How to String and

Tune an Electric Guitar

Matthew Eckhardt
Table of Contents iii
Table of Contents
Table of Contents ............................................................................................................... iii
Introduction ......................................................................................................................... v
Chapter 1 ............................................................................................................................. 7
How to Choose Which Strings and Why ........................................................................ 3
Gauge .............................................................................................................................. 3
Pros and Cons ................................................................................................................. 3
Electric Guitar String Gauges ......................................................................................... 3
Gauges............................................................................................................................. 4
Types of Strings .............................................................................................................. 4
Recommended................................................................................................................. 4
Chapter 2 ............................................................................................................................. 5
Required Tools ................................................................................................................ 7
Wire Cutters .................................................................................................................... 7
String Crank .................................................................................................................... 7
Tuner ............................................................................................................................... 7
Microfiber Cloth ............................................................................................................. 7
Strings ............................................................................................................................. 7
Chapter 3 ............................................................................................................................. 9
Parts of The Guitar ........................................................................................................ 11
Chapter 4 ........................................................................................................................... 13
How to Change Electric Guitar Strings ........................................................................ 15
Chapter 5 ........................................................................................................................... 21
Prepping and Tuning The Guitar .................................................................................. 23
Index ................................................................................................................................. 25
Introduction v
Introduction
This is a manual that is targeted to teach you how to change electric guitar strings. It is
also packed with knowledge on guitar strings and informs you on what strings you might
want to use and why. This is knowledge that a first time guitar player or a seasoned
player might not know and could find useful. This manual will not cover how to properly
play the guitar, and the very basics are assumed to be learned. This manual will also not
be going over basic playing terminology.






Chapter 1
Which Strings and Why
Which Strings and Why 3
How to Choose Which Strings and Why
Gauge
String gauge refers to the thickness of the guitar string. The thickness is measured in
thousandths of an inch, which means the larger the gauge, the heavier the string. When
describing gauges, guitarists typically omit the decimal, and speak only of the number
(they will say an "eight" when referring to a string gauge of .008). There are both
advantages and disadvantages to using lighter/heavier gauge strings.
Pros and Cons
Pros to Light Strings
the lighter the string gauge, the easier it is to bend the string
lighter gauge strings are easier to play
light strings produce a more twang sounding tone
Cons to Light Strings
lighter gauge strings are more prone to breakage
lighter gauge strings cause more fret board buzzing when neck action is low
Pros to Heavy Strings
heavier gauge strings perform better in de-tuned situations (like "drop D tuning")
heavier gauge strings provide more sustain, volume and a bigger sound
Cons to Heavy Strings
heavier gauge strings are more difficult to press down and play
heavy strings are less versatile to play with
Electric Guitar String Gauges
Most new electric guitars tend to ship pre-strung with "super light" guitar strings.
Depending on your technique, and the style of music you play, that string gauge may or
may not be too light for you. The following is a list of the standard string gauges included
with each set of electric guitar strings. Note though that different manufacturers include
slightly different string gauges in their sets of strings.

4
Gauges (description can change depending on manufacturer)
typical set of "extra super light" electric strings: .008 .010 .015 .021 .030 .038
("eight to thirty-eights")
typical set of "super light" electric strings: .009 .011 .016 .024 .032 .042 ("nine to
forty-twos")
typical set of "light" electric strings: .010 .013 .017 .026 .036 .046 ("ten to forty-
sixes")
typical set of "medium" electric strings: .011 .015 .018 .026 .036 .050 ("eleven to
fifties")
typical set of "heavy" electric strings: .012 .016 .020 .032 .042 .054 ("twelve to
fifty-fours")
typical set of "super heavy" electric strings: .013 .017 .026 .035 .045 .056
("thirteen to fifty-sixes")
Types of Strings
Consider the sonic characteristics of the various materials used in making electric strings.
Stainless steel strings are the least glamorous, but offer plenty of bright bite and sustain.
Pure nickel has a warm old-school sound, for vintage tones. And nickel-plated steel is a
bit brighter than classic nickel and responds more adroitly to picking attack. Chrome
guitar strings are typically the province of jazz players or blues artists who are looking
for the kind of warm retro tones.
Coated Strings
The most expensive and theoretically the longest lasting strings are coated. They are,
however, not really the best, sonically speaking. Coated strings tend to have less sustain.
Also, their Teflon exterior surfaces are slippery, which might take some getting used to
for particularly aggressive electric guitar players. Also, when the coatings wear off, they
rust like any other string.
Recommended
It is recommended that beginners use light or medium strings until they have enough
experience to choose what fits their style and liking.






Chapter 2
Required Tools
Required Tools 7
Required Tools
Wire Cutters (fig.1)
Some small and simple wire cutters will be very
helpful with cutting off old and excess strings. A pair
of these can be acquired in any hardware store for
under $5.
String Crank (fig.2)
A string crank is not absolutely necessary, but will cut
down changing time and make the process much
easier. They sell online or in local music shops for
around $3.
Tuner (fig.3)
Any type of string instrument tuner will work for this.
There are various types, but it is advised that the user
obtain a tuner that has a in. input for the electric
guitar. These range in price ($15-$150), but most of the
cheaper ones get the job done just fine.
Microfiber Cloth (fig.4)
Any sort of microfiber cleaning cloth is recommended
to use when changing strings. The cloth is useful for
cleaning all parts of the guitar. The best time to do
cleaning and maintenance is when the strings are off
the guitar.
Strings
Most strings run from $3-$20.
Fig.1
Fig.2
Fig.3
Fig.4
9





