How to correctly restring your acoustic | Guitar.com DIY

I've re-strung my guitar wrong for over 20 years, I knew it, but didn't care. Just started taking my music more seriously, got a new acoustic and learned this. it's the best way but man do I ever feel on edge and strung out (pun intended) whilst and after putting on new strings!! 😰☠

Why do people keep cutting away at the actual winding part

Lovely tutorial. Been playing guitar and mando for over 45 years and I still hate changing strings. One and a half machine heads is great to know. And the point about kinks and vibrations is invaluable. Cheers from Co. Dublin!

what a stud! Thank you! Every time I have to restring I fuck it up but as long as I follow this video with my nose pressed against the screen it comes out beautifully

Thank you for making such a clear and simple video! Awesome 5 stars!

Does the guitar pin need to be all the way down? Mine were bent and I bought new ones.

Very well made and helpful video. Thank you!!

Great, especially with emphasis on sandpapering the bridge pins, and emphasis on checking correct placement of ball/bead of string by pressing ‘digits’ through sound hole.

Restring process, near machine heads, best be more close-up, and, best be more gradual pace, in this view.

Great video but, you should NEVER cut the old strings off like you did. The sudden release shock is extremely bad for the guitar’s structure. You should loosen each string off one by one & remove them individually.

I’ve been restringing my guitar since I was 14 and it always took forever to do, took forever for it to hold its tuning, etc. I followed this video and it was fast and my guitar sounds great and has held its tuning immediately. Thank you!

my guitar just looked at me and sighed

Loved the tips about sanding the peg and not kinking the string

Good video! Thank you for the lesson.

Really good vid. The only thing different that i've been doing over many years while restringing is to pull the B and E strings back through the holes in the tuner posts twice before winding them up. This method has always kept those 2 small strings tight without worry of them slipping loose on the post(i used to have issues with them loosening up before employing this method) Also, once those 2 tiny strings reach their max stretch point they stay in tune indefinitely. Right or wrong, doing it this way has alway's worked perfectly for me without any problems at all

The trust for those pegs is INSANE

Nice one ☝🏾 🎸 🔥

I have a problem with my bridge at the nuts it makes a buzzing noise when you tune the strings. Also the bridge is not fixed in. So I'm wondering what is wrong?

Cheers Matt and thanks so much for a smashing go at this. I've done a few restrings but this has still educated me and I'll embrace your suggestions on my next go round. I especially like setting all the pegs and checking for proper seating before proceeding. A+

You are my go to guitar restringing guy. See you again next time sir

Thanks for the great instructions 🎉❤

Nice string lesson bro. And of course only an englishman would have doilys under his cups on a workbench !

why cut the strings, is so barbaric, can’t you simply unwind the strings like a civilized person? cheers

Frankie
I've been playing and gigging for sixty years now (HOW LONG??? Yup. Sixty. Started out wanting to be Hank Marvin). I've restrung everything from a double ball-ended headless bass through cigar-box guitars and resonators to my dear , dear Eric Clapton Strat. Never had the courage to tackle a pegged acoustic, so Matt's lesson is worth its weight in gold. I also learned the correct way to wind on; I've been told all sorts of questionable dodges over the years, but Matt's makes THE most sense. So, first we tackle our little acoustic-then on to the Ibanez twelve string. Wish me luck!

Very helpful tutorial,just one question where can you get that peg remover tool ?thanks

This has to be the slowest and most unnecessary method I ever seen.

wow what a feeling. I just replaced the strings on my Ovation guitar watching step by step video is great help ty

Thank you so much!!!!❤

Thank you Matt, I've always pulled the string tight from machine end snd then would on, but now, thanks to you, I can see its far better to leave a few inches extra to wind on to the peg and string has then got much greater support. 🙏

2 highest ones just slip away

Lovely

Great video! Thank you! This is very helpful! What tuner are you using?

Excellently demonstrated the correct way of restring the acoustic guitar. Thank you.

Honestly that was awful

You never EVER remove all the strigs at one time, it is vital to keep the tension on the top and the bridge as conistent as possible. The amount of flex in the top that you are creating could actually compromise the glue bond at the bridge. How do I know this? I’ve been a woodworker, a luthier, and a guitarist for 57 years.

Many excellent tips. Many mistakes to avoid that I've seen in other videos.

Is there an alternative for a peg puller I could use or do I need the peg puller

A very important lesson. Thank you very much❤❤❤❤❤❤

this is the most accurate video of how to change strings, thankk you very much!

As with about everything, self taught, ty! Especially like the start, loosen & cut, way cool, much faster easier, thanks again, also been winding all clockwise..used to have a nice fender, so miss it, had a Gibson too, always prefer fenders narrow fret bar, never played well, but write songs, guitar nice tool for that, even if the current one, cheap, piece of dung, haven't played in years, (shattered left wrist, arm hand, 2plates, 12 screws later, done her up good, docs said never get full use back, but good enough), fixin' to play again, thought, hey, how am I suppose to string it? Thanks for the tutorial! Appreciate it!

Fantastic! This is very helpful. Thank you.

I strugle doing this for of those of y’all out there who are left Handed and you have a guitar like this and you play left handed and if you’re gonna play left it’s going to cost you to do it

Brilliantly demonstrated 🙌

Great tutorial with all the information to restring for the first time. Thank you.

Which string goes where was missing for me, a true beginner.

found a guitar on the side of the road w/o strings. watching video and stringing it totally backwards. is that why it's buzzing??
smh

It’s not so much the actual restringing of my guitars that I dislike doing, it’s when it comes to tuning the darned things up to pitch, I’m always scared one of them will just break or pop out scaring the shit out of me in the process because of the noise it makes.😅

Terrible - you don't want that many winds on the string