Are the strings on your guitar discolored or rusty? Maybe more importantly, are all six strings present and accounted for? If you answered NO to either of the two questions or if it’s been several months since you put new strings on the guitar, it’s time for a string change.

How often should you change the guitar strings? Just like the brake pads on a car, guitar strings wear out with use. Old guitar strings often behave badly (aka they’ll lose tuning more quickly, sound less “bright”, and give you problems with intonation). Bottom line, if you play the guitar – you need to change the strings every A) couple of months if you play casually and B) every two weeks if you play professionally at gigs, etc.

If you own an acoustic guitar, you need “acoustic guitar strings”. If you own a classical guitar, you need “classical guitar strings” or “nylon strings”. An electric guitar, thus, requires ”electric guitar strings.” If you have yet to get the hint, each guitar requires different strings.

When you go to change the guitar strings, you also must consider the gauge. What is the gauge? It’s basically the thickness of the strings. While every guitarist is different, medium gauge is the recommended level for beginners as you can adjust accordingly upon performance.

Guitar strings, regardless of the gauge and brand, should set you back no more than $8-$16.

Steps Needed to Change the Strings:

1. Once you’ve completely loosened the 6th string, unwind it from the tuning peg and remove from the guitar. Some individuals find it easier to snip the string in half with pliers and then remove. Make sure you ONLY REMOVE one string at a time. Removing all six strings at once will drastically change the pressure exerted on the neck. The result? Seriously damage to your instrument.

Before moving on, take a few minutes to clean the newly exposed areas of the guitar.

2. Locate the new sixth string (the heaviest of all six) and unravel from the packaging. Feeding the new string through your guitar varies from instrument to instrument. For some electric guitars, you’ll simply feed the string through the tailpiece, in a manner similar to stringing an acoustic guitar. For quite a few other electric guitars, however, the guitarist will feed the new string through the body of the instrument. Flip the guitar over, and locate the appropriate hole to feed the new string through.

3. Flip the instrument over after you’ve successfully fed the string through the body of the guitar. Then, pull the entire length of the string through the bridge.

4. Rotate the tuner for the sixth string, so the hole in the tuning peg forms a right angle to the neck of the instrument. Now, bring the string up the neck of the guitar. Pull the string fairly taught, and using your eye to estimate, measure about one-and-a-half inches past the tuning peg. Crimp the string lightly at that point, so the end of the string points out at a right-angle.

5. Slide the string through the hole in the tuning peg, up to the point where the string is crimped. The end of the string should point outwards, away from the center of the headstock. You may want to crimp the other side of the string emerging from the tuning peg , in order to hold the string in place. Then, turn the tuner in a counter-clockwise direction to wind the new string, using your string winder (if applicable). As it tightens, look down the length of the guitar, and be sure the string is sitting properly on the bridge of the guitar.