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changing guitar strings

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The Sandman	26 Oct 14 - 07:20 PM
GUEST	26 Oct 14 - 07:24 PM
Mark Ross	26 Oct 14 - 07:49 PM
GUEST,gillymor	26 Oct 14 - 08:02 PM
Seamus Kennedy	26 Oct 14 - 08:59 PM
Backwoodsman	27 Oct 14 - 01:41 AM
Musket	27 Oct 14 - 03:00 AM
Acorn4	27 Oct 14 - 03:29 AM
GUEST,colin holt	27 Oct 14 - 04:30 AM
Leadfingers	27 Oct 14 - 04:32 AM
Backwoodsman	27 Oct 14 - 04:32 AM
GUEST,trews	27 Oct 14 - 05:26 AM
JHW	27 Oct 14 - 05:48 AM
GUEST,gillymor	27 Oct 14 - 08:47 AM
GUEST,gillymor	27 Oct 14 - 09:27 AM
PHJim	27 Oct 14 - 09:31 AM
Backwoodsman	27 Oct 14 - 10:06 AM
Mark Ross	27 Oct 14 - 03:53 PM
michaelr	27 Oct 14 - 05:47 PM
GUEST	27 Oct 14 - 07:46 PM
PHJim	27 Oct 14 - 09:31 PM
Backwoodsman	28 Oct 14 - 01:49 AM
GUEST,Bignige	28 Oct 14 - 06:00 AM
Musket	28 Oct 14 - 06:31 AM
The Sandman	28 Oct 14 - 07:36 AM
GUEST,Ray	28 Oct 14 - 11:53 AM
GUEST,gillymor	28 Oct 14 - 01:30 PM
GUEST,punkfolkrocker	28 Oct 14 - 01:37 PM
Musket	28 Oct 14 - 02:42 PM
Backwoodsman	28 Oct 14 - 02:49 PM
GUEST,gillymor	28 Oct 14 - 04:12 PM
Backwoodsman	28 Oct 14 - 04:19 PM
GUEST,gillymor	28 Oct 14 - 04:33 PM
Musket	29 Oct 14 - 02:43 AM
Stanron	29 Oct 14 - 09:11 AM
GUEST,gillymor	29 Oct 14 - 09:16 AM
Musket	29 Oct 14 - 01:00 PM
GUEST,Rahere	29 Oct 14 - 02:32 PM
Fred	07 Jul 25 - 02:32 PM
Fred	07 Jul 25 - 03:01 PM
Big Al Whittle	07 Jul 25 - 11:48 PM
MaJoC the Filk	08 Jul 25 - 04:49 AM
gillymor	08 Jul 25 - 05:51 AM
Fred	08 Jul 25 - 06:15 AM
gillymor	08 Jul 25 - 07:09 AM
Fred	08 Jul 25 - 07:34 AM
Fred	08 Jul 25 - 07:50 AM
gillymor	08 Jul 25 - 07:54 AM
gillymor	08 Jul 25 - 07:56 AM
Fred	08 Jul 25 - 08:11 AM
gillymor	08 Jul 25 - 08:26 AM
Fred	08 Jul 25 - 08:45 AM
gillymor	08 Jul 25 - 09:31 AM
Fred	08 Jul 25 - 09:51 AM
gillymor	08 Jul 25 - 10:03 AM
Fred	08 Jul 25 - 10:16 AM
GUEST,John From Kemsing	10 Jul 25 - 12:16 PM
gillymor	10 Jul 25 - 12:33 PM
Fred	10 Jul 25 - 03:41 PM
Fred	11 Jul 25 - 11:40 AM
Pappy Fiddle	11 Jul 25 - 01:24 PM
Pappy Fiddle	11 Jul 25 - 01:35 PM
Fred	14 Jul 25 - 02:52 PM
Fred	14 Jul 25 - 06:46 PM
gillymor	15 Jul 25 - 06:25 AM
gillymor	15 Jul 25 - 07:09 AM
Fred	15 Jul 25 - 08:24 AM
gillymor	15 Jul 25 - 08:51 AM
Fred	15 Jul 25 - 09:06 AM
gillymor	15 Jul 25 - 09:08 AM
Fred	15 Jul 25 - 09:32 AM
gillymor	15 Jul 25 - 09:38 AM

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Subject: changing guitar strings
From: The Sandman
Date: 26 Oct 14 - 07:20 PM

Does it make a difference to tension on the body, if guitar strings are changed in a particular order, for example string one then string six,then strings 5, 4, 3, 2.

