Changing strings....

[blindboygrunt]

this really is crazy , never known a guitar player in 25 years of playin to not take all 6 off at once . and never heard a problem arising . come on guys !

[Morkolo]

For me it all depends on how dirty the fretboard is, if it's in need of cleaning I'll pull all of the strings off and give it a good cleaning. If it's not I'll put them on one at a time, I find my guitars get in tune and stay there much quicker that way. For the most part I don't find it really matters though, unless you're doing it on a Floyd Rose... then you're in for a barrel of fun.

[j45nick]

For the

most part I don't find it really matters though, unless you're doing it on a Floyd Rose... then you're in for a barrel of fun.

Or an ES 335-12 with a trap tailpiece. Then you're in for a whole afternoon of fun!

[onewilyfool]

I take them off one-at-a-time.......but I never take off the "G" string....I like to keep a little mystery, if you know what I mean.........

[57classic]

I change them one at a time. I started because the stop bar fell off my Les Paul years ago when I changed them all at once and it rolled across the top. Since then I change electrics and acoustics one at a time.

 

BTW wily, I prefer the G string off.

[j45nick]

I change them one at a time. I started because the stop bar fell off my Les Paul years ago when I changed them all at once and it rolled across the top. Since then I change electrics and acoustics one at a time.

 

BTW wily, I prefer the G string off.

 

Does that mean you prefer a wrapped G-string, or an unwrapped one? Or do you just leave the whole thing off?

[ol fred]

Sometimes I think Wiley is coming unwrapped

jes kiddin pal

 

 

Does that mean you prefer a wrapped G-string, or an unwrapped one? Or do you just leave the whole thing off?

[BigKahune]

this really is crazy , never known a guitar player in 25 years of playin to not take all 6 off at once . and never heard a problem arising . come on guys !

 

This subject comes up once in a while and it's always a split. Apparently you don't know some of the guitar players here. . B)

 

 

 

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[Harmonics101]

Changing your strings all at once helps make your guitar open up faster

 

Harmonics101

 

(added : but seriously, the naysayers do bring up some good points. I'm a convert from changing one at a time to changing all at once. I don't think i'd EVER go back to one at a time. I mean, that could take YEARS off your life, or at least mine when i did 'em one at a time.

 

I sort of agree that there could be some settlement or de-stressing that COULD occur when taking them off all at once. However, I see guitar stores do it all the time so I am not that worried.

 

It also helps me maintain a more consistent cleaning ritual for the fretboard and sound board of the guitar.

 

I've also heard that the guitar DOESN'T open up properly cuz you are taking the strings off all at once.

 

Lots of opinions out there on this ladies and gentlemen

[blindboygrunt]

This subject comes up once in a while and it's always a split. Apparently you don't know some of the guitar players here. . B)

 

 

 

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so it seems :-D

 

does each string have the same amount of tension on a guitar neck ?

[Tman]

I take them all off, then replace them one by one. Both electrics and acoustic. On the stop tailpiece of my les paul or V, I hold the tailpiece so it doesn't go flying off and scratch the guitar.

[Harmonics101]

BlindBoyGrunt, I'm guessing the larger diameter strings apply more force when at tension.

 

Howver, I'm guessing that strings 1 2 and 3 apply more force when tuned.

 

So, what I do when i do the 6 string swap is to barely bring strings 1 2 and 3 to tension.

 

Then barely bring strings 4 5 and 6 to tension.

 

Then, REAL QUICK, tune that guitar as fast as possible to keep the tension even across all strings !!

 

Yep, i'm serious

 

Harmonics

[drathbun]

The thing about doing damage by removing all the strings at once is one of the older wives tales of guitars. Do it any way you like; it will not harm your guitars. Think about a guitar repair shop, where several unstrung guitars are all over the place in varios stages of repair, some even for weeks, and the tech isn't worried about the necks.

 

Unless the fingerboard is particularly dirty, wiping with a cloth should be sufficient, along with an annual mineral oil treatment to keep the wood moist enough.

 

+1 on this. I routinely remove all the strings (detune and remove not cut off). Whether the board is gunky or not, I'll give it a lengthwise buff with 0000 steel wool to brighten the frets and give it some Dunlop 65 fretboard conditioner. This is also a good opportunity to check the battery if you have a active pickup.

[Windwalker9000]

I'am from the old school, I still change one string at a time in this order 1st then 6th, 2nd then 5th 3rd then 4th thats how you keep trouble away !!!

[Jerry K]

Try this some time. First note the action of the G or 3rd string and how it plays (or pick another string). If possible measure the action (Stewart MacDonald has an excellent gauge). Now, leaving the G string tuned to pitch, remove all the other strings. Examine and measure the action of the G string again. At this point, with the huge tension of 5 strings removed, the neck has probably shifted backward quite a bit and chances are quite good your G string is now not only out of tune but buzzing as well. The effect of removing the tension of 5 strings is quite dramatic.

