Guitar/Stringing the Guitar
Aside from the physical shape of the guitar body, strings are the most important thing for determining the sound of a guitar. New strings sound bright and full, while old strings tend to sound dull and dead. Many guitarists believe that strings should be changed regularly, not just when they break. This is because sweat and dirt corrode the strings, and over time this degrades their sound quality.
When one breaks a string, all of the strings should be changed. This is especially true if the newer string is of a different brand or gauge. The string's manufacturing process, thickness and age all affect it's tone, and one new string being played with a bunch of old strings can make your guitar sound strange. Players should be advised that guitars are usually set up for a particular gauge of string. The guitar will still function fine with a different gauge of strings, however for optimal sound, the guitar may need to be adjusted.
Because there are several different types of guitar, and each type is designed differently, each type has it's own method of stringing.
Different Types of Strings
Each type of guitar uses its own type of strings. Strings are specifically designed for a type of guitar to give it a particular sort of sound. The differences between string types affect the guitar's tone, and it is not recommended to use a set of strings not made for your guitar. Not only would the result not sound good, but attempting to string a guitar with the wrong kind of strings would be both difficult and frustrating. In some cases, it may even damage the instrument.
The most common type of guitar is the six string acoustic. A set of acoustic strings has four bronze wound strings and two silvered steel strings, the steel ones being the thinnest and highest pitched.
A twelve string acoustic has the same set of strings as a six string acoustic, but there are also six other silvered steel strings.
A classical guitar has three bronze wound strings and three strings made out of nylon, which are the higher pitched. An electric guitar's strings are similar to an acoustic's, except the strings are made of nickel instead of bronze and steel. There are four wound strings and two nickel strings.
Gauges and Brands of Strings
The two most common gauges for the high E string in electric guitar are .009 inches and .010 inches (these measurements are used even in most countries using the metric system). Often a whole set of strings is referred to by the gauge of the high E string, e.g., "nines" or "tens" for .009 and .010 gauges respectively. The beginning guitarist is recommended to start with .009s; many professionals also use this gauge, so many guitarists never "outgrow" it.
Three of the best and most popular brands of guitar strings for both acoustic and electric guitar are currently Ernie Ball, D'Addario, and Elixir. Ernie Balls and D'Addarios are much cheaper than Elixirs, but Elixirs will keep their bright tone for months (which is why they are higher-priced). But Elixirs can break as easily as any other strings, so they are perhaps best left to people who have been playing a long time and rarely snap strings. The difference between the other two brands is a matter of taste; try them both.
Stringing a Guitar
The first thing you need to do when stringing a guitar is to take off the old strings. To do this, turn the tuning peg to decrease tension, until the string is completely unwound from the peg. In most cases, the string is bent at the end where it was inserted, to insure that it would stay during tuning. Unbend the string, then pull it out of the peg hole and slide it out of the bridge at the bottom end of the guitar.
Some people string one at a time to make sure the neck sustains tension, or they just take all of the strings off at the same time. We recommend removing 3 strings at a time. This keeps neck tension and is faster than 1 at a time.
For the 6th string (the low E), take the string out of the package and insert the end through the bridge of the guitar. Pull it all the way through until the ball at the end of the string stops it from being pulled further. This is optional: Make a kink in the string to insure that it will not slip away from the turning of the peg, (usually about one or two inches from the peg, leave yourself some slack).
Wind the string around halfway and insert the end through the hole. Pull the string to add tension, so the string will stay around the peg during tuning. Turn the tuning peg to increase tension until the string is around the desired pitch, to make certain it will stay on properly. Check that the string is in the notch in the nut and the bridge, if it is not, decrease tension on the string until you can move it into the notch, tune it back up.
Do this for the rest of strings and you are done!
