Who Changes Strings, One At A Time?

[Murph]

I never did. I've been gigging bars for over 30 years. Les Pauls, SG's, Strats, Teles, whatever.

 

Even when I got my new '03 J45 RW, I just took em' off, cleaned everything, changed the 9 volt and went on.

 

Last year, when I got my new ES-339, I had a gig the following Sat., and for some reason, thought maybe I'd change em' one at a time so as not to unstress/restress this new guitar that I was so impressed with. You know, it was new, glue and nitro still drying.

 

I've done it that way ever since, just seems like a good idea.

 

Opinions? Esp with the glued bridges on acoustics?

 

Murph.

[JT Foote]

That's how I do it. I change strings one at a time, except for once a year, when I clean the fretboard with 0000 steel wool, and put on a coat of tung oil. I'd rather not stress the neck anymore often than necessary. As a result, with my Guild for an example, it hasn't needed an adjustment to the truss rod since 1992. I had a section of the frets crowned and polished last year, but otherwise, nada. I also change strings starting with both E's, to keep the stress on the neck, saddle, and nut as even and balanced as possible.

 

It might be overkill, but it doesn't appear to have hurt anything, either!

[Gilliangirl]

I change them all at once. Okay, here's my possibly flawed logic on why I do that. First, you can give the fretboard a good cleaning. Second (this may be the flawed logic part), I also figure that when you make truss rod adjustments, you usually give the neck an hour or so to kind of *settle in* before measuring. If that is sound logic, then you should be able to whip those strings off all at once and put the new ones back on easily within an hour before the neck is going to be affected by the lack of tension from zero strings. Make sense?

[Murph]

I did it that way for decades too, GG. But cleaning the fretboard isn't really any harder doing it one at a time, it's just different.

 

Murph.

[CAMELEYE]

One at a time for me too. I bring each string up to pitch, give 'em a little stretch then tune again. I also clean the fb as I go. Ce

[Honky Dog]

I've always taken all of them off, clean off the fingerboard, then put the new strings on. I oil the fretboard when needed. I've been doing this to my '87 Dove since new, and the neck is still straight as an arrow. I also use medium strings. That's my experience.

[stumps]

I know you're "suppose to" do it that way, but I don't. - I take 'em all off, that way I clean the fretboard, bridge, etc.

[NevadaPic]

One at a time unless I have some compelling reason that I need to take all the strings off at once - the rare saddle adjustment or fingerboard cleaning...

 

Pic

[Paul E]

I take them all off but when I put new ones back on I work from outside in, both E's, A&B, then D&G last. Working my way up the tuners.

[Greg Ferguson]

You're supposed to change the strings? Maybe that's why my guitar doesn't sound as good as it used to. ;-)

[LPDEN]

It all depends for me. If I want to clean everything up, I'll take them all off at once. Otherwise, I'll go one at a time. My habit is I always start at the low E and go from there.

[drathbun]

I change 'em all at once for all the reasons stated. These are guitars not china dolls. Take the strings off, put 'em back on. The neck will be fine and the relief will not change if you put the same gauge strings back on.

 

The only guitars I change one string at a time are my Rickenbackers, cause the tailpieces falls off if you don't.

[Honky Dog]

Hey drathbun, thanks again for that string changing post you put up awhile back. I picked up a couple of nice tips from it. That was a great post, my man.

[drathbun]

Thanks Honky Dog!

 

I'm going to do one on changing strings on a Rick 12 string... now that IS rocket science!

 

For those who missed it or want to reference it... the thread is HERE.

[ballcorner]

When I first learned to play guitar, a much older friend taught me to change strings using this method. In fact, he was very specific about the order in which the strings needed to be changed - D G A B E E.

 

I did it that way for a few years, actually, until I met a rather famous luthier at a show who told me it was nonsense. He explained that the neck only moved a couple of millimeters with or without strings and the tensile strength of the neck made it capable of absorbing the shock of that minor movement without any problem whatsoever.

 

Further, he explained that if you handle tarnished strings as you remove them and then handle your brand new strings without washing your hands in between, it is very likely you will transfer oxidation from the old to new strings - thus speeding the decay of the new set.

[Space Pup]

Now I change my strings one at a time but twice a year I'll take all the strings off examine and clean the frets and fretboard, change the battery, check the braces, etc..

 

When I use to play in a band I would take all the strings off and clean the fretbaord everytime. Funny how when you play clubs how dirty your guitar can get after just a few shows.

[H]

I change mine one at a time too. I did the top E yesterday and I'm planning to do the D sometime in early April

[peiplayer]

I change them one at a time low to high. I tune each one to the string next to it as I put them on which gives a rough tuning to them all to start with.

[Taylor Player]

I am in the all at once crowd. It's the only way I have ever done it. It gives me a chance to swap out batteries in my 612C, stick my little mirror in the soundhole to scope out the inside of my guitars, clean completely under the strings, and give the guitar a good once over prior to re-stringing. My 16 year old Taylor has had it done that way for hundreds of string changes with no problems.

 

Now if I had an archtop with a movable bridge or something, one string at a time would make sense to me.

[Johnt]

You're supposed to change the strings? Maybe that's why my guitar doesn't sound as good as it used to. ;-)

 

 

You took the words right out of my mouth!

 

When I do change them I tend to use the "keef richard" method.

 

Take one new packet of strings

 

Remove the topE, never using a stringer, always turning the machine head by hand, get really bored, stick top E into finger,go to bathroom to wash away blood, return next day,re-tighten string and return packet of new strings to cupboard!

[Johnt]

 

You took the words right out of my mouth!

 

When I do change them I tend to use my adaptation of the "keef richard" method.

 

Take one new packet of strings

 

Remove the topE' date=' never using a stringer, always turning the machine head by hand, get really bored, stick top E into finger,go to bathroom to wash away blood, return next day,re-tighten string and return packet of new strings to cupboard![/quote']

[eeh1]

I have always had acoustics and changed one string at a time starting from the base(6th) I don't know if its right or wrong but I have never had a problem.

[eeh1]

I have never used a stringwinder. It usually only takes me 2- 3 days to replace strings. hahahahahahahaha

[Greg Ferguson]

Stringwinder

 

[eeh1]

hahahahahahahaYes Greg that looks familiar.