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Subject: RE: changing guitar strings
From: GUEST
Date: 26 Oct 14 - 07:24 PM

Depends, is it a Trad Folk or a Contemporary Folk Guitar ?

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Subject: RE: changing guitar strings
From: Mark Ross
Date: 26 Oct 14 - 07:49 PM

If you change your strings and let them sit for 24 hours before playing they will last 3 times as long. It doesn't make any difference the order in which you change them.

Mark Ross

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Subject: RE: changing guitar strings
From: GUEST,gillymor
Date: 26 Oct 14 - 08:02 PM

Ditto what Mark said. Let them sit 24 hours.

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Subject: RE: changing guitar strings
From: Seamus Kennedy
Date: 26 Oct 14 - 08:59 PM

Mark - I've been playing guitar for donkeys' years now, and I never heard about letting them sit for 24 hours. What is the rationale/science behind it? I agree with you that it doesn't make any difference which order you change them in. And that it's OK to end a sentence in a preposition...

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Subject: RE: changing guitar strings
From: Backwoodsman
Date: 27 Oct 14 - 01:41 AM

It makes no difference whether you take them all off at one go, or change them one at a time, or whatever order you change them in. The notion that un-stringing/stringing puts damaging stresses on a guitar is widely-held, but it's a complete fallacy.

Ask any luthier.

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Subject: RE: changing guitar strings
From: Musket
Date: 27 Oct 14 - 03:00 AM

They are certainly a bit lively to begin with! I haven't taken notice of the 24 hour wisdom in forty years of guitar ownership. I tend to change one at a time but invariably that is to protect any under saddle pickup rather than to prevent movement. The sound certainly mellows in the first 24 hours but playing them helps rather than hinders the process.

I agree with Backwoodsman but would point out warping might happen if you have a guitar strung for many years and then leave it sans strings for a few months, as my youngest did when borrowing my 12 string. Grr...

The tension on the bridge and headstock, especially at the fulcrum points of saddle and nut of a steel string acoustic is, from an engineering aspect, rather high. The truss rod is doing an important job. One of my guitars does not have a truss rod, relying on the strength of carbon fibre instead (Rainsong OM1000 N1) and whilst mine is fine at the moment, I notice Rainsong have stopped doing the N1 trussless neck as many people haven't been as lucky as me! The point being that string tension can affect a solid lump of carbon fibre, it's that tight.

Google the acoustic guitar forum. You will find threads galore to bamboozle you with perceived wisdom for every view on strings you can find. The good news is that you won't get anyone claiming only the traditional method is the right one

😇 I didn't say a thing.

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Subject: RE: changing guitar strings
From: Acorn4
Date: 27 Oct 14 - 03:29 AM

I always change one at a time because you can tune the new strings to the old ones.

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Subject: RE: changing guitar strings
From: GUEST,colin holt
Date: 27 Oct 14 - 04:30 AM

Never heard of a 24 hour rule... Can't see any wisdom in that at all. Neither have I heard of a "Trad Folk" guitar or a "Contemporary Folk Guitar"......I tend to change mine all at once, but agree with "Musket", in doing this you have to be careful if you have an under saddle pick up.... Gives me chance to give the fingerboard a proper clean over though

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Subject: RE: changing guitar strings
From: Leadfingers
Date: 27 Oct 14 - 04:32 AM

The only time I ever managed to let strings settle for 24 hours I had a 3rd break after twenty minutes of playing - Though In My Opinion that was down to the strings !

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Subject: RE: changing guitar strings
From: Backwoodsman
Date: 27 Oct 14 - 04:32 AM

I have a Peterson Stroboclip, six Snarks and a Boss TU-3 so I don't need to rely on tuning to the other strings! I usually (but not always) take all six off when I'm changing strings, so I can give the body, neck and F/B a wipe over with a warm damp cloth. But it's each to his own! :-)

My first post was merely intended to blow the myth that the order strings are changed in, or removing them all at one go, creates issues with tension changes that are 'damaging' to a guitar - greater guitar-building minds than ours say not.