Chapter 3
Parts of the Guitar
Parts of the Guitar 11
Parts of the Guitar
In order to properly follow any instructions that have to do with the guitar, one must
know what the different parts are called. Below is a visual of a Fender Telecaster and its
corresponding parts.
1
2
3

4

5


6


1. The whole area at the top of the
guitar is called the headstock or
head of the guitar.
2. Located on the headstock are the
tuning pegs. These are silver in the
picture and are used to tune the
strings.
3. The long piece of wood that
connects the headstock and body is
called the neck. On the neck of the
guitar lays the frets, which are the
individual horizontally laying metal
lines. These represent the different
notes on a guitar.
4. In the body of the guitar lay two
pickups. Here, one is silver and one
is black. These pickups are what
capture the sound and transport it
for amplification.
5. This area contains two knobs and a
switch. The switch changes
between pickups on the guitar,
which will result in different tones.
The top knob is for the volume of
the pickups. The bottom knob is to
change the tone of the pickups.
You want both knobs turned all the
way up when changing and tuning
strings.
6. The bridge is where the strings are
thread through the body.
13





Chapter 4
How to Change Strings
How to Change Strings 15
How to Change Electric Guitar Strings
I. Take off existing Strings
Most of the time there are strings already on a guitar. You will need to safely remove
these before moving on. To do so:

1. Loosen all strings using the crank






2. Cut strings using wire cutters and remove them from the tuning pegs and the
bridge
16
II. Clean Guitar
This is the best time to clean the guitar. Use the microfiber cloth to get any oils, liquid, or
grime off of the guitar. This will help preserve the guitar, as well as make it sound better.


How to Change Strings 17
III. Threading & Stringing
The time to string the guitar has finally arrived. First you will want to make note that the
smaller the string the smaller the gauge will be.
Start with your thickest (highest number) string, and then move to the thinner ones



---The thickest string here is the E string. It is labeled as
the Brass colored string and is the thickest string
measuring at .053 in. thick.






1. Take String and thread it through the body of the guitar. Pull the string all the way
through the bridge so that it cannot come through any farther.

18
2. Thread the string to the corresponding tuning peg on the headstock and pull it
taught










3. While holding string taught with left hand, use right hand to give slack to the
string. To do this:
a) Using right hand, pinch the string between index finger and thumb
b) Use index (or middle) finger to pull up string while keeping thumb stationary
on the neck of the guitar
c) Once index finger is pressing the palm, use left hand, at the tuning peg) to
bend the string to the left. This will mark the necessary slack needed.
How to Change Strings 19
4. Pull string so the bent part of the string runs parallel to the bridge (fig.5)
5. Turn the tuning peg so that the string does half a rotation. After this you might
want to bend the string upwards (toward ceiling) to make the winding process
smoother (fig.6)











6. Using your thumb to guide the string,
use the string crank to wind the string
until it is taught and no longer loose.

*When winding the string you want the
string to be wound in a downward
fashion (fig.7).

**Warning: Do not wind string to
extremely tight or else it can break.
Wait for tuning to tighten the strings.
Fig.5 Fig.6
Fig.7
20
7. Use wire cutters to cut the excess string

8. Repeat steps 1-7 for strings E, a, d, and g.
See step 9 before stringing the b and e
strings.*










9. For the b and e strings you will need to
make sure they get fed under the round
washer that is on the headstock. This
ensures the pressure distribution remains
so that the guitar can maintain its tuning.





*Follow steps 1-7 for the b and e strings,
and with the addition of step 9
21






Chapter 5
Prepping and Tuning
Prepping and Tuning 23
Prepping and tuning the Guitar
Overview of techniques
There are two common techniques I use with fresh strings to warm them up. This is
needed because newly wound strings will not stay in tune very long, if at all, until they
are stretched and broken in a little bit. I have found these techniques to speed up this
process the best.
Step 1: Tune the guitar for the first time
Plug your guitar into the tuner (recommended), or use the tuner microphone, and tune
each string to their respective notes (E-a-d-g-b-e).
24
Step 2: Stretch Each String
Using the thumb and index finger, pinch a
string (in between the neck and bridge) and
pull it around an inch or so up towards the
ceiling. Next, wiggle the string back and
forth while moving your fingers up and
down the neck of the guitar. This will help
stretch out the string and get it warmer.

Step 3: Stretching by Strumming
This is a technique I commonly used before
playing live the same day as restringing my
guitar. To simulate the intensity of playing
live you must simply do one thing: strum
the guitar really hard.
This is an easy one. J ust strum the guitar
harder than you would usually play for
about 30 seconds.

Step 4: Repeat steps 1-3 of the tuning section
After repeating the steps again and tuning back up the only thing that will help your
strings stay in tune is time. As they remain on the guitar, they will stretch and get used to
their new tension.
25
Index

Chapter 1, iii, 7
Chrome, 4
Coated Strings, 4
Electric Guitar String, iii, 3
Electric Guitar Strings, iii, 15
Fender Telecaster, 11
How to Choose Which Strings and Why, iii, 3
Introduction, iii, v
Microfiber Cloth, iii, 7
Nickel-plated steel, 4
Parts of the Guitar, iii, 11
Prepping and tuning, iii, 23
Prepping and tuning the Guitar, 23
Pros and Cons, iii, 3
Pure nickel, 4
Required Tools, iii, 5, 7
Rust, 4
Stainless steel, 4
Stretching by Strumming, 24
String Crank, iii, 7
Strings, iii, 7, 3, 4, 7, 13, 15
Table of Contents, iii
Techniques, 23
Tuner, iii, 7
Wire Cutters, iii, 7