Knowhow-Now Article

How To Choose And Change An Acoustic Guitar String

By Nicole Lundy

Nicole Lundy

People who play musical instruments know how important it is to care for their pieces properly and maintain these the right way. Proper maintenance is crucial so only the best sound emanates from the instrument. No other instrument needs utmost care than one with strings. An acoustic guitar string is instrumental in making sure that the exact tone comes out each time you strum your guitar. Nevertheless, guitar strings have the tendency to break no matter how well you care for these. Furthermore, if you play the guitar regularly, sweat from your hands would accumulate in the minutest gaps in the strings. When this happens, the guitar would start to sound blunt, clogged, or muffled.


There is also the chance that there would be rust build-up on the strings. This would make it impossible for you to fine-tune the guitar. These are just some of the reasons why you need to change acoustic guitar strings periodically. If you put on a new set of strings on a regular basis, you would be able to tune the guitar perfectly. Of course, you would also be able to produce the best sound possible. The ideal time to change the strings is every three months. Doing so, you would maintain a better tone of the guitar. Now the question is how do you go about an acoustic guitar string change? Some instructors who teach guitar lessons actually teach their students to change guitar strings. It’s not so hard to do as long as you have a good set of strings, pliers, and plenty of time. It’s important to buy good quality strings from known brands, because the tone produced from the guitar would greatly depend on the quality of the strings you replaced.

The first thing you need to do when stringing acoustic guitar is to remove the worn-out strings totally. This involves detuning the guitar completely in order to loosen all the strings and remove these from their respective tuning heads. Afterward, you need to take the strings from the bridge, which is found on the other end of the guitar. The bridge has caps placed firmly on it in order to secure the strings. These caps are important as these hold the tension of the strings while you’re playing the guitar. You need to remove the caps with pliers so you can remove the strings off the bridge. Keep in mind that the manner in which you would put new strings on the guitar is the same as how you removed the old one, albeit in reverse. You need to replace one string at a time.


You’ll find rings on the end of each strong and these are the ones you need to insert in holes on the bridge, after which you need to secure these with the caps. You need to make sure that you fit the caps properly so there wouldn’t be any chance for the strings to loosen up when you begin plucking on the strings. Then, take the other end of the strings and insert these in the holes of the respective tuning heads. Try not to pull on the ends tightly, making sure you keep a little slack. This would make it easier for you to coil the strings around the tuning head twice when you begin retuning the guitar.

At this point, you’re probably wondering how you can choose the best acoustic guitar string. Well, it would be a good idea to determine which type of string you want. Would you opt for nylon strings or would you prefer steel strings? Nylon strings are typically used in Spanish guitars that have long fingerboard. Steel strings are perfect for acoustic guitars. Nevertheless, you could try to experiment with nylon strings especially if you want to produce mellow sounds. Steel strings are known to give out sharp attacking tones, which may not sit well with you. You also need to pay attention to the gauge, which relates to how thick the string is. For acoustic guitars, gauges are measured in diameters classified in thousandths of an inch. Acoustic guitars have five gauges – extra light, custom light, light, light to medium, and medium. If you’re a beginner, you might want to use strings with light gauges, as these are softer to play. Concisely, you choose gauges depending on how you strum or pluck the strings.

You would do well to familiarize yourself with different acoustic guitar string names so you’ll know which ones to buy when you need to change strings. Some of the more famous brand names are D’Addario, Fender, Dean Markley, elixir, Ernie Ball, and Dunlop. Choosing from among these brands would ensure the best sound clarity for your acoustic guitar. Remember, if you choose the right set of strings, there would be vast improvements on the tone quality and your guitar-playing skills.


It would be a good idea to determine which type of string you want. Would you opt for nylon strings or would you prefer steel strings?

get the right strings for you

Comments
Order by: 
Per page:
 
  • There are no comments yet
   Comment Record a video comment
 
 
 
     
Related Articles
There was a time when ballet music was compiled by the pianist using versions of music from the greatest ballet acts. Ballet class pianists are not just pianists, they know ballet and its choreography. There is a science behind ballet music used in every class
11.11.2015 · From TheAuthor
Pole dancing is becoming a very popular hobby. Choosing the right pole for your pole dancing training is important, not just for appearance and practicality but also for safety - you don't want to fall from a badly designed pole while working out and injuring yourself.
11.11.2015 · From Suzanne
Organic gardening can very well pass up as a hobby for starters. This can be true if you are the type of person who has the passion for gardening. This may not be everybody's cup of tea. So consider yourself lucky if you are among those who can grow green things out...
03.11.2015 · From GreenFingers
In the scrapbooking store, the most popular section is the scrapbooking paper section. So many memories can be put into scrapbooks, but, there are many different papers that can be used. What’s your type? Here's some scrapbook paper selection ideas
02.10.2015 · From spanglers
Buying a guitar as an investment demands a thorough insight. The guitar world thrives with fakes some perfectly done so that even experts can be fooled. Investment guitars are called as such because they are bought for a low price and then sold for a higher price.
15.03.2015 · From Andrew_Facebook
Ads
Article Info
900 Views
0 Subscribers
All Articles by nelanibeauty
Sharing Is Good!
Rate
0 votes