You make the B and E strings look so easy.

Had my first attempt at trying to string my strat today and I can safely say it was a complete fail! I didnt have the strings tight enough, it looked untidy and wont stay in tune even. Then i saw your video and tried putting on a spare string using your technique but with the standard tuners and it worked! Your video has helped me so much man! Thanks. P.s I've only been playing guitar about a year and a half and my dad has always strung it for me

I hate stringing a Fender Jaguar, strings 1, 2 & 3 will simply jump out of the hole whilst winding them up. It's myself who I'm winding up in the end.

I thought this was a very good video. Short, informative, and to the point. And he even showed us how to care for our fret boards! I don't understand all the negativity in the comments section. If you're so knowledgeable about fret board care and string changing, then why are you watching a tutorial for fret board care and string changing? Why not make a tutorial yourself so the whole world can know the "proper" way to care for our guitars? Stop hating. Peace

This video was is very helpful 8 years later, can’t wait to attempt this on my new classic vibe

i watch these videos as entertainment because most tutorials on changing strings are full of pointless steps and superstitions about wrapping the string and forming a knot etc Finally, someone is changing their strings properly. This is pretty much exactly how i do it except now I'm going to try polishing the frets from from time to time. Good work!

Dude seriously thanks man. I just bought a tele and could not get the handle on this. Thanks so much for the video man. It REALLY helped!

I feel like you didn't emphasize enough on the amount of pain and suffering that goes into trying to get the fucking high E string stay in place while youre turning the tuner.

ive warched several of these tutorials and youre the only one to mention stretching the strings afterward. thats how i was taught by my brother.

Good job. So many young or less experienced players simply don't know about stretching new strings. I stretch my new strings 2-3 times after tuning them to pitch. Good video for any guitar player.

if i were you, i'd go to a place like guitar center, due to the sheer volume of guitars they have. play EVERYTHING. even guitars you wouldn't think you'd like. you may be surprised as to what feels the best in your hand, and what you think sounds the best overall. i don't know that i'd recommend buying from there, but they tough to beat when you just want to try something out.

This is the video I was searching for : precise, clear, smart, beautiful to watch and pleasant to listen, thanks a lot !

I just replaced mine with locking tuners to make my life easier but I still wanted to see the best practice for vintage style tuners. good video

@leafbob1 thanks for the kind words! Glad you enjoyed it! :)

Very clear video. Your narrative is reassuring to newbies.

Sorry for the paragraph, figured id give you a tip. String angle can be a major headache for jazzmaster/jaguar players and they may not even know it. Poor string angles from the tuning pegs to the nut, and from the bridge to the trem/vibrato plate are the number one reason for bridge/saddle buzz on these guitars. People install shims, new bridges, buzz stops, thicker strings to get around this issue. But, there is a way to prevent this issue via tuning and it was missed in this video. You can see the issue at 4:06. The E and A strings are thick and the pegs are nearest the nut, resulting in a string that has a sharp downward angle from the nut towards the bottom of the tuning pegs, which is exactly what we want with each string. The B and e strings are furthest from the nut, with the weakest natural angles, so a string tree is provided to hold the strings down. The strong angle is so important Fender included something to guarantee it for these strings! But the G and D strings are located in the middle and from the video you can see the angle is not very ideal. The B and D strings have such a shallow angle they appear nearly parallel with the string on the other side of the nut! You can help offset this by ensuring the string wraps many many times around these pegs. If you had measured 3 tuning pegs distance for these strings only, it would have resulted in more wounds around the peg. More wounds means the string eventually departs from the peg at a lower (and thus more aggressive) position, effectively creating a string tree like effect for these strings as well. HUGE IMPROVEMENT in play-ability.

Great advice for any guitar and guitar player. Measuring keeps things consistent. Cleaning makes playing your guitar, fun.

@Brentypooz that's not how the old klusen's work. there is no excess string to cut, as you feed the end directly into the tuner. they are designed to have 2" of extra string inserted, and wrapped accordingly. for other types of tuners, you are indeed correct.

The best vid I found. Told me exactly what I wanted to know. Short, sweet and to the point.

The squier vintage modified jazzmaster im getting has these vintage style tuners, and I must say, I love how you restring with these tuners! Thank you so much!

i don't believe it will be damaged. the neck will adjust due to the lack of tension, but as long as there is no crazy weather / humidity changes, it should acclimate just fine. i'd double check with your local luthier to be safe though.

Took me a while to get the G and B strings on, but I finally managed to do it all by myself. Thanks alot for your help!

@Brentypooz the tricky part is that on strats you have to feed the string into the tuner coil first before you can wind it

For the high E string I cut it two inches longer that the top tuner and then insert it in the hole till it bottoms out. Then I bend a sharp right angle and start winding, keeping my finger on the bend until I get most of a revolution. Then keeping light tension and pressing down so each winding goes under the last, continue winding and hope for the best. This usually works for me. I really like the way the vintage tuners stay in tune.

thanks to this vid I manage to do it on my 59 musicmaster (first time ever for me with vintage tuners!) From what I could hear in the comments, people seemed to experience problems with the high e, while the only tough one for me was the low e string for some reason, the only one that kept snapping off :-D

it really depends on how much you play, and how well you take care of your strings. i'd recommend using a cloth, or old sock to wipe the strings down after you play. you'll preserve the life of them. beyond that, if you play 30-60 minutes a day, i'd aim to change them every 4-8 weeks, if they are rusty/grimey.

