I have an
acoustic guitar. How do I change strings?
First, remove all strings from
your guitar and then follow the steps shown below:
1. Remove a bridge pin and insert
a string into the bridge. The knob on the end of the string should be pushed to one side
by the bridge pin. Push the bridge pin all the way down and make sure the string is hooked
in place.
2. Bring the string over the nut
and up the center of the head. Wind it over the top of the capstan, toward the edge.
3. Allow some slack so that the
string can be wound around a couple of times and thread the end of the string through the
hole, pull it outwards and begin tightening the tuning peg to take up the slack.
5. Continue winding so that the
string coils neatly onto the capstan and the final wrap lies close to the head.
6. Cut off the excess string.
7. Repeat 1~6 for the remaining
strings.
Go through each step slowly and
you should be able to do it fairly easily. If you still have trouble, bring your guitar to
nearby store or repair shop and ask them to show you how to do it. (note:
the above procedure may not apply to some of the guitars with different
construction.)
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I've just bought
a guitar and already broke a couple of strings! Why do they break?
Guitar strings may break for some of the
following reasons:
- The most and foremost top reason is that
the string is simply over-tensioned. A string is made to be tuned to a certain pitch
and it can be only tightened slightly higher. If you keep tightening a string too
high, it'll break at some point.
- As a string gets older, the chance of
breaking increases. The string simply loses the strength and is more vulnerable to
tension or any force added to it.
- Strings get broken more frequently among
the players who strum extremely hard! Strings can be also more easily broken by a
strong attack or heavy picking. It doesn't mean you shouldn't sacrifice your style
or change the way you strum, though.
What can you do? First, replace
strings before they get too old. If you strum very hard, you may want to consider
putting heavy gauge strings instead of light ones. Also, be careful when tuning a
guitar. If unsure at first, bring a strings all the way down and start over.
To review how to tune a guitar properly, refer to:an excerpt from Guitar
Chords and Accompaniment.
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What is high
action or low action? What's the difference?
High or low action indicates the actual
distance between the frets and the strings. The action decides how much pressure you
will need in order to press strings down on the frets. Here are some of the
differences and cons and pros between high and low action:
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I
brought my guitar to a repair shop and I was told the neck of guitar is twisted.
What problems will I have?
If a guitar neck is twisted,
some of the frets on the guitar will be too close to the strings and some others too far
away. What'll happen? On the portion where the frets are too close to the
strings, you are likely to get a buzz. The action may get too high if the
frets are far away from the strings. To check if your neck is correctly in position,
look down the guitar from the head to the bottom, close one eye and check if the frets and
the gaps between them are parallel with one another. If they are not
parallel, the neck needs to be adjusted.
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How
should I maintain a guitar in its natural condition?
The guitar is made
of woods and vulnerable to heat and moisture or humidity. So, you may want to
avoid keeping your guitar near such a place. Always keep it clean and check it
up regularly. If you don't play it for a long time, it's a good idea to loosen
the strings and store it in a hard case.
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There
is this persistent and annoying buzzing on the 11th fret of the A string on my
guitar. I had it checked and adjusted its tross rod, but the buzzing won't go
away. Any advice?--Connor
Brown.
Buzz can happen:
1. When the action is too low
and inadequate.
2. When the guitar neck is
twisted, causing some of the frets or parts of them to be too close to the
strings and hence creating buzz on some parts of the fingerboard.
3. When the top of the frets are
not straight or even. If, for example, one fret is higher than others, the
strings may well rattle against it and causes fret buzz.
If you think the action of the
guitar is adequate and had your rod adjusted properly, the buzz may come from
(3). You may need to sand or file frets and make the tops of the frets evenly
(filing frets). If frets are worn out badly, they may need to be replaced.
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