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.......
