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Poll: Changing Strings


Murph

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I've been doing it one at a time for so long it just seems natural. I do have to leave 4 & 5 pretty loose before re-installing 6 to get my fat mitt in to change the battery, but still.

 

What say you?

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On most of my guitars I take them all off at once, so I can give it a decent wipe down if nothing else. I've had some guitars that were more sensitive to a tension change and would have tuning problems for a while (more that new-string typical). Those I would change one at a time.

 

If I had a brain I would do Bigsby equipped guitars one at a time but I didn't claim to have a brain.

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All at once. Loosen strings very gradually starting a day or two before. Clean & Polish. Every 12 -18 months. Keep a copy of the package from the new strings in the case tool box with the date. Write how I liked the last set on the packaging in there from the set I just took off.

(Did my J45Ck earlier this week. Used coconut oil on the fretboard for the first time. Switched over from Lemon Oil, because it's not made from oil (petroleum) not lemons.

Coconut oil is made from coconuts - not oil. Truth in advertising! )

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All at once. Loosen strings very gradually starting a day or two before. Clean & Polish. Every 12 -18 months. Keep a copy of the package from the new strings in the case tool box with the date. Write how I liked the last set on the packaging in there from the set I just took off.

(Did my J45Ck earlier this week. Used coconut oil on the fretboard for the first time. Switched over from Lemon Oil, because it's not made from oil (petroleum) not lemons.

Coconut oil is made from coconuts - not oil. Truth in advertising! )

 

 

Loosen all the strings gradually a day before ?

What ?!?

 

You guys crack me up sometimes.

Where do ya get this stuff from ?

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I voted one string at a time. But I'm basing that on restring a bass, not a 6 or 12 string guitar. The intonation can possibly get thrown out by removing all the string at once on a bass. That's becauce of the string string tensions being greater on the bass.

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But this is the Acoustic forum so on your Acoustics, why would you not change them all at once and oil the board and polish the top, back, sides, back of the neck, and headstock?

 

 

I'm just uncomfortable taking ALL of the tension off of the neck on an acoustic. I have no idea why. It just seems weird.

 

I still condition the fretboards from time to time, actually not yet on the J-15.

 

As for polish.....

 

<_<

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I'm on the all-off-at-once-then-clean-fretboard-6-back-on team.

Used to put on a record and relax while doin' it - 1 side would match the time needed.

Now the Acoustic Monk works in silence so the impression of the new steel appears as significant, and the readiness of the ears is as clear as possible.

Do I enjoy changing, , , mmmm, sometimes yes, because it's been a ritual in my life like eating and deserves to be celebrated, , , but it's no fest.

Especially not on the slotted head 12-fret.

Not too keen on the overwhelming just born cembalo-like sound either. All in all I guess it's a bit like polishing boots.

 

I tend to take three off, change them and then do the next three. Why though I do not have a clue. Just the way I have always done it.

The in-depth-psychologist here - who also regards string-change as some kind of catharsis - tells me it's because you don't dig the process.

Goin' all 6 seems like a drag, so does fiddling one up at a time. Therefore you invented the split.

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All at once.

 

My guitar tech always brings the outside two on each side of the headstock first- the tension on the high e, and b is surprisingly not that far from the combined tension of low E and A.

 

All at once also allows pushing bridge pins out from inside, instead of using tools on bridge - but watch for pins launching and landing on the top. And it is always good knowing that your ball ends are seated on the plate.

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Murph - based on your enthusiastic playing style it is hard for me to picture you having the patience to replace strings one at a time. :rolleyes: I just loosen 'em all and rip 'em off - sometimes as soon as the next day they come off again, if the rumble ain't right, I ain't got time to wait around for strings to spend a couple of weeks to find their sweet spot. I do tend to go thru a lot of strings.

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All at once.

 

 

 

All at once also allows pushing bridge pins out from inside, instead of using tools on bridge - but watch for pins launching and landing on the top. And it is always good knowing that your ball ends are seated on the plate.

 

All at once for the same reason.

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One at a time here, unless I need to do some maintenance such as a fret polish, finesse the divots out of the saddle or oil a dry board.

 

All my guitars are gig/session workhorses so need semi regular fettling, i’d say once every three months or thereabouts I whip all the strings off, give the guitar in question a basic setup/action check, shave a little graphite down into the nut slots and make sure the bridge isn’t pitted and potentially causing string breakages as a result.

 

I don’t oil the boards of my guitars more than once a year unless one of them is particularly dry, even then it’s just a very light coat of lemon oil, 30 secs to marinate and then a good buffing with a microfibre cloth. I’m twitchy about oversaturating boards and causing swelling or frets to pop up.

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All at once here too. I seat the ball and the pin under the saddle in place so that the string is in place under the bridge to prevent it from moving too much when retuning. For some reason, I have always had the idea that reduces the wear and tear on the bottom side of the bridge plate, and holes. not sure if that makes any diff or not. I usually oil the fret-board every other change. and polish the frets about once every 8 months.

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