To change guitar strings you take the old set off, fit a fresh pack, wind each string neatly onto its tuning peg, then stretch and retune until everything holds pitch. It is one of the simplest bits of guitar maintenance there is, and it makes more difference to how your instrument sounds than almost anything else you can do at home. Dead strings sound flat and dull, they go out of tune faster, and they feel rough under your fingers. A fresh set rings brighter, stays in tune longer, and plays more comfortably. This guide covers both acoustic and electric, with notes on where the two differ.
What you’ll need
The list is short and cheap.
- A new set of strings. Acoustic guitars almost always take phosphor bronze or 80/20 bronze strings. Electrics take nickel-plated steel. Buy the right gauge for how you play, and buy one gauge at a time while you are learning so the setup does not shift.
- A string winder with a built-in cutter. A winder turns the tuning pegs fast, and the little cutter notches snip the excess string cleanly. You can do the whole job with just your hands, but a winder is a few pounds and saves ten minutes.
- A bridge pin puller, for acoustic only. The little notch on a winder works too, but a proper puller gets bridge pins out without scratching the top.
- A cloth and a minute of time, since the fretboard is cleanest when the strings are off.
- A tuner, or a tuning app on your phone.
Nothing here needs a trip to a shop. A winder, a puller, and a pack of strings cover the whole job.
Step by step
**1. Slacken and cut the old strings.** Loosen each tuning peg until the string is floppy, then snip it in the middle with the winder cutters. Cutting a string under full tension is a bad idea, so always loosen first. Once they are all cut, unwind the short ends from the pegs and pull them out.
**2. Remove the bridge pins on an acoustic.** Push the string ball-end slightly forward into the pin hole, then lever the pin out with your puller. Sometimes the ball-end catches in the slot, so give it a gentle wiggle. On an electric, the strings either thread through the back of the body or lock into a fixed bridge, so you just pull them out or release the lock screws.
**3. Clean while you can.** With the strings gone, wipe the fretboard and the top around the soundhole. A dry cloth is enough for most guitars. If the fretboard is dry, a dab of lemon oil on a rosewood board is nice, but skip it on maple.
**4. Fit the new strings.** Work one string at a time from the thickest to the thinnest, or all six at once, whichever you prefer. Seat the ball-end firmly against the bridge plate, then push the bridge pin back in with the slot facing the string. Give the string a light tug so the ball-end locks against the pin. For an electric, thread the string through the body or bridge, keeping it straight with no kinks.
**5. Wind onto the peg.** Pull the string through the tuning peg hole until it is just snug, then leave a little slack before you start winding. A common guide is to leave about a hand’s width of slack on the wound strings and a bit more on the plain ones. Wind so the string wraps downward and coils neatly, three or four turns on the wound strings and a few more on the plain ones. Overlapping turns slip, so keep them tidy.
**6. Tune up roughly.** Bring each string close to pitch as you go, then fine-tune the lot at the end. The strings will drift for a while, which is normal and expected.
The mistakes to avoid
Winding with too much slack gives you a messy coil that slips. Too little slack gives you barely one turn and a string that will not stay put. Aim for a clean downward spiral with no overlaps.
Cutting a string under full tension is the one that genuinely bites, so always loosen first.
Putting bridge pins back in the wrong slot is easy to do. They can look identical but often sit in specific holes, so keep them in order as you take them out.
Threading an electric string the wrong way through the bridge or locking the clamp down before the string is seated properly will leave you chasing tuning problems for a week. Take the extra second to line it up right.
Finally, do not over-tighten the strings while tuning up for the first time. Tune to pitch, not past it. Snapping a brand new string is frustrating and almost always comes from rushing this bit.
Stretch before you judge
New strings go flat for the first while because the metal is settling in. You can fix most of that in two minutes by stretching them by hand. Tune to pitch, then grab each string around the twelfth fret and give it a gentle pull away from the fretboard. Do not yank, just a firm lift. Retune, stretch again, and repeat a few times. After three or four rounds the strings will hold much closer to pitch.
Only then should you judge how they sound. A lot of players try a fresh set, hear it drifting, and assume they fitted it badly. They did not, they just skipped the stretch. Give the strings a stretch, retune, and they will settle in nicely.
Recommended gear
Frequently asked questions
How do I remove bridge pins without pliers?
Use the notch on a string winder, or the flat edge of a teaspoon, and lever the pin out gently. Pliers are a last resort because they chew up the pin. If a pin will not budge, reach inside the soundhole and push the ball-end up from underneath while you lever from the top.
How long does it take to change guitar strings?
The first time takes around twenty to thirty minutes while you get the feel for it. Once you have done it a few times, it drops to about ten to fifteen minutes. Rushing it to hit a time is how pins get scratched and coils get messy, so let it take as long as it takes.
Should I change all six strings at once?
Yes, change all six at once. Replacing one at a time keeps the neck under tension, but you end up with five tired strings and one bright one, which never sounds right. The only reason to keep one string on is to hold the bridge in place, and on most guitars the new strings do that fine as you fit them.
How often should I change my strings?
It depends on how much you play and how your hands sweat. As a rough rule, if you play every day, every four to six weeks keeps things sounding fresh. Lighter players can stretch that to a few months. The honest test is the sound and the feel, when they go dull and rough, it is time.
If you are thinking about a new instrument to go with those fresh strings, have a look at our [guitar comparison tool](/compare-guitars/) to weigh up models and prices.
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