Preparing for New Strings Upper Left- Removal of Old Strings Upper Right- Tighten Machine Nuts Lower Left- Clean Frets and Fingerboard Lower Right- Align String Post Holes	Restrings Strings sounding dull? Not staying in tune? Intonations is not right? Try a new set of strings! Most players change their strings often, some every set. Assessing how often, how hard you play, and body chemistry will help you determine how often you need to change string. I recommend, however, that strings be changed once a month as they lose elasticity and put more stress on the neck. In this series of photos, I am teaching the 10 years-old owner of my "Alice Series- Caterpillar" how to change strings. Preparing the Instrument 1. Remove the old strings- just cut them off. 2. Tighten the machine nuts and also check the friction locks on the buttons. 3. Use 0000 steel wool to clean the fingerboard. You may also want to hydrate Rosewood or Ebony fingerboards. Use your finger to apply olive oil; let it soak in, then remove any excess with a clean rag. 4. Align the machine's string postholes axes as delineated by the toothpicks in the photo, i.e.; that axis will be parallel to the centerline of the neck for wound strings (4, 5, 6 on electric and 3, 4, 5, & 6 on acoustic instruments) and perpendicular to the centerline of the neck for unwound strings (1, 2, 3 on electrics, 1 & 2 on acoustic instruments).
Wound String Installation 1. Run the string through the aligned machine post hole and pull taught with one hand. With the other hand grasp the string at the nut and pull it toward the bridge 1-1/2 to 2 frets. This will set it up to cut and have sufficient slack to wrap around the post at least three times. More wraps are not necessary and may actually bind against the face of the headstock. The purpose of the wraps is to prevent string slipping. Do not overlap string windings. 2. Cut excess string approximately 1/4-inch beyond the string post (as pointed out with the pencil in the photo). Without moving the string- 3. Wrap the string around the machine post and ABOVE the 1/4" string segment, then- 4. Wind the string BENEATH the 1/4" string segment. Because the string post is tapered, when the strings are tuned to pitch, the coil will tighten around the 1/4" string segment. Note that 6-inline strings are wound (as viewed from the top)clockwise around the machine posts and on 3-left/3-right pegheads strings 1-3 are wound counter-clockwise and strings 4-6 clockwise. (Strings come to the post near toward the neck centerline, not the edge of the headstock.) This is important as improper winding is a leading cause of broken fingerboard nuts- especially the 6th string.	Wound String Installation Upper Left- Gauging String Length Upper Right- Adjusting String Thru Post Lower Left- First Wrap Over the Top Lower Right- Subsequent Wraps Below
Plain Strings Upper Left- Winding Strings Upper Right- String Thru Post Hole Lower Left- String Around Post- Then Under Lower Right- String Up and Over to Lock	Plain Strings Installation 1. Notice the even string winding of the wound string. All strings should be wound uniformily without overlap and should not bind on the machine nut. 2. Plain strings are placed through the perpendicularly aligned post hole with sufficient slack to make at least three complete wraps around the post. 3. Holding the string between the nut and the machine post, wrap the string end tightly around the machine post - move toward the end of the headstock then to the center line and under the string between the machine post and the fingerboard nut; 4 Finally, while continuing to hold the string between the nut and the machine post, pull the string end up and back wrapping the string end around the string to form a loop and pull tightly. When the strings are tuned to pitch, the loop will lock the string to prevent slipping, yet allows for quick and easy string changing. Trim excess string length approximately 1/4" from string post.
The Final Touches 1. Using clamps or needle-nose pliers, bend the 1/4" segment at a right-angle. Should the string slip it will be caught by the right-angle. More importantly, this may prevent finger sticks on the ends of the strings. 2. Tune to pitch and play. This is not the only way to put on strings, but it works well and the strings are easy to change, especially during a gig. I see many instruments with really odd string installations on customers instruments and some create spurious noises through the amplifier or rattle on acoustics. Most of these are wound in cute stove burner like coils (and sound like #^@$#) or the excess just dangles into space (and sound like #^^%@$) and in both cases the players go ??????. Trim excess string lengths.	Final Adjustments Left- String Ends Bent Down Right- Completed Installation