Help changing my guitar strings?

Question

I am trying to change the strings on my acoustic guitar, I have looked online and I cant figure it out, I have a Thomas Pacconi guitar, and when i watch videos of how you would change the strings i notice that the neck thing ( the thing that holds the strings is different) im learning how to play so if someone could help me that would be amazing!

Answer 1

My best advice to you would be to take your guitar to the nearest music store, & ask someone in the store to demonstrate to you how to change the strings.

Any guitar teacher should be able to help you as well.

I have been changing the strings on my guitars for as long as I can remember.

But I will try to help you here for now with a brief description, but if this doesn't do it for you, then go to the music store where you bought your strings for help.

Step 1) Loosten all of your strings by turning the tuning pegs on each of the strings until the strings are completely unwound from the pegs.

Step 2) You said you have an accoustic guitar, so I am assuming that your strings are held at the bridge end by little white pegs, so gently pull each of the pegs out to free the opposite end of each of the strings.

Step 3) Carefully organize each of your new strings so that you place them back into their correct positions on the guitar.

I will assume that you at least know the proper order of the strings.

Step 4) Unwind each new string from it's package, & place the little grommet down the peg hole & push the peg back in to hold the string in place. Do this one at a time so that you don't get confused about which string is which.

Step 5) Starting from either the highest or lowest E-string thread  the other end of the string through the hole in the tuning peg, & start to wind it on by turning the peg. This part gets tricky because you need to pay attention to which direction you are turning the peg, & I recommend that you don't attempt to wind every inch of string provided on to the peg. Guitar strings are usually shipped with way too much string length for any guitar, so estimate where you start winding on the string, but you want to end up with at least 3, or 4 complete turns of string on your peg. Guitars all have different neck lengths, as well as varying distances from the peg to the tail, so don't feel you have to use every inch of string on your guitar. For me, I usually waste about 6" to 10" of surplus string to get the necessary number of winds on the peg. Also do your utmost to neatly wind the strings on to the peg, & avoid making overlapping layers. A single layer of string with several winds placed evenly around the peg reduces the change of the string slipping on the peg, & suddenly going out of tune on you.

Step 6) Wind each string up to a certain level of tighness. Do this in stages untill all of the strings are at or near their proper pitch. Of course make sure each string is seated properly in the nut. (the grooved piece at the top end of the neck). Once you have them close in tune, then you can try to do a final tuning, but here's a tip.

Once you have the guitar re-strung, & almost tuned up, grab each string individually over the sound hole with two or more fingers, & stretch that string as much as you dare without risking breakage of the string. Re-tune the guitar, & then stretch the strings again.

You should be able to do this several times, & after about the 3rd, or 4th time you will discover the guitar goes less & less out of tune. Keep doing this until the strings stay in tune after a stretch. Now your guitar won't go out of tune on you as you are playing it shortly after putting on the new strings.

(An old musicians trick)

After reading this watch your video again, & then hopefully you will be ready to re-string your axe.