead of 25.5"

 

Seems obvious now, but I couldn't figure it out at the time.

[4Hayden]

Remove all your strings then treat you neck wipe / then oil it down , replace strings all is new and clean

 

 

4H

[RockyA]

Oh Geez, tape and all that is BS. If you don't wan the stop bar to slide down when removing all the strings, just take them all off except the D string. It will hold everything in place and keep the tension on the neck. Clean the guitar and polish etc if you like. Then Put all new strings on except D and retune. Then take the old D off and replace and retune the new D string. Then stretch them all using both hands with thumbs flexing up. Do it a few times and retune each time. Then intonate and play and that's it. Gibsons I have with the locking bridge and stop bar I can take them all off if I like and then recheck setup next day because of losing tension on the neck.

[IanHenry]

The best technique that I've seen for putting new strings on:

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FPhF2X_bdXg

 

 

Ian

[Searcy]

Change strings one at a time. Never oil the fret board and never clean the guitar. Maybe dust it with a Swiffer for pictures.

[SteveT2]

For 20 years I always removed all the strings. That way I could wipe down the fingerboard easier.

 

That had to change when I got a guitar with a Floyd Rose Bridge. If you don’t change one at a time and tune to pitch as you go, you whole setup is wrecked (Since then, I have always disabled any floating bridge by blocking up the recess apertures).

 

But I’ve become used to changing strings one at a time and still do.

 

In response to Larry’s advice. I do stretch strings by pulling away from the neck, but I use the other hand to hold the strings close to the neck on the nut side. So the angular pull is only against the bridge.

 

I hold mine down by the nut too

[SteveT2]

You're supposed to change the strings?

 

:unsure:

 

I think so...