Dude I agree with ChrisDMusic21....Vintage style tuners have been the bane of my existence. You helped me tremendously!!!

Thanks so much, it was my first time ever using non-locking tuners, never mind vintage tuners, I’ve found it very easy but when I got to the hi-e and b-string they kept popping out because I didn’t keep pressure on the string but after a few minutes of getting pissed off I finally got it thanks

Good demonstration; I've just restrung my first vitage tuners guitar. I still prefer locking tuners, but after those, the vintage ones are the best. No string-ends sticking out and I find it easier to put on new strings.

I string my Strat exactly like this, but like a few people here I was hoping for a magic solution to stop the top E string flying out.

I have had my mustang for years and just today thought of seeking guidance on proper string changing methods for it compared to my strats and others

For what it's worth.......and it's worth quite a lot don't cut your B and high E at all. You can wind them down the post without the string crossing itself (at least on the vintage style tuners as in the vid). It makes the angle of the string between the string tree and the post a better situation for the trem returning the string back to pitch (string bends benefit in the same way). This also creates another option.........you can get rid of your string tree altogether because there is enough angle to force the string into the slots on the nut which for a guitar with a trem is an excellent upgrade. When I string any guitar I put as much string down the post without it ever crossing itself, no knots or kinks required which makes removing the strings a very quick process.

Thank you for the great video! I was really worried about changing the strings on my tele, after watching this video I did it with no problems.

easiest way to stop the strings from popping out while restringing is to push the string down with a toothpick in the tuner hole while you wind it up, this is also great for when you had to remove the string for say you had to work on the neck and then to get the strings back on again.

I just got a squier vintage modified jaguar with those kind of tuners and this video helped thanks for the tips

Excellent tutorial. Thanks for posting. My Squier VM Jag uses these style of tuners and they took some getting used to for me. I string them as you recommend (your precision about measuring two tuners past the one you're stringing is way more precise than my "eyeball" method). But the polishing recommendation and how to protect the pickups from bits of steel wool are excellent tips I'd never considered. Thanks again.

I keep a note in my case to watch this video whenever I change strings on my Nocaster. Works like a charm but I still hold my breath while doing G B E.

Also a good idea to oil the nut grooves every other string change to reduce friction and wear & tear on the nut over time.

i think it depends on the tuners. i had a tech who was able to widen the fork where the string goes, but obviously the hole is pretty much set.

Thanks Greg, very helpful. I have these tuning machines now on my Squier Strat and wasn't sure quite how to do it. (As a much younger person with a '63 Fender Mustang decades ago I had no idea what to properly do) lol Thanks again!

Thanks allt for this video. Im restringing my paisley tele for the first time and noticed that the tuning pegs looked a bit different but your video helped me out. Thanks again

10/10 video, thank you. Im just starting to use the “faster tuners”, even swapped the machine heads to vintage Fenders. Video: smooth and easy, fast and handy Reality: I hate myself and these damn knobs, [explicit language], alcoholism, death

i would probably get the hum if a s/s/s guitar just resonates with you, there is always the option of getting a single-coil sized humbucker in the bridge position. the duncan hot rails, or jr jb are great options to check out.

Ahhhh cut the string 2 tuning pegs up !!! I got a Tele modern players plus with those vintage tuners and had trouble putting strings on it but thanks to your video I got it now.The 9's on it felt flimsy so I switched to 10's and lovin it.

@jhump2431 indeed! i go there every so often!

Hahah Oh wow I feel like such an idiot after watching this video. The string goes inside that hole. Recently bought a Jazzmaster with Gotoh tuners and I was so stumped. Thanks a bunch for the insight!

I find the light B and Light E Strings don’t stay in the hole of the tuner

I. use Nomad Music F-1 oil on the fretboard .Correct on stretching the strings, very important. Good video.

2:52 to skip to actual strings tutorial

Thanks for the video! I had no problem with high E. Just keep a good tension on it.

dude! i like your string info thing the BEST! excellent thanx

@GregsGuitarLessons great video i will use it on one of my guitars. can you please make a video on replacing a single peice tuner with individual locking tuners? i need to know this for my strat. thanks!

Grind a few almonds or nuts and polish the fretboard with it seals and dark the wood. It's a vintage method for expensive furniture. Teflon spry in every friction area helps a lot too. Good luck people.

Great video! used to hate changing strings on my Jag, never knew about cutting the strings down!

What's wrong with taking all the strings off at once? I do it on all my guitars, hardtail strat, strat with vintage floating style trem, Jackson with Floyd Rose style trem... I use lemon oil on the rosewood neck it cleans all the gunk off no problem.