 

Most players would avoid tweaking the truss rod right before a gig or recording if the adjustment wasn't absolutely necessary. They want the guitar to settle down before a performance. Yet people often take all the strings off when changing strings. If you perform the above experiment you can see that removing all the strings causes a more radical change to the neck than a quarter turn of most truss rods.

[blindboygrunt]

Try this some time. First note the action of the G or 3rd string and how it plays (or pick another string). If possible measure the action (Stewart MacDonald has an excellent gauge). Now, leaving the G string tuned to pitch, remove all the other strings. Examine and measure the action of the G string again. At this point, with the huge tension of 5 strings removed, the neck has probably shifted backward quite a bit and chances are quite good your G string is now not only out of tune but buzzing as well. The effect of removing the tension of 5 strings is quite dramatic.

 

yip ,i wouldnt have to get tools out to know that there'll be movement ..... still dont see the harm . i can see why some are worried , but nothing bad happens :-)

in fact what is MORE worrying is the shape the wood is in while the strings are on it

if you see a tall building bend on a windy day or a bridge twist in wind the worry of collapse is not when it returns to its normal state but when its under pressure

can't imagine a bow snapping with no arrow in it

[drathbun]

The steel string guitar with a truss rod is designed to work this way. The nut, saddle, truss rod and strings all work together and are adjustable. Being afraid to use the truss rod or taking the tension off the neck and then putting it back on again is like saying you're afraid to use the brakes on your car because they might wear out. It is designed for use.

[Jerry K]

The steel string guitar with a truss rod is designed to work this way. The nut, saddle, truss rod and strings all work together and are adjustable. Being afraid to use the truss rod or taking the tension off the neck and then putting it back on again is like saying you're afraid to use the brakes on your car because they might wear out. It is designed for use.

 

Oh come on. Would you change strings five minutes before a performance? I think not. As an experienced player you know the strings stretch and sound shimmery for a few hours so changing some time before the performance is good. By your logic that means you are afraid of changing strings.

[blindboygrunt]

Oh come on. Would you change strings five minutes before a performance? I think not. As an experienced player you know the strings stretch and sound shimmery for a few hours so changing some time before the performance is good. By your logic that means you are afraid of changing strings.

 

thats not the point being made , i doubt anyone changes strings immediately before a gig , but thats because as you say new strings sounds a but too alive . it could be done and i in fact have done it a few times if i'm running late . never mind the countless times i've had to put a new string on mid-gig when one breaks . is annoying but sometimes you gotta play .

the discussion is neck stability an the effect string changed have . if changing before a gig has a downside its just jangly strings , not needing a luthier to do a neck reset if u take all the strings off before u go onstage :-)

[retrorod]

Just found this tutorial on YTUBE which brings up one good reason for changing strings only one or two at a time. That being, if the guitar has an under saddle transducer, it is better to leave some constant tension on the saddle. The UST seems to like that better. Yikes....How do it know?

[retrorod]

Here is a good site for those that may be interested in the lbs/tension on a guitar with various guage strings and tunings.

It makes on appreciate the sturdiness of guitars and the truss rods..

 

My link

[blindboygrunt]

Just found this tutorial on YTUBE which brings up one good reason for changing strings only one or two at a time. That being, if the guitar has an under saddle transducer, it is better to leave some constant tension on the saddle. The UST seems to like that better. Yikes....How do it know?

 

 

it doesnt give any reason at all , the guy just says that .

thats not a reason :-)

who is he ? god or something ??

:-p

[drathbun]

Oh come on. Would you change strings five minutes before a performance? I think not. As an experienced player you know the strings stretch and sound shimmery for a few hours so changing some time before the performance is good. By your logic that means you are afraid of changing strings.

 

The question was about taking the strings off one at a time versus all at once. I never mentioned "before a performance" as anyone with any experience knows new strings need time to settle. Even truss rod adjustments need an overnight to settle.

 

I've taken strings off all at once for over 30 years. Never a problem.

[Buc McMaster]

I'm in the "it don't matter" camp. Given the same string gauge, taking all the strings off at once for replacement does not change the guitar in anyway. Yes, the neck relaxes when the strings are removed and just as certainly the neck is re-tensioned when the new strings are tuned back to pitch. Removing string tension does not change the counter pull of the t-rod....it's still as tight as it was before the strings were removed. Thinking that all the strings off at once is a bad thing implies the t-rod adjustment somehow changes......not. Of course there are those that are non-believers, but 40 years of playing and tinkering with guitars of all types tells me that removing all the strings at once makes no difference in the setup (short-term or otherwise) of a quality guitar.

[jt]

I change strings one at a time, not out of fear of damaging a guitar, but because I find it easier: I can tune the new string to an adjacent string. Once or twice a year, I remove them all and clean the fretboard with some fretboard oil (StewMac)and 0000 steel wool.

 

As for changing strings immediately before a performance, Tommy Emmanuel does this. He also changes strings between sets. He just stretches them really well.