I’m embarrassed to ask- Changing Strings

B

Bman

Power User
What’s the trick to gauging how long the strings should be before starting the winding? I’ve been at this for almost 30 years and still end up with a short wind or a wind that’s too long. Don’t judge..
 
i pull it tight, then pull back about an inch. then wind. works for me? i think on most guitars you want it to wind at least 1 rotation, some say 2.
 
The Les Paul and Strat still needs strings. I can get by with a short wind on a Floyd.

I used to wind it long when I was young so that when a string broke on my Floyd I’d just wind down and release more string.

I don’t break strings anymore :cool:
 
I personally pull the string just enough to get it tensioned enough to go straight and then for low e I give it one wrap around the post and then 'send the rabbit down the hole' and tune up, 2 wraps for the A, 2 initial wraps for D, 3 initial wraps for G, 3 for B and 4 for high E. Once tuned up they all have enough windings to hold fine.
 
wow i'd never cut the string before tightening it. if i had that drill bit, maybe, but winding by hand winder or hand, it would slip out.
 
Bman said:
What’s the trick to gauging how long the strings should be before starting the winding? I’ve been at this for almost 30 years and still end up with a short wind or a wind that’s too long. Don’t judge..
Click to expand...
Just record the length of the strings during a change for the NEXT time you change your strings.
After a couple of changes and adjustments you’ll get it!
 
Two fingers high between the nut and the string, that's how much I wind onto the peg. My whole world changed when I learned that trick.
 
I use the distance to the other tuning pegs.

Pull the string through the tuning peg and leave enough end to get to the next two tuning pegs. For the lower two strings, it's just a little bit shorter to get the perfect wind.

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For non locking tuners there is a balance to be struck between having enough wound around the tuner so that the string doesn't slip out and not so much that the strings slip and put the instrument out of tune (more a problem on the wound strings).

I've found that one full wind on the E and A, one and a half on the D (because of the smoother nature of the string compared to the E and A) and 2-3 winds on the unwound strings (usually G, B and high E on an electric).

Cutting the strings is the last task after the strings have been stretched and tuned to pitch. It's also worth noting that twisting the strings puts stress on the metal and can shorten the life of the string, so pushing it through the hole in line with the fretboard before winding is worth doing. I haven't had a string break in 25 years, even with those David Gilmour bends (and especially the 2.5 tone bend in Joe Bonamassas Django [live version]).

Hope that helps. :)
 
looks like taking your string past the next tuner works good. The 2nd video had a nice tip about adding another ring when too wrapping. I’ll have to try that on.
 
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