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Subject: RE: changing guitar strings
From: GUEST,trews
Date: 27 Oct 14 - 05:26 AM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=80EuGOXgoOo

remove the bridge pins with side cutters?! get a plastic string winder with a peg remover notch (eg Planet waves)

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Subject: RE: changing guitar strings
From: JHW
Date: 27 Oct 14 - 05:48 AM

I was told to leave at least a couple of strings in tension throughout the change so as to keep the Fishman pu under the bridge in place (if you have a pu of course). I do still clean the fingerboard and dose it with fb oil.

I overtension all the new strings and let them sit. We did this with conductors when building electricity overhead lines. Then when they are let back to pitch they don't keep needing correction.

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Subject: RE: changing guitar strings
From: GUEST,gillymor
Date: 27 Oct 14 - 08:47 AM

I first heard of the 24 hour technique about 3 decades ago. In an issue of the now defunct Frets magazine Dan Crary suggested it but didn't claim to know why it works. I tried it then and have been using it ever since. I wouldn't say that, for me, strings last 3X longer as Mark suggests but it takes them a lot longer to go dead if you give them 24 hours before playing.
Zepp Country music, mostly a banjo dealer, demonstrates a good way to restring banjos on his website which also works well on guitars at the tuning heads.

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Subject: RE: changing guitar strings
From: GUEST,gillymor
Date: 27 Oct 14 - 09:27 AM

Changing strings at zeppmusic.com.

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Subject: RE: changing guitar strings
From: PHJim
Date: 27 Oct 14 - 09:31 AM

I always change the 3 bass side strings first, then the three treble side strings. No reason, it's just the way I've always done it. I love playing on new strings and could never wait 24 hours. In fact I will change someone else's strings for them if I can play the new strings for the first 20 minutes.
I fasten the strings at the bridge or tailpiece, then pull them tight around the tuner post, wrap twice and through the hole. Then I use a string winder to bring them close to pitch before fine tuning. I like to stretch them by pulling them away from the fingerboard.
I always try to clip thestrings, but if I find myself changing a string without a tool to cut it, I will take a loonie (Canadian dollar coin) or a quarter and use it to curl the string (like my mom used to curl Christmas present ribbon with scissors).

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Subject: RE: changing guitar strings
From: Backwoodsman
Date: 27 Oct 14 - 10:06 AM

Here's the method I use to string 'em up ...... Bryan Kimsey's Stringing Video

No slipping, quick 'n' easy.

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Subject: RE: changing guitar strings
From: Mark Ross
Date: 27 Oct 14 - 03:53 PM

Leaving them on for 24 hours seems to give them the opportunity to stretch out. I used to be able to kill a brand new set in 15 minutes due to acid sweat. In fact I still can. I have just found that leaving them sit for that length of time makes a difference. I only have to change strings a couple of times a year now.

Mark Ross

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Subject: RE: changing guitar strings
From: michaelr
Date: 27 Oct 14 - 05:47 PM

JHW - "I do still clean the fingerboard and dose it with fb oil."

Facebook oil??

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Subject: RE: changing guitar strings
From: GUEST
Date: 27 Oct 14 - 07:46 PM

Leave them for 24 hours? Not exactly the most practical option for a gigging musician!

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Subject: RE: changing guitar strings
From: PHJim
Date: 27 Oct 14 - 09:31 PM

How often do you change strings? When I saw "a couple of times a year", I realised that I change 'em often compared to this. I used to change strings before each gig, but now I change when they start to feel like they need it. My most used guitars seldom go more than a month. Banjo and mandolin strings will sometimes go 3 or 4 months though.

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Subject: RE: changing guitar strings
From: Backwoodsman
Date: 28 Oct 14 - 01:49 AM

Same here Jim! When they start to lose tone, off the come! Can't stand a guitar with strings that sound like someone thumping the side of a packing-case.

I don't understand Mark's comment that his sweat can kill a set of strings in 15 minutes, but he only changes them twice a year? Bit of a disconnect there?

