So I have this steel-string guitar that seriously needs to be restrung. In case it makes a difference, it’s a Yamaha FG-335.
It hasn’t been restrung in three years or so. Since then, I’ve bought a full set of new strings but lost some of them. So here’s my main question: Should I buy six new strings or is it okay if just replace the ones I’m missing- in which case they won’t all be the same brand? I ask this because I’m marginally aware of the tension involved in a steel string guitar and how the strings maintain it. I don’t know if different brands engineer their strings differently or if they’re more universal.
I’ve restrung the guitar before, but as I said it’s been a few years. I’ve only been playing guitar a year or two longer than that, so not only am I out of practice but I wasn’t very experienced with it in the first place. Don’t worry though, because I’m not asking for instructions or anything. I can look it up. But I will ask my other question: Can anyone give me any tips? I mean stuff like helpful techniques to make it easier or better.
You can go ahead and restring the missing ones only without hurting the guitar. Though if the current remaining ones are old and dull sounding, the guitar might sound slightly off with half fresh bright strings and half old dull ones. So you might want to go ahead and get a whole new set and just save the ones you have as spares.
I think after this length of time it would be better to restring the whole thing or you’ll get some inconsistencies in brightness (and the old strings probably won’t stay in tune as well either).
I just realized that my first question was badly phrased, but that’s okay because everyone’s answers tell me what I need to know. I was going to replace every string on the guitar either way. I happen to have an unused b-string and another one (an a or E, I think), and what I was wondering was if I should just discard those and buy six new strings instead of four.
I take it that it won’t be necessary though.
Thanks for the link, shelbo. That’s one of the better ones. I’ll probably cross-reference it with a few others to make sure I’m doing everything right.
After I get around to restringing it, I’ll post how it went here. I’ll try and make it worthwhile somehow.
If you mix-and-match strings, make sure they are all in the same gauge (e.g. they are all from .009 sets).
Also, different manufacturers use different combinations of gauges – so a .009 set from Brand A may not exactly match a .009 set from Brand B, but they should be close enough.
The other piece of advice I always give, is buy two sets. That way you always have a spare handy. Beginners often break a string during stringing and having a second set means you can finish the job and enjoy.
The other basic stringing stuff is to always tune up and not down (it is easier to get the tension correct). And always tune the low-E first and work your way to the high-E (low and high meaning the tone, not the physical location – unless, of course, you play like Albert King and then they are the same).
If you’re restringing them all anyway, just restring them with 6 new strings of the same brand. Keep the other two as spares. I’m only a casual guitarist, but why would you mix & match strings anyway? Get a fresh, complete set. It’s not like you’re saving a fortune by buying four strings instead of six. A set of strings is, what, $10? Now that I think of it, I don’t think I’ve ever seen guitar strings being sold individually.
$10 would be a very expensive set, at least around here. And I’ve never seen individually-sold guitar strings either. I agree with everybody else, Talon: you might as well buy a whole new set, if for no other reason than knowing what you have and having an idea how long it should last.
What everyone has said get two full sets. A full set will probably cost less than four individual strings anyway. And get 10s, 11s (or heavier once your fingers are up to it). 9s are really too light for an accoustic. Make sure you get an accoustic set, electric strings are not the same (apologies if that’s too obvious).
Tips, um.
Do you have any tools? Pliers make the job a lot easier, I don’t bother carefully un-threading the old strings I just cut them off.
The high E should get about six turns round the peg by the time it’s up to pitch, the low E only needs two or three. It should be the friction round the peg that keeps the string tight not a knot where it goes throught hole.
Once a string is roughly up to tension give a firm yank to take out the initial bit of stretch.
Don’t cut a string to size until it is up to tension round the peg, on a wound string the core can slip from the outer winding and the string goes dead. Before you cut it put a 90 degree bend just before the cut (don’t do that dorky thing of winding the spare length into a little ring it looks stupid).
Once the set is on I slide a magazine or something between the strings and fretboard and give the strings a squirt of WD40, the idea is too keep them from corroding prematurely, who knows it might even work.
Strings don’t last forever (unless you don’t play the guitar). If you’re playing every day – which of course you are – you should be replacing them every few weeks.
