Perhaps one of your strings broke while you were shredding on some Slayer. Or maybe you’re just getting sick of all the grease build-up from those late night pizza orders. In any case, I’ve put together a simple guide for changing the strings on your electric guitar. Please note, this guide is not compatible with a Floyd Rose Bridge. If you don’t know what that is, (a) do you have a wammy? (b) does it lift your bridge up when you press down on it? If you answered no to either of these questions, you do NOT have a floyd rose. Here is the guide.
Also: Some guitar models will require you to remove the cover on the bottom of the guitar. Others, such as the Les Paul, give you full string access on top of the guitar. So have tools ready as you may need to spill your axe’s guts.
Step 1: Remove old string
The first step is to, obviously, take the old strings off. Loosen the sixth string (the fattest one) first. You will come back to the other ones later. Strum the string as you loosen it to make sure that it’s not being tightened. Once it’s loose enough, unwind the string from the tuning peg and pull the string out from the opposite side. Do this by grabbing the bulb and pulling it out through the bridge. TIP: I find it easier/safer if I cut the string with some pliers before I pull it off.
Never take more than one string off at a time. You can seriously damage the neck of your guitar if you are hasty about relieving the pressure!
Step 2: Clean your guitar
Using a rag with a little bit of warm water, wipe down the newly exposed part of the neck. You will appreciate doing this while the strings are off.
Step 3: String the new string
Feed the sharp end of your new string (the thickest one you have) back through the bridge (and through your body if the guitar is designed so). Rotate the tuner so that the hole is going the opposite direction of the string (perpendicular). Leave some slack on the string before you thread it. Finding the right amount of slack depends on your guitar, so just estimate. I would recommend a couple of inches.
Now bend the string where you plan to thread it, so that the string makes a right angle. The sharp end should be perpendicular to your guitar. Now bend it again slightly after the first bend (see picture).
Bending your new string
Step 4: Tightening the string
Now its time to tighten that sucker up. Turn the tuner in a counter-clockwise direction. As you turn the peg, make sure that the string is falling into place on the fret board and bridge. Note: If your guitar has 3 pegs on one side and 3 on the other, you will change direction for some strings. The third, second, and first strings should be tightened clockwise.
How you wrap the guitar string is a personal choice. I suggest that for the first loop that the string makes, push it above the exposed string. After that, put all of the coils underneath the exposed string. This will help keep your guitar in tune. Most important here is that the string gets wrapped around the peg at least 3-4 times.
Step 5: Tuning and finishing touches
After the new guitar string has been tightened, bring the string into tune. Always tune up. If the string plays sharp, drop the tune way down and gradually tune it back up. Next you will want to stretch the new string out. This will help to keep your guitar in tune. Grab the string using your entire hand, and gently pull away from the pick guard approx 1 1/2″. Re tune the string, repeat stretch, and re tune. Using pliers, cut the excess string from the tuning peg. Leave at least 1/4″ of excess string - I recommend a half an inch for the first couple of days.
Congratulations! You’ve changed 1 electric guitar string! The good news is that you know how to do it now, so the next 5 will go a lot faster.
Pete Townshend has been playing with The Who for over 40 years, 1 of which is rumored to have been in the womb. The Who is not one of my favorite bands, but they were certainly influential on the rock era, not to mention their amazing live performances. With out further ado, here is the first in our new weekly segment of guitar smashing!
It’s a bird… it’s a plane… no wait, wrong super-hero reference. I’ve been playing this riff as a warm-up over the past couple of weeks. Its a fun little song that will make your geeky friends melt. Easy to play. Repeat riff several times with lyrics. Its Spider-man! My all-time favorite super-hero. I’ve included the original cartoon intro and lyrics along with the tab. Good luck and have fun!
What are the differences, really, between the Gibson Les Paul Standard and the Fender Stratocaster? Here are some key points.
Design differences
Fender Strat———–Gibson Les Paul
Alder wood————-Mahogany
3 pickups, single coil—-2 pickups, double coil or humbuckers
25.5″ long————–24.75″ long
Double-cut away——-Single-cut away
2 tone, 1 volume knob–2 tone, 2 volume knob
Relatively light———-Relatively heavy
Bolt-on neck———–Set neck
6 tuners on one side—-Tuners distributed
No head angle———-15 deg. head angle (for sustain)
Non-locking tremelo—–Stop tail bridge
Five-way toggle——–Three-way toggle
As far as sound goes, the Gibson Les Paul Standard has a warmer, crunchier tone. I think of the Les Paul guitar as being voluptuous. This makes the guitar great for rock n roll. Not that the Fender Strat isn’t great for rock itself. But a Strat is certainly more applicable in different types of music with its cleaner, metallic sound.
Video of Les Paul playing vs Strat playing
Another thing to consider is the weight. Les Paul style guitars are heavy and rounded. The Strat neck, in my experience, feels like a deck of cards in my hand - thin and portable.
There are even more differences if you are looking at the cheaper versions of the Strat/Les Paul. For example, the Epiphone line of Les Paul signature guitars features bolt-on necks instead of set ones.
If you are trying to decide which one to buy, definitely go into your local guitar shop and ask to try them out. The only way to really tell the difference is to play the difference.
If you’re new to guitar chords, here’s a good one to start with. I recommend learning off of this chord because it’s wholesome and centered on the fretboard.
Playing an E chord, aka E Major chord on guitar
Start by putting your ring finger on the second fret of the second string (relative to you). Put your middle finger on the same fret on the string right below that. Finally, put your index finger on the first fret of the string below that. Your fingers should be close to the fret dividers, but not on top of them.
Here is what you should get (ignore the part when he switches fingering):
How fast is he, you ask? Really really fast. Tiago Della Vega set out to break the world record for guitar playing speed this year, and he has certainly achieved that. In what scenario would it be useful or appropriate to play a chord at 320 bpm, you ask? Only two: showing off or breaking records.
If you think this video is tame, then skip to the end. He shreds like a machine.
World record: fastest guitar picking
If you weren’t paying attention to the opening tribute, Vega has spent his life playing guitar for 16 hours a day, every day. The lesson here is that when you have nothing else to offer, offer ‘em technique. Here’s part two of Vega’s guitar awesomeness.