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Subject: RE: changing guitar strings
From: GUEST,Bignige
Date: 28 Oct 14 - 06:00 AM

Tommy Emmanuel gives a great lesson on changing strings, its on You Tube and worth a look.
My personal pet hate is artists who swap from one tuning to another during their performance. Guitar tuning can be fickle at the best of times, without altering the overall tension every five minutes. Added to which I don't pay good money to hear an Artist tune up.

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Subject: RE: changing guitar strings
From: Musket
Date: 28 Oct 14 - 06:31 AM

Dunno. I used to get more negative comments for taking a few guitars with me, so these days, I tune between songs unless I'm in a band, in which case, I take three or four with me. People pay good money for hearing the songs and to be fair to the professionals, if they are more comfortable over getting the right sound out of a guitar, that's the one to use. It's what their audience want.

The best acts use the tuning time to talk to the audience, either jokily or giving the provenance of the song. It's been a UK folk club tradition since year dot. If punters want them without the tuning up, I suggest they stay at home and play albums all night

ZZZ

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Subject: RE: changing guitar strings
From: The Sandman
Date: 28 Oct 14 - 07:36 AM

A good idea IMO is to use one tuning in one set and another tuning in the second set, and retune in the interval, I use a concertina and banjo as well, so I might only do 3 songs on guitar in a set. thanks for everyones comments and opinions.
The guy that told me about changing guitar strings in a certain order had some experience in guitar repair, that does not mean he was right of course.

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Subject: RE: changing guitar strings
From: GUEST,Ray
Date: 28 Oct 14 - 11:53 AM

I thought that the rule was 24 hours for Gibson guitars but only 12 for Martin guitars? Still, if you've been following the rule for years how on earth can you ever know! Just take the old ones off, stick the new ones on (all at once or one at a time it doesn't matter - if it does there's something wrong with your guitar) and get back to playing.

And seeing as someone mentioned bridge-pin removal, if you need some sort of device to remove them, you're pushing them in too hard. The pins simply hold the ball end in a notch in the bridge plate inside your guitar. They are not a friction device to hold the string in place. Sometimes the ball end does make them stick and, if this happens, simply push the string back down the bridge hole and the pin should come out.
Ray (Owner of numerous high end guitars and guitar re-stringer for over 40 years!)

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Subject: RE: changing guitar strings
From: GUEST,gillymor
Date: 28 Oct 14 - 01:30 PM

Getting back to the original question I pull off all the strings before restringing as it makes the fingerboard a lot easier to clean and to treat with Dr. Duck's Ax Wax (also apply it to strings which makes them fast and increases their life) and none of my instruments have suffered for it.

I also use a Jim Dunlop string crank which has a built in pin puller. Those things do get stubborn some times.
Guitar Grease from Stew Mac is great to apply to the nut and makes the strings glide through the slots easier. Before I found this stuff I just ground some graphite from a pencil lead into the slots which does the same thing.
All this stuff is cheap and IMO makes stringed instruments operate better.

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Subject: RE: changing guitar strings
From: GUEST,punkfolkrocker
Date: 28 Oct 14 - 01:37 PM

.. and not forgetting archtops with floating bridges...

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Subject: RE: changing guitar strings
From: Musket
Date: 28 Oct 14 - 02:42 PM

Doing one at a time, you can still degrease the fretboard with lemon oil as you go. Between restrings, I can recommend fretfast. Been using it for donkey's years.

I have been reading elsewhere where people say putting goo on your strings impairs the sound. All I can say is violins, voilas, cellos and basses all have sticky resin drawn across them from the word go and tend to last just as long as guitar strings before degrading....

On a practical level, you can give yourself a sliding scale of string quality to time. So forking out on Elixir strings and changing less often is a similar cost to cheap Martin strings and changing more frequently. I advise people to check the sound after a few days as a comparator rather than price and reputation. If a cheaper string changed more often sounds better, go for it. I have owned many guitars and even now, a custom made one I have had for two months? Still not sure which strings I will settle on. Whereas my workhorse guitar has been on Elixir Nanoweb for three years now and whilst I occasionally try something else, I keep going back to them for that particular guitar. Another guitar seems to prefer the cheaper bronze D'Addario.

