I don’t know why anyone would string a guitar by putting the end of the string through the tuner-hole, and then winding and cranking and winding and cranking … winding some more … cranking some more … and winding and cranking and winding and cranking … man! Have you ever seen the wad of string that sits around the peg of a guitar strung that way? Pulleeeze!!! That is not the reason they give you all that extra string.

Whenever I see a guitar strung in this manner, I know I’m looking at a guitar that goes out of tune every ten minutes or less! Consider all the pressure created when a string is fully cranked to it’s proper pitch. I wouldn’t want my finger between that string and the nut! There’s alot of pressure going on, eh? Mere common sense tells you that a string wound some twenty or thirty revolutions — and rather loosely at that! — around that little peg, is gonna stretch for quite some time before all that slack is taken up! What a miserable experience! Have you ever noticed, after putting a fresh set of strings on your guitar, that it takes a couple of days before all the strings stop stretching? It’s a real pain, ain’t it? Well, let’s put an end to that, once and for all.

When I string up my guitar with a new set of sweet crunchy bronze wound honeys, and set all the strings in tune, I can put it back in it’s case and be fully confident that the next time I take it out of the case, it’ll be in perfect pitch. And here’s how it’s done:

For the Record:
E.A.D.G.B.E
6.5.4.3.2.1
Heavy – - – - – Thin

Procedure for Steel Strings | Acoustic or Electric Guitars:

Picturing the #6, #5, and #4 Strings:

NOTE: This illustrates the procedure when all of the tuning pegs are on one side of the neck – like a Fender Strat.

1. Starting at the bridge, set the ball-end of the string into it’s proper seat, at the bridge of the guitar, firmly. If you are using bridge-pins, drop the ball-end a couple of inches into the hole … put the bridge pin almost all the way in, and pull the ball-end up against it – then press the bridge pin all the way in while pulling the ball-end against it. Press firmly on the pin.

2. Next, take the other end and slip it through the appropriate tuner, at the top (head) of the guitar, and pull it all the way through the peg hole … snug … don’t pull too tight, but gently take up the slack …

NOTE: The fatter the string, the more slack it needs — on the high-E (thinnest) string, I’ll pull it *snug* — the string is not relaxed (laying down) but off the fretboard and straight as a ruler; on the *low*-E (fattest) string, I’ll pull the string less snug, letting it relax enough to lay on the fretboard.

3. Next, kink the string at the peg — to the right on the #6, #5, and #4 strings – see illustration above … and to the left on the #3, #2, and #1 strings – see illustration below.

4. Now, bring the string around … under … then up and over, as you bend the string back over the top (see illustration) … only, unlike the illustration, pull tightly on the string, maintaining a very snug wrap.

You do not want the string (from the bridge, up to the tuners) to be tight … you do want the wrap around the tuner to be tight. Capeesh?

Picturing the #3, #2, and #1 Strings:

5. Start cranking the string up, and you’ll notice – as the peg turns – the string immediately bites down on itself … it will not stretch beyond that “bite” point – and therein lies the key.

6. All six tuners — I mean the part that you turn with your hand, in the interest of tightening the strings — are turned counter-clockwise, so that the string rests on the inside of each peg.

7. Tune the string up to pitch. Then, grab the string at the 12th fret and pull it up, off the fretboard, 2 to 3 inches … bearing a good amount of pressure on the string, as you stretch and pull the slack out of it. Ummm … if you don’t know your own strength, be cool about this … you don’t want to bust and snap strings here – the idea is to stretch it a little bit. Then, tune it to pitch once again.

Repeat the above “stretch.N.tune” procedure until the string no longer goes out of pitch after pulling on it – it usually takes 5-7 applications.

Finally, you can neatly coil the ends, or cut them off with a small pair of “nippers,” as I do.

Frets.com | The Wonderful Frank Ford
If you need further clarity concerning the above procedure, Frank Ford will repeat the process for you, with photographs of each and every step – including a few more cool tips, to boot! THANKS Frank!

Procedure for Nylon Strings | Classical Guitar:

1. Starting with the bridge, as you can see by the illustration below, you pass the string through the bridge hole, then loop it around itself and wrap it 3 times:

2. Pull on both ends to snug up the wrap as much as you can.

3. Bring the long end of the string up to the headstock … poke it through the appropriate hole … bring the string up over the tuner … wrap 3 times … and start cranking up the slack, tightening each string.

Schedule for Changing Strings:

People often ask how frequently strings should be changed … but the answer to that question depends on a number of things. Once conventional strings start showing a fair amount of oxidation (darkness in color) they become increasingly difficult to tune, and their sound quality will leave much to be desired. Once perspiration gets onto the strings, and especially into the windings, oxidation begins, and consequently, sound quality rapidly deteriorates.

