It was here that my plan was to take you step by step through how to tune your guitar. I was going to use the time during the COVID-19 lockdown to work on this, but my recent delivery of guitar strings has been delayed (which is fair, its not essential). As soon as they arrive I will run through the best way to do this, and a list of hand tools that will help you here!
I’m going to start by sharing a list of tools that I recommend having to hand before you attempt to return your guitar. Some of these will help save you time, others are purely for the finishing touches, but all will help you with your task.
How frequently should I change my guitar strings?
I was recently asked this question and wasn’t best sure on a concrete answer for it. A quick Google search on the subject suggests that you should look to change your strings every 3 months, or roughly every 100 hours of practice (or whichever comes first). I can imagine that during the COVID-19 lockdown there are people who are playing a lot more than usual and will therefore be looking to change their strings more frequently. I tend to find that I change my strings probably every 6 months at the moment, but that’s probably because I am playing a little bit less than I used to. One thing that I look out for is that POP factor. If I notice that the strings have started to sound a little dull, or the sounds don’t jump out at me, I start to feel I need a string refresh about then.
Which strings should I use?
Again, this is up to you! I prefer to use Earnie Ball Super slinky strings. Ever since I started playing these have been my go-to for all round great sound. The Extra slinky (blue packs) are just a little too fragile for me, and the standard strings a little too thick. Goldie-locks and the 3 strings if you will. If you want to try these, I recommend going to your local music store and purchasing them from there, or I’m sure if you searched Amazon, you would find them!
I’m going to update this article after the weekend with a video that outlines the steps I usually take to change the strings, so I’ll save the mehtodolgy of exactly how I do it until then.