The common link is that my method of changing, two at a time (some manufacturers coil 1st and 4th together etc and I got used to it) is common to all of them. Mandolins get them all removed for ease of cleaning the rather than any other reason.

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Subject: RE: changing guitar strings
From: Backwoodsman
Date: 28 Oct 14 - 02:49 PM

Now on my mandolin, I change them a pair at a time. I don't take them all off at one go because the floating bridge would....errrmmm.....float off! 😬

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Subject: RE: changing guitar strings
From: GUEST,gillymor
Date: 28 Oct 14 - 04:12 PM

I put a piece of blue safe release tape at the back of the bridge when I change mando strings to mark it's position then remove all the strings. I change strings so infrequently on my octave mandolin that mung builds up against the frets and removing all strings makes it easier to get at it with a scunge.

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Subject: RE: changing guitar strings
From: Backwoodsman
Date: 28 Oct 14 - 04:19 PM

Mmmm, I have very dry hands, so I don't get any gunge build-up. On the odd occasion I remove all of my mandolin's strings, I use masking tape to mark the position of the bridge. It can be repositioned by measurement of course, as long as you know the scale length, but tape's easier! :-)

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Subject: RE: changing guitar strings
From: GUEST,gillymor
Date: 28 Oct 14 - 04:33 PM

Probably the closest I'll get to being a grunge rocker.

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Subject: RE: changing guitar strings
From: Musket
Date: 29 Oct 14 - 02:43 AM

The mandolin bridge has left a decent indent so no problem putting it back where it was. Of course, if I felt, harmonically speaking, the bridge needed a slight move, the indent might provide an unwanted fulcrum point and tilt the bridge. My viola is easy to see where to put the bridge too.

Banjos are easier to see where to put the bridge but that gets a string at a time too. I recently set it at an angle as a compensator (monkey see monkey do- Martin Simpson) but too much and it slips....

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Subject: RE: changing guitar strings
From: Stanron
Date: 29 Oct 14 - 09:11 AM

I've just restrung a cheapo nylon strung guitar. It was given to me for free because of a split between sides and top, an easy glue repair, and it needed a new saddle. So all the strings came off for the new saddle. However it reminded me that there is a convention when restringing classical guitars of trapping string ends at the bridge under adjacent strings. The first string end goes under the second string, the second string end goes under the third string, etc, until only the sixth string is left. This dictates the order that strings are put on and also the order they are taken off. It also means that all the strings have to come off before any can be replaced.

Of course all this only applies if you are using the basic plain strings. These days you can buy ball end nylon strings and all that complicated tying at the bridge is not needed and you can change ball end strings one at a time and in any order.

If GSS was referring to plain nylon strings which tie onto the bridge then remove strings bass to treble and replace them treble to bass.

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Subject: RE: changing guitar strings
From: GUEST,gillymor
Date: 29 Oct 14 - 09:16 AM

I do banjo strings one at a time and I mark the head with a light pencil mark at the bridge if I have to take them all off.

I use Moon Bridges on both of my banjos. They're canted forward and radiused which makes them very stable. They're also compensated and a day after install there was a marked improvement in tone, it really opened up the sound. Mileage may vary as a buddy of mine installed one and didn't notice much difference in the sound but liked the improved intonation.

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Subject: RE: changing guitar strings
From: Musket
Date: 29 Oct 14 - 01:00 PM

Gillymore -thanks for mentioning Moon bridges. A compensated bridge is just what the doctor ordered. I shall try one.

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Subject: RE: changing guitar strings
From: GUEST,Rahere
Date: 29 Oct 14 - 02:32 PM

The reason you've got this red herring of not doing all at once is because it's been imported from instruments designed to push back against the pull of a lot of strings: take all the strings off and it pushes back against nothing, causing serious damage. Usually, these have 20-plus strings, harps, dulcimers and the like. But 6-12 strings? No way.

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Subject: RE: changing guitar strings
From: Fred
Date: 07 Jul 25 - 02:32 PM

I have acid sweat and a set of uncoated strings stay ok for me about a week. Coated? Maybe double that but no more.

