Guitar Lesson - String
a Guitar
In this lesson learn how to string a guitar, intonate a guitar
and prepare for a basic guitar set up. Basic guitar set up requires
knowledge of the parts of the guitar and their function. Please
visit the guitar
anatomy lesson if you don't already know these things.
Since there are so many brands and models of guitars, there is no "tried
and true" method for set ups. A set up for a Fender guitar
is a little different than a Gibson guitar. The best book I know
that will show you tricks and set ups of famous guitar players,
is The Guitar Player Repair Guide by Dan Erlewine.
Pre Set Up - Cleaning
If you don't wipe down your strings after you play,
the dirt that builds up on the strings, gets on the fingerboard,
especially next to the frets (Click
Here to learn how often to change your strings). After you
wipe down the strings, run the same soft cloth over the fingerboard
(between the strings) moving the strings out of the way a bit so
that you are sure to cover all the spots. A few times per year you
can apply some lemon oil with a soft cloth to the fingerboard which
moisturizes and prevents cracking.
*If the fingerboard has accumulated grime over a long
period of time, you'll have to carefully scrape it off. Use
a hard piece of cardboard or a plastic radius gauge (found at
Stewart Macdonald supplies). Be sure to use a scraper that won't
scratch the surface of the fingerboard. First use a q-tip dipped
in Naptha (a solvent you can get at a hardware store) to loosen
the dirt.
* Courtesy of Guitar
Player Repair Guide
String the Guitar
The first important step to a good set up is winding
the string onto the post correctly. This is easier than it sounds.
You will probably ruin many a new guitar string before getting the
hang of this technique!
Step 1 - Choose the proper string gauge. Remember that
switching to a heavier or lighter string gauge will mean changing
other adjustments on the guitar.
Step 2 - Take off three of the old strings (4th, 5th,
and 6th, or 1st, 2nd, and 3rd). This keeps some tension
on the neck. Remember - the 6th string is the fattest and the
1st string is the skinniest!
Step 3 - Important! Install
the guitar strings in this order:
Guitars with 6 tuners in Line - 6th, 5th,
4th, 3rd, 2nd, 1st. Fattest to skinniest!
Guitars with 3 tuners on each side - 6th,
5th, 4th, 1st, 2nd, 3rd. If you don't do this, installation
will be much more difficult.
Step 4 - Take the new string and pull it through
the hole in the bridge or tailpiece. While pulling the string
tightly, measure 2 posts beyond the post that you want. Bend the
string at a right angle toward that string's tuning key (make
the angle a sharp one).
Step 5 - Insert that angled part of the string through
the hole in the post then bend it again the opposite direction(make
the angle a sharp one) (See picture below).
Step 5 - Hold the string tightly at the first
bend as you turn the tuning key. Be sure to wind the string so
that it wraps from the inside of the post. Also, each wrap
should wind underneath the previous wrap. Now repeat steps 1 through
5 for the next string.
Now that the strings are on, stretch each one
by giving it a couple of firm tugs with both hands. This will
help the string hold it's tune better.
YOU HAVE SUCCESSFULLY STRUNG YOUR GUITAR! Now
it's time for the hard parts!
Setting the Intonation
(Electric Guitar w/adjustable bridge)
Setting the Intonation is the process of changing the measured
(fixed) scale of a guitar by adjusting the string length. This is
most commonly done at the bridge of the guitar. In adjusting the
string length, we're trying to get the 12th fret note (the half
way point of the string) to sound the same as the open string (the
12th fret note is 8 notes away, but the same note).
You should intonate the guitar after
the nut, bridge, and neck adjustments are done!
You will need an electronic guitar tuner and a screwdriver which
fits well into the bridge saddle screw. The bridge saddle is the
part of the bridge on which the string rests.
1. Plug into the tuner.
2. Play the open 1st string and look at where the reading is on
the tuner. Do the same thing for the 12th fret note. If the 12th
fret note reads below (a lower pitch, or flat) the open string,
you need to move the saddle forward (toward the pickups), shortening
the string.
3. If the 12th fret note reads above (a higher pitch, or sharp)
the open string, you need to move the saddle back, lengthening the
string.
4. Repeat steps 2 and 3 until the open string and 12th fret read
the same on the tuner.
5. Now that the tuner has been checked, I always check pairs of
strings in octaves to see if they sound in tune. Here's how:
If one of the octaves sounds out of tune, double check the tuning
and intonation (always just check the tuning first) of those two
strings. When you are done intonating and checking, double check
the guitar's
tuning, and play an open E chord. If the chord sounds good,
you're done! If not, go back and check the intonation again.
Once in a while you might get a "bad" string. This is
a defective string which will not intonate properly. If this happens,
throw the string out and get a fresh one.
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