Changing Guitar Strings: A Complete Guide Including the Ernie Ball Power Peg

Fresh guitar strings sound noticeably better than worn ones. The difference is immediately apparent: new strings are bright, articulate and resonant; old strings are dull, lacking sustain and harder to tune accurately. How often you should change them depends on how much you play and how acidic your sweat is (seriously - some people corrode strings within days; others can play the same strings for months without significant deterioration).

A reasonable guideline: if you play every day, change strings monthly. If you play a few times a week, every two to three months. If you're recording and the strings need to sound their best, change them the day before, play them in for a couple of hours, and record the next day - brand new strings go slightly sharp as they stretch; a couple of hours of playing settles them.

What you need

• New strings (the right gauge and type for your guitar)
• String winder - speeds up the winding process enormously
• String cutter (most winders include one)
• Tuner

The Ernie Ball Power Peg is a battery-powered string winder that winds strings significantly faster than a manual winder. At £27.49, it's a luxury rather than a necessity, but if you change strings regularly (multiple guitars, frequent changes), the time saving adds up and the consistent winding tension produces more even string installation.

How to change strings: acoustic guitar

1. Remove the old strings - Slacken each string several turns with the tuning peg until it's slack enough to remove. Acoustic guitars use bridge pins: push the pin out from below with a bridge pin puller tool (or use a coin carefully - don't damage the bridge) and pull the string free. Cut the old strings once removed to make disposal easier.
2. Clean the fretboard - With the strings removed, clean the fretboard with an appropriate conditioner (lemon oil for rosewood and ebony fretboards; nothing for maple). This is the best time to do it and you should do it every few string changes.
3. Install the new strings - Thread the ball end of each string through the bridge, push the bridge pin firmly in (the groove in the pin faces toward the neck), and thread the other end through the tuning peg hole. Leave enough excess for 2-3 turns of the peg.
4. Wind and tune - Wind the string around the peg while keeping tension on the string below. Wind down the peg (toward the headstock) for consistent winding. Tune to pitch and repeat for all strings.
5. Stretch and retune - New strings go flat as they stretch. Pull each string gently away from the fretboard at several points along the neck to pre-stretch it, then retune. Repeat until the guitar holds tune reliably.

How to change strings: electric guitar

Electric guitar string changes follow a similar process but with different hardware. The bridge type (tremolo, hardtail, tune-o-matic, etc.) determines the process:

Hardtail bridge - Strings feed through the body or through the bridge from the back, then wind onto the tuning pegs in the same way as acoustic. The tuning peg winding process is identical.

Floyd Rose tremolo - Requires locking the strings at both the bridge and the nut. Cut the ball end off the string, insert it into the bridge saddle and tighten the saddle screw to lock it in place, then wind onto the peg and finally tighten the nut lock. This process is fiddly and is the main reason some guitarists avoid Floyd Rose guitars.

Choosing the right string gauge

String gauge (thickness) affects playability, tone and intonation:

Gauge	High E diameter	Feel	Tone	Best For
Extra light	0.009"	Very easy to press	Bright, thin	Beginners, benders
Light	0.010"	Easy to press	Balanced	Most players
Medium	0.011"	Moderate	Fuller, warmer	Jazz, blues, acoustic
Heavy	0.012"+	Firm	Full, loud	Acoustic, fingerpicking

Electric guitars are typically shipped with 0.009" or 0.010" gauge. Acoustic guitars are typically shipped with 0.011" or 0.012". Don't change to a significantly different gauge without checking with a guitar technician - very different gauges can require a truss rod adjustment and potentially a setup.

String material and coating

For acoustic guitars, phosphor bronze strings are the most popular - they're warm, balanced and long-lasting. 80/20 brass strings are brighter and more present. Silk and steel strings (with a silk wrap) are much softer and easier to press but less loud and less durable.

Coated strings (Elixir being the most popular brand) have a polymer coating that prevents corrosion and dirt accumulation. They last significantly longer than uncoated strings - Elixir's claim of 3-5x longer life is plausible in most conditions. They cost more per set but the total cost over time is typically lower.