I have an acoustic guitar. How do I change strings?

I've just bought a guitar and already broke a couple of strings!  Why do they break?

What is high action or low action?  What's the difference?

I was told the neck of the guitar is twisted.  What problems will I have?

How should I maintain a guitar in its natural condition?

There is this persistent and annoying buzzing on the 11th fret of the A string.

When I plug in my electric guitar to my amp, I constantly get a humming or buzzy sound. Is there any way I can get rid of it?

 

I have an acoustic guitar. How do I change strings?

First, remove all the strings from your guitar and then follow the steps below:

1. Remove the bridge pin and insert a string into the bridge. The knob on the end of the string should be pushed to one side by the bridge pin. Push the bridge pin all the way down and make sure the string is hooked in place.

2. Bring the string over the nut and up the center of the head. Wind it over the top of the capstan, toward the edge.

3. Allow some slack so that the string can be wound around a couple of times, and thread the end of the string through the hole. Pull it outwards and begin tightening the tuning peg to take up the slack.

4. Continue winding so that the string coils neatly onto the capstan and the final wrap lies close to the head.

5. Cut off the excess string.

6. Repeat 1~5 for the remaining strings.

Go through each step slowly and you should be able to do it fairly easily. Note that the above procedure may not apply to some guitars with different construction.

If you still have trouble, bring your guitar to a nearby store or repair shop and ask them to show you how to do it. Or,  visit at: http://deanmarkley.com/htmlDocs/Info/TipsMstr.html and click "Changing Your Guitar Strings." The web site explains how to change strings on acoustic guitar with photos. 

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I've just bought a guitar and already broke a couple of strings!  Why do they break?

Guitar strings may break for one of the following reasons:

1. The foremost reason is that the string is simply over-tensioned.  A string is made to be tuned to a certain pitch and it can be tightened only slightly higher.  If you keep tightening a string too much, it'll break at some point.
    
2. The type of strings you use may not be the best choice for your guitar and setup. Try different brands, different sets of tensions, etc. The super-light strings are easy to break if you use a lot of bending.
    
3. As a string gets older, the chance of breaking increases.  The string simply loses its strength and is more vulnerable to tension or any force added to it.
    
4. Strings get broken more frequently among the players who strum extremely hard!  Strings can also be more easily broken by a strong attack or heavy picking.  It doesn't mean that you shouldn't sacrifice your style or change the way you strum, though.

What can you do? First, replace strings before they get too old.  If you strum very hard, you may want to consider using heavy-gauge strings instead of light ones.  Also, be careful when tuning a guitar.  If unsure at first, bring the strings all the way down and start over. To review how to tune a guitar properly, refer to: an excerpt from Chapter 1 of Guitar Chords and Accompaniment.

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What is high action or low action?  What's the difference?

High or low action refers to the distance between the frets and the strings. The action determines how much pressure you will need in order to press the strings down on the frets. Here are some of the differences and pros and cons between high and low action:

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I brought my guitar to a repair shop and I was told the neck of the guitar is twisted. What problems will I have?

If a guitar neck is twisted, some of the frets on the guitar will be too close to the strings and others will be too far away.  What'll happen? On the portion where the frets are too close to the strings, you are likely to get a buzz.  The action may get too high if the frets are far away from the strings.  To check if your neck is in correct position, look down the guitar from the head to the bottom, close one eye and check if the frets and the gaps between them are parallel with one another.  If they are not parallel, the neck needs to be adjusted.

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How should I maintain a guitar in its natural condition?

The guitar is made of wood and is vulnerable to heat and moisture or humidity. So, you may want to avoid keeping your guitar near such conditions. Always keep it clean and give it a regular checkup. If you don't play it for a long time, it's a good idea to loosen the strings and store it in a hard case.

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There is this persistent and annoying buzzing on the 11th fret of the A string on my guitar. I had it checked and adjusted its truss rod, but the buzzing won't go away. Any advice?

Buzzing can happen:

1. When the action is too low and inadequate.

2. When the guitar neck is twisted, causing some of the frets or parts of them to be too close to the strings and hence creating buzz on some parts of the fingerboard.

3. When the tops of the frets are not straight or even. If, for example, one fret is higher than others, the strings may well rattle against it and cause fret buzz.

If you think the action of the guitar is adequate and you had your rod adjusted properly, the buzz may come from #3. You may need to sand or file frets and make the tops of the frets evenly. If frets are worn out badly, they may need to be replaced.

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