How to Change Acoustic Guitar Strings
Master changing your acoustic guitar strings step by step: safely unwind tension, seat bridge pins properly, lock wraps around posts, and tune up without string breakage.
- Read the tools, materials, safety notes, and steps below for free.
- Tap Start Camera Coach when you want hands-free voice help.
- Allow camera and microphone. Point your phone at the work; the coach watches your progress and tells you the next step.
🧰 Required Tools & Equipment
- ✓ String winder with bridge pin puller notch
- ✓ Wire cutters
- ✓ Clip-on chromatic tuner
- ✓ Guitar neck cradle or rolled bath towel
📦 Materials & Supplies
- ✓ Set of acoustic guitar strings (e.g., 12-53 light gauge)
- ✓ Microfiber cleaning cloth
⚠️ Safety Checkpoints & Warnings
- • Wear safety glasses or angle the headstock away from your face to prevent injury from snapping string ends.
- • Never cut strings while they are under full tension; always detune completely first.
- • Dispose of snipped metal wire tips immediately so sharp fragments do not end up on the floor.
📋 Step-by-Step Guide (7 Steps)
Slack and Remove the Old Strings
Lay the guitar flat on a table with the neck supported by your neck cradle or rolled towel. Turn each tuning peg counterclockwise until all strings are completely loose and flapping. Unthread the loose wire ends from the tuning machine holes.
- • Strings are completely slack and freed from headstock posts
- • Tuning peg holes are visible and clear
- • Cutting strings while still under tension, which can whip up and damage the guitar top or injure eyes
Remove Bridge Pins and Clean the Fretboard
Use the notch on your string winder to gently lever out each bridge pin from the bridge. Pull the ball ends of the old strings out of the bridge cavity and set the old strings aside in a coil. Use your microfiber cloth to wipe away dust and skin oils from the exposed fretboard and headstock.
- • All six bridge pins removed without gouging the wooden bridge
- • Fretboard wiped clean of dust and debris
- • Using pliers directly on the wooden bridge pins, which crushes or marks the plastic/wood pins
Anchor the Low E String in the Bridge
Take the thickest string (6th string, Low E) and make a slight bend about 1 inch from the brass ball end. Insert the ball end deep into the first bridge hole, orienting the string inside the groove of the bridge pin. Push the pin down firmly with your thumb while pulling upward on the string until the ball catches firmly underneath the bridge plate.
- • Bridge pin sits flush or near flush with the bridge surface
- • String does not slip out when tugged gently upward
- • Letting the ball end rest directly under the tip of the pin instead of against the bridge plate, causing the pin to shoot out during tuning
Thread Post and Establish Slack
Align the hole in the Low E tuning post so it runs parallel with the fretboard. Feed the string through the hole from the inside toward the outside, pulling it straight. Grasp the string at the first fret and pull it back toward the bridge by about 1.5 to 2 inches (roughly one fret width) to create the slack needed for winding.
- • String passes straight through the hole
- • Approximately 1.5 to 2 inches of slack wire sits between the nut and post
- • Pulling the string completely tight before winding, leaving too few wraps around the post to hold tune
Wind and Lock the String onto the Post
Bend the protruding wire sharply upward against the post to lock it in place. Turn the tuning peg with your winder so the post rotates counterclockwise, guiding the first turn over the protruding wire and subsequent turns neatly beneath it. Guide the wire into the corresponding nut slot as tension increases.
- • 2 to 3 neat, non-overlapping wraps spiraling downward around the post
- • String sits centered inside its designated nut slot
- • Overlapping wraps haphazardly, causing tuning instability and string slippage
Repeat for Remaining Strings and Tune to Pitch
Repeat the bridge anchoring, threading, and winding process for strings 5 through 1 (A, D, G, B, High E), noting that the treble strings (G, B, E) wind inward toward the center of the headstock. Attach your clip-on tuner and tune all strings to standard pitch (E-A-D-G-B-E). Gently slide your fingers under each string at the 12th fret and pull upward 1/2 inch to seat the core, then tune up to pitch again.
- • All six strings installed with consistent downward wraps
- • Tuner displays standard pitch (E2-A2-D3-G3-B3-E4)
- • Winding treble strings in the reverse direction, pulling the strings at harsh angles from the nut
Trim Excess String Lengths
Hold your wire cutters flush against the top of each tuning post right where the excess wire exits. Snip the remaining length cleanly off for all six strings. Collect the discarded metal ends immediately and place them directly into a trash bin or recycling container.
- • String ends trimmed close (within 1/8 inch) to the post with no jagged spikes sticking out into the gig bag
- • Leaving long coiled string ends at the headstock that poke eyes, scratch the headstock lacquer, or snag cases
Don’t have everything?
- No Neck cradle? Rolled bath towel placed under the guitar neck
- No Bridge pin puller / notched winder? Reaching inside soundhole and pressing the pin bottom up with a coin
- No String winder? Manual finger turning of the tuning pegs