Hi Guys,

Just wanted to ask the correct way to string a strat. Do all the old strings come off first or one at a time...some say all off and some say one at a time to avoid neck problems? One at a time is tricky if you want to put some lemon oil on the fretboard like i do and easier to do with no strings on, but i will bow to your vast knowledge.

Also how far do you take the string through the peg holes to ensure at least three wraps of the string? I usually come up short...

Any thoughts would be awesome...

Ta.

I would never take all the strings off unless I wanted to whip out my allen wrench.

It can warp the neck if you don't know what you're doing.



I use this to string my guitar, it's fast and easy. Just keep on winding.

:]

My procedure is more or less like this page explains.

http://www.cyberfret.com/gear-tech/chan ... /page2.php

I pull through just a little less on the high strings and still get 3-4 turns on them usually.

I have been taking all the strings off of various guitars including MIM and MIA Strats and have never had a problem in 30 years. I break a string, the whole set gets changed. I lemon oil the fretboard sometimes and wipe it down every time.

I've always done it one at a time.......no particular reason.......I just prefer it that way.

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"I won't be wronged, I won't be insulted, I won't be laid a hand on. I don't do these things to other people, and I require the same from them."-John Wayne

Eh, I always take em all off then change them. Makes it a lot faster, and if you take your guitar to get it setup or something, most shops will take all the strings off then change them. I don't think it'll cause any major damage to the neck, but I don't know. Just my 2 cents.

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Registered Street Pharmacist.

On a strat, specially if you have the tremelo bridge set up to floating, I change the strings "ONE AT A TIME". This ensures constant tension on the trem springs and the neck making tuning easier and much more stable after stringing is complete. I like to start with the high E first, snip the old string, install the new, tune, stretch the string by bending several times until tuning is stable, then procede to the B string and repeat.

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http://www.youtube.com/user/gmlasam

Welcome to the Forum.

I have taken off all six strings at once for many years with no issues. If it is a Rosewood fretboard I use Gerlitz Guitar Honey on it. I pull the string almost tight then measure the distance of 1 1/2 to 2 tuners for the extra string. That usually gives me the exact number of windings I want. I stretch the strings as I wind them. And finally after tuning up I check the entire setup and make any needed adjustments.

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Chet Feathers

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I didn't Lose my mind, I traded it for this guitar.

Depends on what I am doing.

If I am changing strings without a major clean up job, I do one for one exchange until all are changed. If I am planning to get up under the pick guard for anything, plan on lemmon oiling the fretboard (both my guitars have rosewood fretboards), or clean the bridge up all the strings come off at one time. Been doing it this way for over 20 years and no issues with any of my guitars. Of course the longest I ever held onto any guitar has been only 16 years.

RK

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RK

2007 Fender Highway 1
2012 American Deluxe
2015 MIM Dave Murray HHH
2010 Fender Blacktop
1987 Fender Avalon Acoustic
2012 Marshall DSL 15 watt head

Ditto on what RK said. I change one string at a time most of the time, but if I want to clean or treat the fingerboard I have no reservations about removing them all first.

Changing one at a time has an advantage in that you only need to break in one string at a time. If I'm not in any particular hurry I'll change a string, play for a while, change another, play some more, etc. until they're all done.

This link has tips on re-stringing.

http://www.fender.com/support/stratocaster.php

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Normally I change one string at a time. Recently I had the neck off. When it was time to restring I plopped the plate/block assembly back in and put on one claw spring - the center spring. Next I put on the D string, then the G, A, B, low E and high E. Somewhere in there the block started to pull off the body. That's when I added the other two claw springs. Took forever to tune everything up to pitch. But when I was done the block was floating a perfect 1/8" off the body.

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James Burton Upgrade Telecaster
Hot Rodded Am Fat Strat Texas Special (now featuring Kinman Traditional II pickups)
Fender Blues Jr.
SWR California Blonde
Pedals Pedals Pedals

Personal preference is to change 1 string at a time in "Eric Johnson tuning order."

Low E
High E
Fourth D
Second B
Fifth A
Third G

It's kind of fiddly, but works here.

Might as well add my 2 cents.
Usually I change 1 or 2 strings at a time only. I wipe the board as it is 'revealed' (which is why 2 strings at a time is easier and it still keeps tension on the neck).

To get wrap length I put the string through the peg hole (from middle out on a few of my guitars), then hold off an angle of +/2" of extra string at the nut. I wrap the loose string end back around towards the middle & then under & back over the live end to 'lock it off'. I (try to) keep tension on the 'angle' made above while cranking the tuner.

My Strat has locking tuners, so the details are a bit different.