How to Restring Steel-String Acoustic Guitars

You should change your guitar strings whenever the tone or tuning suffers. Here’s how to restring quickly and easily and keep your strings in tune.

1. Start by removing the old string. You’ll see that one end of the guitar string is held in place by ball ends, which are placed in the holes of the bridge, and held in place by the bridge pins. If you can’t remove the bridge pins manually, use a string winder, which has a notch you can use to pry the pin out.
2. Once you’ve removed the bridge pin, place the new string back in the hole. Replace the pin so the groove in the pin faces the nut. The pressure of tuning the string up to pitch will keep the bridge pin in place. Keep light pressure on the pin if it shifts
   
3. Your next step is to fasten the strings at the tuners. First reserve a certain string length that will wrap around the tuners. Assume that about two inches of string will be needed beyond where the string reaches each tuner. Bend that string as a reference point and thread it through the tuner, so the string is turned around the top of the tuner.
4. As you hold the string taut with your left hand, slowly wind the tuner so the tension on the string increases. The first wrap of the string should be above the string length you are holding. After the first wrap is complete, the rest of the windings should be underneath the string length, and should continue winding downward. It’s important to wrap the string neatly. Tangles and odd windings will eventually shift as you play.
5. The first wrap of the string should be above the original string length
6. While tuning the string up to pitch, you may wish to pull on the string at the twelfth fret to let the string stretch. This stops the string from stretching out while you are actually playing. It also prevents tangled windings while you turn the tuners.