I also leave a new set 24 hours if I can. But at the end of the day, acid sweat is acid sweat, Mark, regardless of how long you leave the strings before playing, so you've lost me with that post mate.

Cheers
Fred

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Subject: RE: changing guitar strings
From: Fred
Date: 07 Jul 25 - 03:01 PM

I have a banjo too, Gilly, an Ome North Star open back.

For me, little beats tinkering with a banjo, stripping it down and building it back up. Adjusting the head tension, which anyone can do if they have a little daring, a bit of bravery.

So I'm often on the floor, surrounded by all the North Star components. Sheer bliss! :)

Fred

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Subject: RE: changing guitar strings
From: Big Al Whittle
Date: 07 Jul 25 - 11:48 PM

I suppose the process is bound to change as guitars and guitar accessories evolve. I remember back in the 1970's seeing one of the first electronic guitar tuners at Rob Armstrongs workshop in Coventry. It was a Sony - the size of two bricks, and Rob had paid £75 for it, and I was chartreuse with envy. WE were in a group with a bloke who would reach over and tune my guitar onstage snf half way through a song!

I dunno if I am unusual, but these days I have an electric screwdriver to remove and replace the strings, lemon oil, guitar polish, always a choice of string sets, pliars to remove the pegs, a small screw driver to adjust the machine heads, various rags, string cutters.....

Is the music any better than when we used to break at least onstring out of a set from over tightening, and kept a ffew strings waggling in the breeze to stick your fag on.....yeh probably!

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Subject: RE: changing guitar strings
From: MaJoC the Filk
Date: 08 Jul 25 - 04:49 AM

> Is the music any better

One's ears get more picky at least as fast as one's technique improves, so it balances out.

PS: Why would you need to oil a lemon?

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Subject: RE: changing guitar strings
From: gillymor
Date: 08 Jul 25 - 05:51 AM

Hey Fred, I've never pulled apart my North Star but I did install a goat hide head on it and adjust the head tension when needed. I used the Ome a lot when I was a regular at an old timey jam. It has a glorious sound but it's so loud that I don't get it out unless someone comes by to pick. I keep my Brooks Masten, with a Bacon ring, hanging close by for when I get the urge. It's a bit more sedate and plunkier.

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Subject: RE: changing guitar strings
From: Fred
Date: 08 Jul 25 - 06:15 AM

These days, Gilly, you can get synthetic heads whose tone is very close to real hide, so you get the tone without the frequent re-tensioning.

Of course, a real hide head will settle down, given time, but I've been a vegan all my life and so a real skin head...well, it wasn't (isn't) an option for me.

But boy, yes, a North Star with a 12-inch head, sure can shout :)

Fred

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Subject: RE: changing guitar strings
From: gillymor
Date: 08 Jul 25 - 07:09 AM

Mine's an 11" hoop but it's still so loud that my wife, though she claims to like my mediocre banjo playing, banishes me to the lanai when I get it out. I got it used and it came with a Fiber-skyn head which sounded really good but the hide head tamped down some of the brightness and gave it a nice thump.

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Subject: RE: changing guitar strings
From: Fred
Date: 08 Jul 25 - 07:34 AM

The skin heads that you mount yourself can cause some frustration, so I'm told, but John Balch (Baulch?) does ready- mounted skin heads which takes all that annoyance from you.

You can tap tune the head or, if inexperienced, there's the torque wrench or Drum Dial.

-F

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Subject: RE: changing guitar strings
From: Fred
Date: 08 Jul 25 - 07:50 AM

Anyhow, to address the thread topic, if I'm planning on cleaning the board, I'll remove all the strings during a change, otherwise one at a time. No particular reason, just the way I've always done it.

-F

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Subject: RE: changing guitar strings
From: gillymor
Date: 08 Jul 25 - 07:54 AM

This one did come from John Batch and went in pretty easy though the girl whose banjo inspired me to switch heads helped me out. We used a standard wrench and a straight edge and it worked out well.

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Subject: RE: changing guitar strings
From: gillymor
Date: 08 Jul 25 - 07:56 AM

That's "Balch". Auto-correct got me again.