Best video on KZfaq. Quick and efficient. Thanks a lot!!!!!

super tutorial, very professional thanks man, great berh

Can anyone give me some advise? Everytime I go to tune my guitars I always seem to snap a string, I never do it too fast i always do it slowly and carefully. I think i just have bad luck with it, I even brought new strings for my steel stringed acoustic which were meant to last 5x longer than normal strings and when I tuned them the G string broke which is a pretty thick string. Is there any tips/tricks/advise for tuning new and old strings without them snapping?

Best video I've seen so far, you made it really easy. Good job, you earned a sub!

I'm not sure The ones that were on the les paul copy were pretty thin but the ones i use for the fender are quite thick/heavy

Dont cut strings BEFORE stringing. String and tune and everything before you cut strings incase you make a mistake measuring or something, or theres not enough string to wrap around and keep strings tight (mainly B and high e, wrap around atleast 10 times)

@GregsGuitarLessons Hey thanks!

thanks!

hey greg! helped a lot! great job, man! I appreciate the way you do it! YOU ROCK!!!

fantastic video, great camera work with the depth of field, bravo, 1st time doing these

interesting. are you cutting them to the proper size? as long as they are cut properly, and you keep pressure right where they go in the peg, it should work just fine.

use a draftsman shield when polishing frets to protect the wood

OK, sure it's simple but.. every once in a while the high E just doesn't want to stay in the hole. Once it pops out it's pita.. any hints other than using the winder? Also like to note wouldn't use oil on maple fingerboards.. Any experience with the eraser type of fret polisher sold by places like stewmac? Really liked your video.. simple, concise clearly spoken.. great job..

i agree, but a lot of people over the years felt it was too complex.

agreed! as long as it's not off for days.....you'll be ok.

@InsanityOnABunExtras honestly, you should just replace the tuning pegs. i'd have a professional tech look at it, if you're not comfortable with the process. sadly, it's not always as easy as buying news ones, and dropping them in. the screw holes in aftermarket tuners don't always line up. musiciansfriend is having a sale on these. great tuners, cheap price.

Nice video. I like these type of tuners - pegs. They look neat. I have these on my fernandes stratocaster. I suppose the issue is that you cannot change a string if you dont have a cutter with you, like you can with the normal tuning peg (the ones with the wholes). Thanks for the info.

Nice jazzmaster. Cheers!

It's breaking around the tuning area on the headstock (sorry im not too good with naming the parts lol), It's happened on all on my guitars except my schecter and bc rich. But whenever i tunes the others (fender style and a les paul copy) the string snaps :(

they are better than the modern fender tuners but for some reason the bottom e string dosent fit into the key i use heavy gauges (11 to 54s) are vintage tuners able to fit strings of that gauge?

hw often should I change my strings. Just started playing.

right I need some expert advise... is it true if you take all of the strings off the guitar it will damage the guitar due to loss of string tension or something??? I would be very great full if someone answered my question. :)

my tele has these tuners and every time I try to put on the B and e strings they slip out of place and are so bent out of shape i cant use them, any tips?

This looks very easy! But why I cant do it??!!

where are you breaking the string? if it's at the bridge, it's possible you've developed burr's on the saddle, which is cutting the string apart when the tension is created.

THANK YOU MAN!

Thank you Greg. You are a guitar hero!

How much pressure should i put on the string when I'm feeding it to the tuner?

Very nice and helpful. Thank you.

Ive seen that JM on TGP !!!

I have never stretched a string in 40 years of playing. Modern strings are so good you really don't need to.

good method, but i always 'push out the air' of the strings on the tuners with a pick. I push the strings down with a pick. Otherwise it will still go out of tune

nice video, very informative.

thanks, a great and clear video

Thanks alot for this dude!:) My first attempt i was too stupid i thought i wasted a string after i cut it so i threw it away... its just i held my finger in the wrong position.

haha that's fucking awesome:P "Because if you have a plastic nut you could end up fracturing the nut" omg how did he not laugh at that in the video...

Thanks so much, this helped me alot when re-stringing my fender marauder, the machine heads really threw me

Anyoue else add a little length to the higher strings when you cut so the winds look better? Maybe just me

...a good way, to age the guitar ! take time, man ! LES

D'oh. Two pegs past. can i remember whatever that was? Cool vid.

Hi Greg. Could help me out a bit deciding which guitar I should purchase? I've been playing acoustic for about 10 years.. And never owned an electric one, but the time is now. I really don't know which one to get, my budget lies somewhere within 600-800 Usd, but I know theres plenty of guitars available in that range. I've been looking at: Mex Std Strat, Mex Classic Player 60 and even a Mex Modern Player HSS..

@InsanityOnABunExtras it's not letting me link them. go to musicians friend.com search planet waves auto trim tuning machines. tough to beat for @49.

Thank You for this!

hello,can you polish fretboard with water?

I use water for the fretboard, same thing as oil.