How To Restring Your Guitar

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If a string snaps during your guitar solo, you'll want to fix it quickly and return to playing. Here's how to restring an acoustic (steel-stringed) folk guitar.

Steps:
1. Remove the broken string by popping out the pin on the bridge and unwinding it from the head. Discard the string.

2. Thread the ball end of a new string through the bridge and secure it with the pin.

3. Stretch the new string up the neck, into the nut and through the eye of the tuning machine on the head of the guitar.

4. Sharply bend the string to help hold it in place on the peg.

5. Turn the tuning peg counterclockwise to tighten the string. Turn it at least one rotation. Make sure you don't turn it too tight.

6. While you turn the tuning peg, apply light pressure to the pin to keep it from popping out as tension develops.

7. Pull the string with your thumb and index finger to stretch the new string, then turn the tuning peg a bit to retighten it.

8. Use wire cutters to snip off the excess string, leaving about 1 or 2 inches (2.5 to 5 cm).

9. Tune the new string to the other strings or to a guitar tuner.

Overall Tips:
To keep the sound of your guitar crisp and bright, change the strings every three months, more often if you play it a lot. Pros change their strings once a week.

Most electric guitars require that you thread the string through a hole in the back side of the body to the bridge. Thread the string through the tuning peg as you would on an acoustic guitar.