Mad Stratter

Not only will you need to restring your Stratocaster when you break a string, strings will eventually wear out and suffer from exposure to sweat, rust, dirt and grime. Depending on how much you play, how well you take care of your strings, and disgustingly enough, how acidic your sweat is, you may want to change your strings anywhere from once a week to once a month.

When changing your strings, you should always use the same gauge string as the string you are replacing. Using heavier or lighter strings while require that you set-up your guitar before your play at, due to more or less string tension, which may affect the relief of the neck, bridge alignment, spring tension on the trem claw, or string action.

If you’re going to restring the whole guitar, you may be tempted to grab some wire cutters and clip off all six strings to make removal easier. DON’T! You want to start from the outside, removing the 1st string, then the 6th string, then the 2nd string, then the 5th string, then the 3rd string, then the 4th, by detuning each tuning peg until the string can be removed from the machine head and pulled out through the bridge. Cutting the strings causes a rapid change in the tension on the neck of the guitar, and will make your set-up more difficult. It’s like lovin’, really; don’t just tear off your girl’s clothes and toss them aside, show your baby you care and take the time to undress her properly.

You’ll want to restring the guitar in the same order your removed the strings, from the outside in. For all Stratocasters, being by feeding the string through the bridge from the back of the body. How you proceed from here depends on the type of machine heads your guitar has installed (from Fender.com):

 
• “Locking tuning pegs. Picture the headcap of the neck as the face of a clock, with the top being 12:00 and the nut being 6:00. Line the six tuning machines so that the first string keyhole is set at 1:00, the second at 2:00, the third and fourth at 3:00, the fifth at 4:00, and the sixth at 5:00. Pull the strings through tautly and tighten the thumb wheel, locking the string in. Now tune to pitch.
• Standard keys. To reduce string slippage at the tuning key, we recommend using a tie technique. This is done by pulling the string through the keyhole and then pulling it clockwise underneath and back over itself; creating a knot. You’ll need to leave a bit of slack for the first string so you have at least two or three winds around the post. As you progress to the sixth string, you’ll reduce the amount of slack and the number of winds around the keys.
• Vintage keys. For these, you’ll want to pre-cut the strings to achieve the proper length and desired amount of winds. Pull the sixth string (tautly, remember) to the fourth key and cut it. Pull the fifth string to the third key and cut it. Pull the fourth string between the second and first keys and cut it. Pull the third string nearly to the top of the headcap and cut it. Pull the second string about a 1/2″ (13 mm) past the headcap and cut it. Finally, pull the first string 1 1/2″ (38 mm) past the top of the headcap and cut it. Insert into the center hole in the tuning key, bend and crimp to a 90-degree angle, and wind neatly in a downward pattern, being carefull to prevent overlapping of the strings.
• If your tuning keys have a screw on the end of the button, check the tightness of the screw. This controls the tension of the gears inside the tuning keys. Do not over-tighten these screws. They should be “finger-tight.” This is very important, especially on locking tuners.”

It may sound unnecessarily obvious to many of you, but I’ve seen enough n00bs make this mistake that it deserves mentioning: make sure that all of your strings are wound in the same direction, so that turning the tuning peg clockwise detunes the string while turning it counterclockwise raises the pitch.

When you change your strings, you’ll need to break them in by stretching them out before they’ll stay in tune. After you’ve changed a string, hold the new string at the first fret and hook your fingers underneath the string, tugging lightly and sliding your hand from the bridge up to the neck. Tune to pitch once again and repeat several times.

In order to get the most longevity and best tone out of your strings, you should wipe down your strings with a clean cloth every time you finish playing. If you want, you can use a cleaning solution like Dunlop Formula 65 String Cleaner & Conditioner, but your strings will benefit greatly from simply having your sweat wiped away before your put your guitar back in it’s case.