More About Changing Electric Strings

One important thing to make sure when changing electric strings is keeping the same string gauges.

If you do change to lighter or heavier gauge, you'll have to work on the intonation. Intonation keeps the string in tune, up and down the neck. Change the gauge, change the intonation. It takes moving bridge saddles forward if flat, away if sharp on the 12th fret. You want all frets to be in tune from 12th higher. You need to lightly press the string and have it checked by a tuner. The open (or unpressed) string tuning should match the same string pressed on the 12th fret tuning 1 octave higher. E=E, A=A, etc.

If you do change gauges you may want to adjust the heights of saddles too.

The only other thing that may be different from guitar to guitar is where the string goes through the bridge. Sometimes it's through the back of the guitar. ( Through a whammy bridge tremolo block or just through holes in the body itself. Not bad things just different.)

Locking tremolos require cutting the ball end off first. and they get clamped in the saddle on the bridge. These are hard to tune and you will break strings with them. That is why they are losing popularity. Did I mention they are hard to tune? Put a block under bridge to hold it in place. Tune, tug, retune, tug, stays in tune. When all are done, lock at the nut. Remove block carefully or they'll break, and fine tune. Good luck if it works. If one string breaks, all are out of tune and the process starts all over again. This is why I don't recommend whammy bars for everyday use.

I also wanted to mention that if you take the cloth and run it under your strings around your pickups on occasion, it will keep the dust from collecting. Wipe strings each time after playing. Hanging the cloth over the headstock keeps dust from collecting there too. Doesn't look cool, but works.

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