Changing Strings

[Irish_Rover]

The owners manual that came with my Masterbilt DR500-MCE states: "we recommend changing one string at a time in order to maintain tension on the neck and bridge."

I thought that this had been debunked. Apart from changing strings individually being a royal pain in the backside, how will I ever properly clean and oil the fingerboard?

[fromnabulax]

I use a cotton swab to apply the oil one fret at a time, followed by slipping a clean soft cloth towel under the strings at the sound hole and pulling it up towards the neck wiping down a few frets at a time.

[LPS1976]

The owners manual that came with my Masterbilt DR500-MCE states: "we recommend changing one string at a time in order to maintain tension on the neck and bridge."

I thought that this had been debunked. Apart from changing strings individually being a royal pain in the backside, how will I ever properly clean and oil the fingerboard?

 

I take all of my strings off and have been for years. I don't think it's a big deal.

[Irish_Rover]

I take all of my strings off and have been for years. I don't think it's a big deal.

Thanks for the replies.

I never thought it was a big deal either in all my (2) years of playing guitar :), but seeing it in the owners manual made me paranoid.

[Dennis G]

I take all of my strings off and have been for years. I don't think it's a big deal.

This. I've got 20 guitars, have been playing for decades, and have always taken all the strings off at the same time. For the short duration with no tension on the neck, it's not a big deal. That statement in the manual sounds more like a CYA than anything.

[GuitarLight]

I change my strings one by one on all guitars starting with the 6th string and work down as a matter of convenience. As each strings is removed and replaced I tune the new one. By the time string one is replaced..the guitar is esentially in tune. I find this way more convenient. I slip a cloth under the sound hole and up under the strings with a little fret board conditioner on it if needed. While removing all the strings is said not to harm it, I do not necessarily believe that. There is great tension on the neck. It holds between 130 and 150 pounds weight pull with the strings on. That's the weight of a human being, and the truss rod is set to hold that weight with the strings on. Remove all the strings and the truss rod is still pulling 150 pounds... with no strings on it. Better safe than sorry I say. And if your DR500MCE instructions recommend that you change strings one by one....per the manufacturer, Epiphone (And I know they do because I own a DR500MCE)..I would suggest you follow their instructions. You might even get to prefer changing strings one by one. I now prefer that method! The final decision is of course yours to make. Good luck!

[rct]

Remove all the strings and the truss rod is still pulling 150 pounds... with no strings on it.

 

With no strings on it and no tension on it, the truss rod is doing nothing, because all it does is correctly resist the pull from the t00ners to the bridge. It is not proactive in any way.

 

I've taken all the strings off all of my guitars since 1971, and quite literally hundreds of guitars have never had a problem, cheap to expensive, crappy to superb, none have ever complained about having their strings off for sometimes weeks and months.

 

"...tension on the neck and bridge..." could be that it is a copy and paste from a similar manual for a guitar with a floating bridge, the only reason I've ever seen to change strings one at a time.

 

rct

[Irish_Rover]

So, various opinions (all appreciated) but no real consensus .

 

I already knew that both Martin and Taylor actually recommend removing all of the strings at once, so I guess I was just worried that there was some reason specific to Epiphones that made it a big no no. Nobody has convinced me that that was the case so I went ahead and did exactly what I've been doing for the last 2 years on the low end Fender I learned on, and pulled off all 6 strings, gave the fingerboard, frets, bridge and headstock a really good clean and slapped on a new set of Elixir Nanowebs. The sky didn't fall in and I've just spent 2 very happy hours strumming away and enjoying that wonderful "brand new string" sound .

 

Thanks again for bothering to reply. I do tend to spend most of my spare time either practicing or playing, but I will definitely be dropping by from time to time because although I have little to offer either musically or any great guitar knowledge I do love my Masterbilt .

[Cougar]

I've taken all the strings off all of my guitars since 1971, and quite literally hundreds of guitars have never had a problem, cheap to expensive, crappy to superb, none have ever complained about having their strings off for sometimes weeks and months.

 

It's the cheap and crappy guitars that I've heard removing all the strings might have some effect on, and a Masterbilt is certainly not one of those. But I'd take your word, rct, even on the cheapies. It sure makes lemon-oiling the fingerboard easier.

[rct]

It's the cheap and crappy guitars that I've heard removing all the strings might have some effect on, and a Masterbilt is certainly not one of those. But I'd take your word, rct, even on the cheapies. It sure makes lemon-oiling the fingerboard easier.

 

In my entire career I have never oiled any fingerboard of any material on any guitar, electric or acoustic. I do understand that people do that, but since I've never experienced any detriment from not oiling fingerboards, I don't understand the benefit.

 

rct

[Cougar]

...I've never experienced any detriment from not oiling fingerboards, I don't understand the benefit.

 

I don't know. I expect the wood likes it. :) It also shines up the board and seems to bring out the grain.

[capmaster]

I use a cotton swab to apply the oil one fret at a time, followed by slipping a clean soft cloth towel under the strings at the sound hole and pulling it up towards the neck wiping down a few frets at a time.

It's best doing so right before a string change in order to replace strings gone oily through it.

 

With no strings on it and no tension on it, the truss rod is doing nothing, because all it does is correctly resist the pull from the t00ners to the bridge. It is not proactive in any way.

...

rct

Sorry, but this is not true. In case you leave the truss rod nut alone, the truss rod's spring force will decrease without string tension but will bend the neck backwards. Tuning some strings down until they slack on a hardtail guitar will clearly prove that. Those left alone go sharp, and fretting at 1st and last fret will show they bear on all the frets in between without clearance.

 

When looking along the fretboard edge while performing a dive bomb on a Floyd Rose guitar, the neck's change to a back curvature is clearly visible, too.

[rct]

It's best doing so right before a string change in order to replace strings gone oily through it.

 

 

Sorry, but this is not true. In case you leave the truss rod nut alone, the truss rod's spring force will decrease without string tension but will bend the neck backwards. Tuning some strings down until they slack on a hardtail guitar will clearly prove that. Those left alone go sharp, and fretting at 1st and last fret will show they bear on all the frets in between without clearance.

 

When looking along the fretboard edge while performing a dive bomb on a Floyd Rose guitar, the neck's change to a back curvature is clearly visible, too.

 

k, well, I'd have to agree with you, the neck would respond to not having any string tension on it, but nothing else.

 

I've been playing the guitar a very long time. I have had guitars sit stringless for many months at a time. None has ever suffered any for it. String it up and it's back to where it should be in short time. The physics are undeniable, you are right. The consequences are non existent, in my long experience.

 

rct

[meanstreak]

Ya I've always removed them all, cleaned and oiled the fretboard and let it sit oftentimes overnight for the oil to soak in and dry. String them back up and no problems.