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Subject: RE: changing guitar strings
From: Fred
Date: 08 Jul 25 - 08:11 AM

A straight edge is another way of going at it, as is noting the amount of tension hoop above the head. If it gets the job done, and the head tension is pretty much even, it's a winner.

Then dialling in the bridge position which, to me, is by far the best bit - and, of course, critical if you're ever going to sort that intonation :)

-F

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Subject: RE: changing guitar strings
From: gillymor
Date: 08 Jul 25 - 08:26 AM

I measured the bridge position and the tweaked it until it was right. Having a Moon bridge definitely helped as they stay upright.

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Subject: RE: changing guitar strings
From: Fred
Date: 08 Jul 25 - 08:45 AM

Yep, they say nut to 12th fret , double that and put your bridge there. That only gets you in the ball park, though, as it needs fine tuning from there. But patience, small adjustments and a good, accurate tuner is all it takes to get you in business.

-F

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Subject: RE: changing guitar strings
From: gillymor
Date: 08 Jul 25 - 09:31 AM

I'm sure some will disagree but I've found that applying Dr. Ducks Ax Wax to uncoated strings (and to a clean fretboard) considerably lengthens their time in the sweet spot. I used Fast Fret for a long time but this stuff beats it, IMO.

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Subject: RE: changing guitar strings
From: Fred
Date: 08 Jul 25 - 09:51 AM

I use Dr Duck's Ax Wax on my D-18's board and bridge.

A word of caution though, Gilly, don't let it come into contact with any raw wood. It will instantly darken it and it's permanent. Other than that, yep, good stuff.

-F

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Subject: RE: changing guitar strings
From: gillymor
Date: 08 Jul 25 - 10:03 AM

You know, Fred, I put in on the baked, maple fretboard of my Strat and haven't noticed any darkening. Perhaps the baking had something to do wth that.
The stuff works well on open-geared tuners as well.

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Subject: RE: changing guitar strings
From: Fred
Date: 08 Jul 25 - 10:16 AM

Oh it has many good uses for sure but my brother-in-law put some on the back of his Gibson's headstock (a lovely Rosey red) and it instantly turned it a dark brown lol. But as I told him "That's not the product's fault, it's YOUR fault for putting it on after I told you!"

-F

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Subject: RE: changing guitar strings
From: GUEST,John From Kemsing
Date: 10 Jul 25 - 12:16 PM

I swear this is true. Many years ago in a Cotswold pub Rock & Roll night we saw a young fan in front of the stage totally engrossed in his "air" guitar and he mimed changing or tuning his strings.

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Subject: RE: changing guitar strings
From: gillymor
Date: 10 Jul 25 - 12:33 PM

What brand of imaginary strings was he using? Us guitar nerds want to know.

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Subject: RE: changing guitar strings
From: Fred
Date: 10 Jul 25 - 03:41 PM

Did ya happen to notice how he had locked the strings at the posts? Any info welcome ;)

-F

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Subject: RE: changing guitar strings
From: Fred
Date: 11 Jul 25 - 11:40 AM

I never put my hand inside the sound hole to check if the ball ends are seated correctly. Here's what I do when changing strings:

String in the bridge and pin loosely in. Then I pull on the string. If the pin rises, that tells me it's snagged on the bottom of the pin. To get it off I rotate the string. You'll feel it come off and seat against the bridge plate, then I thread it through the post, pull back about an inch of slack and start to wind. No fancy locking or Boy Scout knots, and I repeat this with all 6 strings.

Ok guys, feel free to find fault with it. If you think it's wrong, say so.

Cheers
-F

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Subject: RE: changing guitar strings
From: Pappy Fiddle
Date: 11 Jul 25 - 01:24 PM

I mostly play my wife's Fender classical guitar. When I change the strings, they immediately sound wonderful. But they do not stay in tune. They go a half-tone flat in the first ten minutes. After about a day the stretching is done and they stay in tune.

After about 2 weeks they stretch out in some other dimension, or something, and lose that wonderful timbre. The guitar is a CG-5 but it sounds like a CG-7 for those 2 weeks. Then it gradually degrades to about a CG-1 if there is such a thing. So, the lesson is, when you go to sell your classical guitar, put new strings on it!

