Chords for How to Change Your Acoustic Guitar Strings | Fender

_ [A] _ _ [D] _ _ [Eb] _ [A] _ [F] _
[D] _ _ _ [N] Hi, this is John Dreyer for Fender University, and I'd like to show you one way to change
the strings on your acoustic guitar.
Now, there's a couple of different reasons why you would want to change your strings.
One, and the obvious reason, is that they just look dirty, maybe they sound dull, or
maybe you just broke a string.
Now, you can change that broken string, or if you choose to, you can change the whole
set at one time.
So the materials we'll need are pretty simple.
String winder, wire or string clippers, and your new sets of strings.
For acoustic guitar, I'm not going to take all the strings off all at one time.
I'm actually going to do it in twos.
I'm going to do two strings at a time.
Take two off, and put two back on.
This way I keep some of the tension on the top [G] of the guitar.
[C] _
[D] _ [Em] _ _ [A] _ [N] _ Okay, so I'm going to take my string winder here, start with a low E string, _ loosen the
tension on that one, and the second one. _
So you can see these two are nice and loose.
_ Alright, put this back here.
Take my string clippers, and we'll clip these two strings above the sound hole.
_ _ _ _ _ [G] _ _
Okay, I'm going to unwind these strings from the peg. _ _
_ _ _ Take one here, _ and this one.
_ _ _ _ Just pull those off.
I'm just going to wind these up for easy disposal, _ _ _ and by disposal I mean just throw them on the floor.
And then also, take my string winder here again.
There's a little cutout on the winder that's used to pry up the post from the bridge.
Sometimes you can do it with your hand, but sometimes if it's stuck, you're better off
to use the winder.
So we'll pop these two, [N] _ and I want to leave these in order, so I'm just going to put these
here so I know which ones go back where.
Now I'll take my new set of strings.
I'm going to use these Fender Phosphor Bronze medium gauge strings.
_ _ _ _ And Fender makes it very easy to know which strings go where by including this handy dandy
string guide on the packaging.
I'm going to start with my low E string, which is the brass or the gold ball end here.
Take the bridge pin, _ and you can see here on the bridge pin there's a little cutout
that corresponds with the string when it's inside the bridge.
So what I'm going to do is I'm going to put the string in first, _ and then be sure to put
the pin in with the cutout facing the string.
I'm just going to press that in and pull up on the slack. _ _ _
Okay, and I'm just going to let that hang for right now.
I'm going to take the next string, which is the candy apple _ or the red ball end, _ [A] and repeat the process.
Put the string in, have a little groove or the cutout facing the string, press that in,
_ and pull up the slack.
Now I'm ready to attach the strings to the machine heads.
_ _ [D] _ _
[A] _ _ _ [N] Okay, so I'm going to start with my low E string here and attach that to the machine head.
Be careful on your end pins.
Sometimes they like to pop back up.
Just need to push them back in.
When it comes time to attaching the string to the peg, I like to pre-cut the string.
What I'm going to do is I'm going to measure up the distance of one and a half machine heads.
This will give me the proper length _ and the proper windings on the machine head.
And remember, most acoustics have three tuners on the left and three tuners on the right.
So what you want to do is thread the string through the peg from the center or the middle
of the headstock _ _ and wind them the same way.
So I'm going to start this through the hole.
I'm going to leave just a little bit hanging out the other side.
I'm just going to pull it down.
And as I wind, I'm starting from the top and I want to finish on the bottom of the peg.
This gives me the proper angle over the nut.
_ So I'm just going to grab my string winder here _ _ _ _ _ _ and start winding.
Again, starting on the top.
I don't want to overlap the winds either.
I want to keep them nice and even all the way to the bottom.
So I'm not going to tune at the pitch right now.
I just want to get enough tension on them and I'll go back to tune them and stretch them later.
So let's go to the next string. _ _
I'm going to make sure these pins are staying in bridge.
So again, I'm going to measure up the distance of one and a half machine heads from the machine
head you're winding, which is about here.
I'm going to clip the string. _ _
Again, going in and winding it from the center or the middle of the headstock.
Okay, I'm just leaving a little bit sticking out the other side. _ _
And just get that started and just kind of put some pressure on it, hold it down, and start winding.
Again, from the top to the bottom.
[A] And of course, make sure it lines up in the appropriate nut slot.
So we have our first two strings on.
Let's continue the process.
_ _ _ _ [G] _ _
[C] _ _ _ Okay, now that I've made it to the other side of the headstock, same process, same everything,
except I'm just going to insert the string from the opposite side.
Still coming in from the middle and the center, but I'm going to go through this way instead
of this way.
Again, measuring out one and a half machine heads, which is about here. _ _ _
I'm going to clip that string.
So I'm going to go in from this side here _ towards the center, _ _ pull the string back,
give it some _ _ tension there, and start winding the opposite direction of the last three.
Again, winding from the top _ to the bottom of the peg, being sure not to overlap the winds.
_ You want to end up on the bottom of the peg.
There you go.
And let's continue on to the last two.
And as I mentioned, for the wound strings, you don't want to overlap the strings in _ _ _ _ _ _ the
the inserted string on the peg and the second below.
This will hold the string in place, and the strings are thin enough that it won't affect tuning. _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ Okay, now that we have all six strings on the guitar, you're ready to tune it up to
pitch and [D] start playing.
_ _ [G] _ [D] _