How to Change Electric Guitar Strings
Master replacing electric guitar strings cleanly using a peg winder and wire cutters, preventing peg slippage and keeping your instrument in rock-solid tune.
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🧰 Required Tools & Equipment
- ✓ Guitar string winder
- ✓ Diagonal wire cutters
- ✓ Padded neck rest or rolled towel
- ✓ Digital chromatic tuner
- ✓ Microfiber cleaning cloth
📦 Materials & Supplies
- ✓ Fresh pack of electric guitar strings (e.g., .010-.046 regular gauge)
⚠️ Safety Checkpoints & Warnings
- • Wear eye protection or keep eyes clear of whipping cut string ends.
- • Keep fingers clear of clipped metal ends, which act like sharp hypodermic needles.
- • Slacken strings completely before cutting to prevent sudden high-tension recoil.
📋 Step-by-Step Guide (6 Steps)
Support Guitar and Slacken the Lowest String
Place the guitar flat on a stable table with the padded neck rest supporting the headstock junction. Attach the string winder to the Low E (6th string) tuning peg and turn it clockwise until the string is completely loose and floppy. Verify no tension remains by pressing the string against the fretboard.
- • The 6th string sags freely between the bridge and nut with zero pitch when plucked.
- • Turning the peg the wrong direction and increasing tension until the string snaps.
Cut and Extract the Old String
Hold the slack Low E string firmly over the pickups with one hand and cut it in half with diagonal wire cutters. Unwind and discard the top half from the tuning post, then pull the ball-end half out through the back of the body or bridge block. Immediately dispose of both halves in a bin to prevent puncture hazards.
- • Tuning post hole and bridge string slot are completely empty and clear of metal debris.
- • Letting the cut end scratch the guitar finish while pulling it through the bridge.
Clean Exposed Fretboard and Bridge Saddle
Take the dry microfiber cloth and wipe down the empty fretboard lane, fret wire, and bridge saddle where the Low E sat. Buff away finger oils, dust, and grime that are normally inaccessible with strings installed. Check the bridge saddle groove for any burrs or debris.
- • The fretboard wood and metal saddle under the 6th string position look clean and matte.
- • Using wet household cleaning sprays that can damage guitar electronics and bare wood.
Feed and Seat the New String
Uncoil the thickest string (typically .046 gauge) from the pack and feed the straight end through the rear bridge hole or stopbar toward the neck. Pull the string all the way through until the brass ball end firmly seats against the guitar bridge baseplate. Guide the wire neatly into its dedicated nut slot.
- • The ball end is fully seated flush against the bridge base with no slack inside the cavity.
- • Installing the wrong string gauge into the Low E slot.
Measure Slack and Wind Tuning Post
Rotate the tuning peg so the hole points parallel to the fretboard, then thread the string through the hole from the inside out. Pull the string taut, grab it at the first fret, and pull it back roughly one fret distance (1.5 inches) to create wind slack. Bend the string sharply upward against the post, then turn the peg counter-clockwise with your winder so wraps spiral downward beneath the entry hole.
- • Two to three clean, non-overlapping wraps stacked neatly downward on the tuning post.
- • Leaving too much or too little slack, causing overlapping string piles or insufficient peg grip.
Stretch, Trim, and Repeat Across Remaining Strings
Tune the new string close to pitch, then slide your fingers beneath the 12th fret and gently tug upward to seat the wraps. Re-tune to pitch, then snip the excess wire protruding from the peg post leaving about 3 millimeters. Repeat Steps 1 through 6 sequentially for the A, D, G, B, and high E strings before running a final pitch check.
- • All 6 trimmed peg ends are under 3mm long, and all strings hold pitch under digital tuning.
- • Clipping the string too close flush to the post, which can cause it to slip out under tension.
Don’t have everything?
- No Padded guitar neck rest? Rolled bath towel placed under the guitar neck
- No String peg winder? Manual turning of the tuning peg by hand
- No Diagonal wire cutters? Linesman pliers or wire-cutting notch on standard pliers