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Subject: RE: changing guitar strings
From: Pappy Fiddle
Date: 11 Jul 25 - 01:35 PM

I have another classical, which I rescued from the dumpster, because I wanted to try putting steel strings on a classical to get the wider fingerboard. So I got this almost free ax to try it on. It was made in China by someone who did not know what a guitar is supposed to do. The neck leaned back 3 degrees or more, the strings were laying flat on the frets. Adjusting the tension of the steel rod inside did nothing. So I ran it thru my table saw to separate the heel from the body - be bold! no risk :) and drilled a hole thru the heel for a bolt. So now the action is adjustable by tightening the bolt.

FYI, the sound is outstanding. The steel strings have more tension than nylon, and the top of the ax is distended like a rolling countryside, but it didn't tear itself apart (yet). I played it at the church picnic a week ago and I was impressed by the good loud sound in a big open space, largish crowd.

OK, so here's the interesting part: this configuration gives the neck a little flex. So when I'm tuning it up, say I tighten one string, the other 5 get slightly looser. I believe this happens to a microscopic degree with all guitars.

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Subject: RE: changing guitar strings
From: Fred
Date: 14 Jul 25 - 02:52 PM

By the way, Gilly, I use the Bill Palmer method of tensioning the head on my North Star. Works fine.

Imagine you're standing in front of your banjo, and that it's facing you. The bracket to the right of the neck heel we'll call 1 and the one to the left we'll call 24.

Here's the tension method:

1, 24
6, 7
18, 19
3, 4
15, 16
9, 10
21, 22
2, 5
14, 17
8, 11
20, 23

If you have a Drum Dial, try a reading of 89.

Cheers
-F

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Subject: RE: changing guitar strings
From: Fred
Date: 14 Jul 25 - 06:46 PM

Just noticed I left out brackets 12 and 13! They are after 1, 24 and before 6, 7.

Note to self: dummie

-F

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Subject: RE: changing guitar strings
From: gillymor
Date: 15 Jul 25 - 06:25 AM

That's interesting, Fred. I just go around in a star fashion, like you would when tightening lug nuts on an automobile wheel.

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Subject: RE: changing guitar strings
From: gillymor
Date: 15 Jul 25 - 07:09 AM

Looking at my Brooks banjo, which is a 16 bracket, I realize that I adjust tension in the pattern you described, Fred. For some reason I think of it as as star formation. Neither banjo has left this climate-controlled environment in years so I haven't had to mess with them much but when I was taking the Ome to outdoor old time jams I was having to tighten it fairly often.

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Subject: RE: changing guitar strings
From: Fred
Date: 15 Jul 25 - 08:24 AM

Gilly -

Yes, sort of star-like. 12 o'clock, 6 o'clock, 9 o'clock, 3 o'clock then fill in the in-betweens.

If you try it (when there's a need), you may or may not think it gives better results.

It's not necessarily any better than other methods, it's just another way of going at it.

It's a dangerous sport but, if you have a bit of daring, a bit of bravery and you go slow and don't force the brackets, changing head tension should be a breeze :)

-F

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Subject: RE: changing guitar strings
From: gillymor
Date: 15 Jul 25 - 08:51 AM

Yep, slow wins the race, in this case.

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Subject: RE: changing guitar strings
From: Fred
Date: 15 Jul 25 - 09:06 AM

It's also a good idea to put a spot of lubricant on the threads of each bracket above the hex nut, so that it can run down into it - helps reduce friction.

-F

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Subject: RE: changing guitar strings
From: gillymor
Date: 15 Jul 25 - 09:08 AM

That's where Dr. Duck's comes in.

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Subject: RE: changing guitar strings
From: Fred
Date: 15 Jul 25 - 09:32 AM

I've got a bottle of that for fretboards and bridges. But I use Martin Lifespan treated strings on my D-18 so don't put it on them cos it'd be product on product :)

-F

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Subject: RE: changing guitar strings
From: gillymor
Date: 15 Jul 25 - 09:38 AM

Yeah, I don't use it on coated strings but I swear by it on uncoated strings and metal parts, YMMV. I've probably said that 100 times here.

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