When Should You Change Your Strings?

Old strings are the single most common reason a perfectly good guitar sounds disappointing. If your instrument has lost its sparkle, feels stiff under the fingers, or won't hold tune for a whole song, it's usually the strings rather than the guitar itself. Wound strings also collect sweat, skin oils and grime, which is why your fingertips come away black after a long practise session.

As a rough guide, if you play most days, change them every four to eight weeks. Occasional players can stretch that to a few months, while anyone gigging regularly should fit a fresh set before a run of shows. Classical guitars are a little different — nylon trebles last well, but the wound bass strings go dull quickly and are usually the first to be replaced. Other clear signals include visible corrosion, flat spots worn over the frets, and a string that buzzes or sounds noticeably quieter than its neighbours.

Before You Start: Set Up and Protect Your Guitar

Give yourself a proper workspace. A table with a soft cloth underneath the guitar will protect the finish and stop the instrument sliding about, and good light makes an enormous difference when you're threading a string through a tuning post. A small bowl is handy for bridge pins, screws and anything else you remove.

You'll want a few inexpensive tools:

• A string winder, which turns a tedious job into a quick one
• Wire cutters — nail clippers will do at a push, but proper cutters are cleaner
• A clip-on or pedal tuner
• A soft cloth for the fretboard and body
• A new set of strings in the same gauge, unless you're deliberately changing gauge

Wash your hands first, and check that your new set matches the gauge already on the guitar. Moving to a much heavier or lighter set can change the neck relief and action, which may mean an adjustment at your next setup. If your guitar has a floating tremolo, or you're simply nervous about the bridge shifting, work on one string at a time rather than removing the whole set at once.

Removing the Old Strings Safely

Never snip a string that's still up to pitch. It stores a surprising amount of energy and will whip back at your hand or the guitar's finish. Instead, detune it first by turning the tuning peg until the string is completely slack — for most guitars you turn the peg to lower the pitch, but go slowly and listen rather than guessing.

Once slack, cut the string near the middle and unwind the two halves from the tuning post. Coil the old strings and keep them; a used string is a decent emergency spare, but be careful, because the cut ends are sharp enough to scratch a fretboard.

On an electric, the string simply pulls out of the bridge or tailpiece. On an acoustic, you'll need to deal with the bridge pins:

• Push the string gently downwards towards the soundhole to free the ball end, then lift the pin
• Grip stubborn pins with pliers cushioned by a cloth, pulling straight up
• Never lever a pin against the soundboard — that's how cracks start

With the strings off, it's a good moment to wipe the fretboard with a dry cloth. Keep it brief; leaving a guitar stringless for days can let the neck move. Rosewood and similar dark woods can take a sparing drop of fretboard oil, but maple should be left alone.

Winding On the New Strings Neatly

Thread the string through the bridge first, making sure the ball end sits snugly against the bridge plate. On an acoustic, hold the pin in place while you take up the slack, so the ball doesn't slip out of position.

At the headstock, leave roughly a hand's width of slack beyond the tuning post. Bend the string sharply where it meets the post, then hold that bend in place with one hand while you turn the peg with the other. Wind the coils downwards towards the base of the post, stacked neatly side by side. Overlapping coils are the main cause of tuning slips and snapped strings near the nut.

Wound strings need two or three tidy wraps. Plain strings are slippier, so give them three to five. Always tune up to pitch — if you overshoot, drop below and come back up, which keeps the string seated properly on the post. Once everything is at pitch, trim the excess with cutters, cupping your hand over the end so the offcut doesn't fly off.

Stretching and Tuning: Getting Them to Stay Put

New strings stretch, and no amount of winding will change that. Speed the process up by tuning to pitch, then gently pulling each string about two or three centimetres away from the fretboard at the twelfth fret. Retune, repeat three or four times, then play hard for a few minutes and retune again.

Expect some drift over the next day or two, especially at the first rehearsal, so check your tuning between songs. If a string keeps going flat in the same place, it's usually too few wraps on the post rather than a fault with the string.

Handy Habits for Next Time

• Allow twenty to thirty minutes for your first attempt; with practice, a full set takes about ten
• Keep a spare set in your gig bag, and note the date you fitted the current ones
• If strings keep breaking at the same point, ask a technician to check the nut slot or saddle for a sharp edge
• Change strings before a gig, not on the night, so they've had time to settle

Take your time, keep the coils tidy, and tune up rather than down. Do those three things and your guitar will reward you with brighter tone, easier bends and tuning that holds through an entire set.