Power winders are an absolute necessity! I bought a $30 Ryobi 4V screw gun from Home Depot some time back, and use it with the Planet Waves bit that works with guitar and bass tuners. Makes string changes a breeze!
Restringing a 12-string
- Thread starter Cougar
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Cougar
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I did some real quick research and got an Ernie Ball.
Cougar
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Is that the 6-string price? And do you mean D'A "80/20 Bronze"? For 12-string they're EJ36 and now essentially 10 bucks. About the same as the PB's.
Boneman
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Be aware you may scar the edge of your headstock with the tuning machine bit, especially if you are cavalier or loosey goosey with the process.
I never thought about putting locking tuners on my acoustics, have them on my electrics, but I like the idea.
I never thought about putting locking tuners on my acoustics, have them on my electrics, but I like the idea.
Let me know how it hold up. I thought about one of them, but they seemed kind of flimsy, and they don't work for basses.
Westerly Wood
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Yes. EJ11s. 80:/20 lights.
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So I finally got around to restringing my new F212XL....
What a nightmare! Just to begin with, removing the strings, I'm using the "Taylor technique," loosen all the strings so you can remove the bridge pins, then just take out the ends from the bridge, OK, no problem. Now just unwind the strings from the posts and pull them out of the hole, right? But wait, why won't they just come out? They're like locked onto the posts! Using the wire cutter just makes it harder to get them out. What a pain!
OK, I finally got all the strings off the damn posts. Cleaned up the fretboard, which didn't really need it, polished the top a bit, on to the stringing!
I'd bought several sets of strings off reverb or ebay many years ago, and I had what I thought was a new set of Martin SP phosphor bronze 10-47s. Wait a minute, this set had been opened! I had a heck of a time figuring out what was what. It was all messed up! Well, I could certainly tell what was the low E string, so I put that on. OMG wait, the octave low E is supposed to go on first! Well, too late now. I'll just have to pretend I've got it set up like Doyle Dykes does it, for that low E anyway.
In between trying to figure out what string goes where, I had to go out and plow the 6 inches of snow off our driveway. That was going OK until I got stuck perched at the top our our incline where our driveway meets the gravel forest service road. Had to back down the incline, which is scary since the driveway edge is a 15 foot dropoff.
Some ridiculous number of hours later, I had the guitar all restrung, none the worse for wear... except for a couple of bleeding episodes. I'm not even sure if I've got strings in all the right places. Is the octave G actually a high E string? Sounds good though! Still, when the roads clear up a bit, I might just take her into town and have the local luthier restring it with some D'Addarios... You know, where all the right strings are for sure in all the right places.......
Now imagine owning 100+ guitars.
silverfox103
Senior Member
Cougar, be glad you don't play a harp. And I'm glad I play nylon strings, no band aids necessary.
Tom
silverfox103
Senior Member
Ah Charlie, have you forgot about the list of your guitars in your signature? That's a pretty good collection, granted not in the same league as GAD's or Richard's, but........
imagine those of you who have big collections either let them stand for a long time or spend all your spare time with string changes (or have some roadies to help).
Tom
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silverfox103
Senior Member
Speaking of collections; Mark Knopfler is unloading 120 of his guitars on Christies:
Tom
Tom
Cougar
Enlightened Member
Wow, great video!
Well, Tom, I know what I do.
But these guys are about an order of magnitude higher than I am.
Nuuska
Enlightened Member
On that Martin video @ 2.22 you can see how the pin does not go in like others . . .
Pulling them all out and not watching which one was were is fine w new guitar - as years go by - things may change.
Pulling them all out and not watching which one was were is fine w new guitar - as years go by - things may change.
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Even more important on a 12 than a six. Somewhere I've seen a jig someone made with holes to hold the pins in correct sequence, that was for a six, but could easily be made for a 12 as well.
That's a good idea. I don't have this problem with the pins on my guitars (so I don't worry about them), but I like the styrofoam idea. Of course, a bespoke 12-string jig would be totally cool.
Nuuska
Enlightened Member
12 string
Senior Member
I must confess I'm allowing myself some snarky amusement from folks telling of their difficulties restringing 12 string guitars. I've done it so many times that I've gotten pretty fast at it even though I've never had a power winder. Maybe someday.
I must admit that slotted headstocks are a pain, especially on a 12er.
Ya gotta suffer if you're gonna sing the blues!
' Strang
I must admit that slotted headstocks are a pain, especially on a 12er.
Ya gotta suffer if you're gonna sing the blues!
' Strang
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Hey, GAD, how often do you change strings on your guitars? I imagine those of you who have big collections either let them stand for a long time or spend all your spare time with string changes (or have some roadies to help).
I don't play them all regularly, so it feels like I have to change strings every time I want to play one.