My advice would be the same as most of the others: restring with a complete new set. You could substitute a few pre-purchased strings (a music store that I won’t do business with anymore would always try to sell me strings in near-but-not-the-sizes-I-wanted in order to dump their random crap on someone), but buying a consistent set by the same company would be better.
As others have said, buy more than one set. Personally, as someone who got turned on to acoustic by seeing Michael Hedges in concert, I used to change tunings 3-4 times per day during my practice, and broke a string every couple of weeks. Replacing the individual string was not nearly as worthwhile as just changing the set whenever that happened.
If you change a few strings, but leave some of your old ones on, the tone is going to be incompatible. If you put on all unused strings, this problem is reduced, but still old strings (however unused) aren’t going to sound as bright as new ones. Just replace the entire set at once.
Three YEARS??? BLEAH! Restring that puppy, it will be the best thing you can do for it.
Someone mentioned pliers, but one of the most useful tools that I ever acquired for this operation was a curved set of hemostats that I found in a hospital elevator once. It was perfect for pulling bridge-pins. I don’t know where you can buy them, but the internet has everything these days.
Most good music stores have a small kit that you can buy that has a keycrank, a set of adjusting wrenches, etc. The keycrank that came in mine has a small notch in it and is also used to pop the pins. Highly worthwhile. And if you can, find an electronic strobe tuner. They seem to be much more accurate than the acoustic ones.
Ditto the advice on changing the entire set. While you’ve got all the strings off, take the time to clean the frets and spray the neck with a good guitar spray. Spray a little bit into the sound hole as well.
If you are so far out of practice that you have lost your calluses, you can soak your fingertips in vinegar for 5-10 minutes an evening. Your fingertips will toughen up faster if you do.
Now this is something that I’ve always wondered about. I was never (nor do I claim myself now) a guitar expert of any sort, but when I used to restring my guitar (old age has hampered my playing to a large extent, so I don’t do it much anymore), I used to take all the strings off and clean/polish the fretboard to get all of the finger-funk off of the instrument. It also allows you to polish the guitar body under the strings and really clean the thing up before you restring it.
I was told once that this is a HORRIBLE thing to do to a guitar, because the tension nut that runs through the neck needs to be counteracted by the tension of the strings on the front of the instrument, and if you take all the strings off at once, it will warp the neck to hell-n-beyond, and thus should NEVER be done.
My guitar never seemed to suffer, but perhaps I’m not the most persnickety guitarist in the world. What’s the professional word on this?
I’ve been playing for 42 years now, through a variety of 6- and 12-string guitars, and have never seen this happen. I’d be more inclined to believe it would warp if you stored it with no strings for an extended period of time, but I don’t think the few minutes when you have the strings off for a change and cleanup is going to cause problems. It certainly hasn’t caused me any.
I was in a music store once when a lady brought her son’s cheap Fender copy in to get the strings changed. The employee took the guitar from the case and immediately snipped the strings without loosening them first, right in front of her. I thought I would have a coronary. I later saw an article in the local paper extolling the wonderful services available from these idiots.
Cheap or not, acoustic, electric, any guitar deserves better treatment than that.
Elixir strings and a few others have a coating to help them maintain a bright tone longer. They’re more than $10 but worth it. Regular strings run under $7 usually.
If you don’t play much or seriously, different strings don’t matter too much. Mixing different brands doesn’t matter much either. Phosphor bronze strings have a brighter ring and tone than standard 80/20 strings or silk and steel. Electric strings have a different winding and won’t sound too good mixed with acoustic strings, although the unwound plain steel strings are pretty much the same.
When strings get old they loose their tone so it’s better to buy a whole new set. Buying four wound singles will be as expensive as a set. Don’t bother.
Daddario strings are good. I use John Pearse phosphor bronze light gauge but too each his or her own. Most name brands are fairly good.
I work in a music store and our guitar tech has to change the strings for dozens of guitars. That’s how he does it. Any decent instrument will not warp immediately from clipped strings. Get over it.
I work in a music store and our guitar tech has to change the strings for dozens of guitars. That’s how he does it. Any decent instrument will not warp immediately from clipped strings.
I said nothing about anything warping. Just for the record, I have a 74 Martin D28 that’s had a neck reset and has a little bellying just below the bridge. I also have a 76 Guild X175 with a floating bridge. Your guitar tech would be the last person I’d want changing my strings. Luckily, he never will.
– you should be replacing them every few weeks.