CHANGING STRINGS
Get
a string winder. Pluck the low E with your right hand and unwind with your left
and hear the tuning flatten to a metal rattle. At this point there should be
enough unravelled string to pull it up and off the tunning nut, where you can
unwind and pull the string out. Then pull the bottom end of the string by the
eye out of the body. Repeat five times.
Once
the old strings are off, clean and polish the neck and body and everything with
lemon oil. Inspect the nut bridge, frets and saddle bridge for wear. Tighten
any loose screws.
Start
restringing with the low E: Send the bare end of the string through the back of
the saddle bridge and then through the eye of the nut. Pinch the string with
the left hand after placing the string in the nut bridge and pull the string
with the right index finger about three inches from the body. Then grab the
string at the nut bridge with the right hand and bend the string 90° around the
tuning nut with the left hand. Start cranking the tuning nut while keeping
tension on the string with the right hand at the nut bridge. Turn it all the
way up to a low E, pass it sharp and back, exercising the string. Repeat five
times.
Tune
the guitar, push and pull the strings on the fret board as you would play them,
and tune again—exercising the strings now lessens tuning during play.
INTONATION
There
should be a slight concave curve in
the neck. Look down the top of the neck from the bridge like a sighting a rifle
to see if it curves. If you have a feeler calipers handy, 4/64” (1.6mm) is the standard
distance between the 12th fret and the strings. Adjust to your
playing style if need be.
The
12th fret is one octave higher than open tuning. Intonation is the
open note in tune with the 12th fret octave note. If sharp, turn the
saddle screw counterclockwise, moving the saddle toward the neck. If flat, turn
it clockwise. Repeat for all six then strum a chord high up on the neck. It
shouldn’t wobble.
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