How To Change Acoustic Guitar Strings Martin | All You Need To Know

If you are still taking your guitar to the shop to change the strings, this article is for you. We will talk about changing guitar strings, especially if you have a best Martin guitar or an electric guitar.

The process of changing strings is the same whether you change all the strings or only one. It’s very easy if you have the basic information and the right accessories such as wire cutters, a string winder, and a tuning machine. You have to try it once by yourself, and for the next time, it would be a piece of cake for you.

When To Change Strings?

Every guitarist needs to change the strings of their guitar after a certain period. There are many reasons to restring your guitar, which depend on the factors like your playing style, how often you play, your striking method, and many other things.

Some other scenarios in which you have to restring your guitar:

These are some major factors that force you to change the strings.

Basic Steps To Change Your Guitar’s Strings

Though new guitars have new strings, you still have to tune them according to your playing style. These are the most basic steps that you need to follow in an orderly manner to get the instrument strung the right way.

Using Proper Tools

You can restring Martin guitars without any tool, but it is better to have proper tools to save your time and effort. These tools help prevent you from getting hurt by the strings.

You just need a string winder, a wire cutter, and two pairs of string. Professional guitarists prefer to use tools for restringing instead of doing it by hand. Martin guitars are best with their specified strings. Though you can change the pitch and tension from the tuning post, don’t change the strings if not necessary.

Remove The Old Strings

A bridge pin is a small piece of metal that holds one end of the string with the bridge plate. While removing the strings, the bridge pin is so small that it gets lost. So try to place the guitar on a smooth surface while you change the strings.

First, cut the string around the 12th fret of the guitar and remove it from the side of the string post. The other end of the string is still connected to the bridge pins. You need to pull the peg of the broken string. This will allow you to pull the other piece of string with ball ends from the bridge post.

Remember to put the strings in the dustbin so that it may not be able to hurt someone. Remember that if the string is broken, the chances are that the ball of the string might have fallen into the belly of the guitar. You have to shake the guitar to pull out the ball from the soundhole.

Putting New Strings

Select the correct string you want to replace after seeing the packaging to select the right one. Generally, there are six strings in a pack having different sizes and lengths. Martin guitars are fun to play, but they need quality strings for exceptional music.

Place the end of the new string having a ball end structure in the peg holes. Don’t insert the string more than 1.5 inches into the hole. Remember that you must not insert the string too deep into the hole as it might cause the peg to come out.

Connecting New String

Hold the other end of the new string and wrap it through the peg. Make sure to leave excess string to create an ample amount of windings. There must be a slack to pull the wire almost six inches above the guitar.

Now, start winding the tuner to make it tight. Don’t let the string overlap, as it may break the string. The wire must make one coil above the wire hole, and the remaining coils must lie below the hole.

Keep the string tension at a particular level so it might not break easily. You can check by playing that it must not make a note higher than the following string. Increased tension of the string makes it harder for you to play.

Cut The Extra String

After making the string tight, you have to cut and pull out the extra wire. Use a plier or a wire cutter to cut the string from the side of the tuning peg. Be careful that you must not damage the wire with your tool.

Don’t forget to check the tone or bass of your guitar by plucking strings with your fingers and playing a few chords.

Frequently Asked Questions

In this section, we will answer a few FAQs to clear your mind further.

How do I change the strings on my acoustic guitar?

There are a few steps you can follow to change the strings of your guitar. Use the tools, cut the old strings from the 6th fret, remove the peg and pull the string, place a new string and make it tight. Tune the guitar and enjoy.

How do you restring an acoustic guitar for beginners?

There are pretty simple steps that can be followed to restring an acoustic guitar. Any beginner can do this by himself. By using the correct tools, cutting the old strings from the 6th fret, removing the peg, pulling the string, and placing a new set of strings, you can change the strings of any guitar.

Is it hard to restring an acoustic guitar?

It is not rocket science to restring an acoustic guitar. There are a few simple and super easy steps that can be followed to restring an acoustic guitar. It would help if you practised a few times, and then you will become a master in restringing an acoustic guitar.

Final Words

This was all about how to change acoustic guitar strings. The process of stringing an acoustic guitar is very easy. You just need a guitar which is to be restringed, a pair of new strings and some tools like a wire cutter, a plier and a string winder.

For best results, restringing your guitar is not enough. You should pay attention to your guitar so the strings last longer, saving your money and time. Clean the guitar body regularly, especially the frets, bridge pins, strings, neck and other parts.

If you still have any doubts, feel free to ask us in the comment section.