TC-TUNE

When changing the strings on an acoustic guitar,

“The bridge pins come loose when I tune,”
“I’m afraid the strings will come off unless I push the pins in really hard,”
or “I managed to change the strings, but I’m not sure if they’re strung correctly.”

?

Changing the strings on an acoustic guitar may seem as simple as threading the string through the hole and inserting the bridge pin, but if the ball end isn’t seated correctly inside the bridge, the pin may pop out during tuning, or the string may not stay secure.

First, turn the tuning pegs to loosen the old strings thoroughly.

Don’t cut the strings while they’re still under tension; loosen them thoroughly until they lose their pitch before removing them.

Once you’ve removed the string on the tuning peg side, remove the bridge pins.

With the string fully loosened, reach into the soundhole and push the tip of the bridge pin out from the inside of the guitar. Pushing from the inside will cause the head of the bridge pin to lift slightly; then, simply pull it out from the outside. Once the bridge pin is removed, pull the ball end of the string out of the bridge hole.

After removing the string on the tuning peg side, remove the bridge pin.

With the string sufficiently loosened, reach into the soundhole and push the tip of the bridge pin out from the inside of the guitar. Pushing from the inside will cause the head of the bridge pin to lift slightly, so simply pull it out from the outside. Once the bridge pin is removed, pull the ball end of the string out of the bridge hole.

With the strings removed, this is the perfect time to clean the fingerboard, frets, body, and area around the bridge.
Use a cleaning cloth to remove dust and dirt.

Insert the ball end of the new string into the bridge hole, then insert the bridge pin. Position the bridge pin so that the groove faces the direction the string travels—that is, toward the saddle.

There’s no need to force the bridge pin in at this point. Gently hold the pin in place with your finger while slowly pulling the string upward. If the string stops midway and you feel the ball end catch, it means it has settled into the correct position inside the bridge.

You do not need to force the bridge pin in at this point.
Gently hold the pin in place with your finger while slowly pulling the string upward.

If the string stops midway and you feel the ball end catch, it has settled into the correct position inside the bridge.

The most common mistake when changing strings on an acoustic guitar is the installation on the bridge side. Bridge pins are not meant to hold the ball end in place by pressing down on it from directly above. When installed correctly, the ball end will hit the bridge plate inside the guitar when you pull the string, and that’s where it’s secured.

If the ball end is merely caught on the tip of the bridge pin, it will push the pin upward as you wind the string to raise the pitch. If the bridge pin starts to come loose, do not press it in any harder; instead, loosen the string first. With the string loosened, gently press down on the pin, pull the string upward again, and re-hook the ball end onto the bridge plate.

If the bridge pin comes loose, do not push it in any harder; instead, loosen the string first. While the
string is loose, gently press down on the pin, pull the string upward again, and re-hook the ball end onto the bridge plate.

Leaving a moderate amount of slack before winding allows you to create a stable number of windings. For this method, use the following lengths as a guide:

・6th and 5th strings: About one peg’s length
・4th and 3rd strings: About two pegs’ length
・2nd and 1st strings: About three pegs’ length

These lengths are merely guidelines. The appropriate amount of slack may vary slightly depending on the strings and peg specifications you’re using.

In particular, the 3rd through 1st strings on acoustic guitars are prone to breaking, so it’s fine to leave a slightly longer tail than the guideline to ensure you don’t end up with too few windings.

When you’ve finished winding, use the following as a guideline: the side hole in the tuning peg post should be hidden by the wound string, and the lowest winding should extend below the side hole. However, the required number of windings will vary depending on the length of the tuning peg post and the size of the side hole. Adjust as needed, ensuring the strings do not overlap or protrude from the bottom of the tuning peg post.

6th and 5th Strings

Thread the string through the side hole of the peg, pull it toward the tip of the headstock, and pull it out to the position of the adjacent peg.

From that position, return the string to its original position on the peg. This will create a slack of about one peg’s length.

Create slack in the 5th string using the same method.

4th and 3rd Strings

String 4

Thread the 4th string through the side hole of the tuning peg and pull it toward the tip of the headstock.

Then, return the string to the position of the 6th-string peg. This will create about two pegs’ worth of slack.

3rd String

Thread the 3rd string through the side hole of the tuning peg and pull it toward the tip of the headstock.

Then, guide the string back to the position of the 1st string tuning peg. This will leave about two tuning pegs’ worth of slack.

2nd and 1st Strings

For the thin plain strings, leave about three pegs’ worth of slack to allow for a few extra windings.

2nd String

Thread the 2nd string through the side hole of the tuning peg and pull it all the way to the tip of the headstock.

Without changing the position where you’re holding the string with your left hand, move the string back to the second-string peg.

Next, move your left hand to hold the string at the position of the 3rd string peg.

Without changing your grip, move the string back to the second string peg. This will give you about three pegs’ worth of slack.

String 1

Thread the 1st string through the side hole of the tuning peg and pull it all the way to the tip of the headstock.

Then, move the string back to the position of the first-string peg. This distance will be the excess length, equivalent to about three pegs.

Thread the string through the peg, and once you’ve secured the excess length, turn the peg to wind the string. Here are the key points for
winding:

• Wind the string downward in a spiral pattern
• Make sure the windings do not overlap
• Ensure the string is pulled straight toward the nut

You can wind the string correctly by holding it with tension, as shown in the photo.

Turn the peg while gently pulling on the string to wind it.

Once you’ve turned the peg about 90 degrees, fold the excess string extending from the peg post straight up and wrap it around the shaft.

After that, continue winding the string so that it runs from the top to the bottom of the peg post.

Wind the string while pressing it down lightly to prevent the strands from overlapping.

Trim the excess string

Once you’ve finished winding the string, use string cutters to trim the excess from the peg post.

The ends of the strings are very sharp, so be careful not to injure your hands or damage the guitar or its case. Tie the
cut strings into a small bundle and dispose of them safely.

Check the number of windings

Ideally, the strings should be wound from the top to the bottom of the peg post in a single, non-overlapping row.

If there are too many windings, the wound strings may overlap or extend beyond the bottom of the peg post.
More
windings aren’t necessarily better. Aim for a neat arrangement where the strings do not overlap.

Tuning

Once all the strings are strung, use a tuner to gradually raise the pitch.
While tuning, check to see if any bridge pins are lifting up. If a
pin lifts, do not continue raising the pitch; loosen the string instead.
Gently press down on the pin while pulling the string upward, and re-hook the ball end onto the bridge plate.

For Pegs with Short Shafts or Low-Set Holes

Some tuning pegs have short shafts or low-positioned holes, which may prevent you from achieving a sufficient number of windings.

For thick strings, such as the 6th string, it’s fine to thread the string through the side hole of the peg post only for the first turn and then wind the remainder downward. Since the tip of the string is sandwiched between the top and bottom, it fits more easily even with a short shaft.

First, thread the string through the side hole of the peg post and create the winding loop as usual.

Next, as shown in the photo, wrap the string you’re holding around the string already coming out of the side hole of the peg post once.

While keeping the string wrapped once around the top, turn the peg to begin winding.

For the second and subsequent turns, guide the string so it passes below the side hole, winding it downward to prevent the coils from overlapping.

When you finish winding, you’ll have one turn above the side hole, with the remaining turns lined up below it.

Use this method when the shaft is short and you cannot secure enough wraps by winding thick strings—such as the 6th string—only downward. If the string fits properly using the standard winding method, there is no need to do this.

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