Everyone has different body chemistry, so some may prefer one brand over another … and you’ll find your own eventually … but, generally speaking, a new set of strings should be installed once a month – at the very least. They will lose their initial brilliance after 10 hours, or so, of playing … and after a week of daily playing there isn’t much brilliance left … though they may sound “passable.”

I use to put a new set on every week or so … but now that I use Elixir Strings, I can go 2-3 months (easy) before needing a new set! ELIXIRS are coated, so they don’t oxidize very easily and are a pretty safe bet, no matter what your body chemistry is like. Elixir’s are 3 times more expensive than conventional strings … but since they last ten times longer, I consider them to be the least expensive strings on the market! Honestly … these strings last a remarkably long, long … long time.

Cleaning Your Guitar:

Regarding acoustic guitars, wax is not cool … and non-drying oils (like lemon oil) are even worse. Oils, waxes, and silicates penetrate the finish, entering the wood itself … and over a period of time, they’ll add a density to the wood that detracts from it’s resonance. These “nasties” also turn simple repairs into nightmares – ask any experienced luthier, and you’ll find no question about the matter.

The more the wood DRIES and ages, the more resonant and rich it’s sound will become.

Generally, wiping the guitar down, with something like a chamois cloth, after each playing session, is all the maintenance your guitar will ever need. Most players have it backwards — over attending to waxing and fretboard lubricants (bad stuff!), while abusing the wood by not keeping the guitar in it’s case, where it should be whenever it’s not being played.

I like to clean my guitar when I change the strings, so I can get at all those spots UNDER them. A damp rag is all that’s needed – dipped in a little water, and wrung dry. Put some serious elbow grease into it though, with a soft, non-abrasive cloth (like an old t-shirt) … and wipe the guitar down thoroughly – same for the fretboard. A little Murphy’s Oil Soap, diluted with water (as instructed on the bottle) is excellent! Don’t worry about the water: STANDING water is what damages wood — we’re talking about a damp rag.

After a few years, you may want to remove the “grunge” off your fretboard by giving it a very light brushing with #000, or #0000 steel wool. And if you want to use a polish, use Martin Guitar Polish (the only one I’ve ever heard confidently recommended by luthiers) … but not on the fretboard! If you want something for the fretboard, luthiers recommend almond oil … just a drop or two … once per year.

Tuning Your Guitar:

Learning to tune your guitar is a process that takes time, and kind of grows into a maturity over the first few years of playing. You have to develop an “ear” … you must become familiar with the nuances of what’s “sharp” and what’s “flat” and what’s “in” pitch. I think a good practice excersize is to play with one note … tuning it to pitch … raising the pitch and *hearing* what “sharp” means … lowering the pitch, and *hearing* what “flat” means, and so on.

NOTE: Electronic tuners are great tools … especially on stage, when it can be hard to listen to the pitch variances involved in tuning. But aside from the stage, you should learn to tune your guitar by ear. The more familiar you become with tuning by ear, the better you will be at discerning the accuracy of what you’re doing, even when you are using a tuner. Don’t develop a lazy ear by using the tuner all the time!

In the old days, they would let the wood dry up for three years before starting to carve it. Nowadays, most Luthiers use a technique called kiln-dry. This consists is placing the wood in huge vats filled with chemicals that treat the wood in three weeks.

Purists will tell you this method is no good, but you shouldn’t be able to see the difference.

Now let’s look at the various parts of the instrument you wish to purchase.

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The Bridge Unit

This is probably the most important part of the guitar. Most people, and many guitarists among them, tend to believe that the way the sound is produced from an acoustic is that the vibration of the strings is sent into the soundhole, amplified inside the sound chamber and sent out again through the soundhole.

Part of this myth is due to the fact that removable pick-ups for acoustic guitars are placed inside the soundhole. If you’re going to use a pick-up like this on an acoustic, you might as well use an electric as the sound will be just about the same.

Now this is not the way an acoustic works at all. If it were, you couldn’t get any sound out of a violin or a cello-or many guitars, for that matter-as the soundholes are “f” shaped on the sides of the strings.

What actually happens is that the vibration is picked up by the bridge (not the whole unit, but the part where the strings touch) and is transmitted, through the bridge unit, into the sound chamber. The vibration is then amplified using the chamber arrangement, bounced through the struts (usually fan-shaped for classicals and box-shaped for acoustics), then pushed out from the soundhole.

Thus, the importance of having a good bridge unit. This should be the first thing you look at, even before taking the guitar off the rack.

In an attempt to save money, many manufacturers will use plastic for the bridge. If this is so, on the guitar you’re looking at, don’t even pick it up. Plastic will never give you a satisfying sound. And, due to the tension produced by the strings (the lower “E” string produces around 62lb of tension with light gauge strings), the strings will bite into the plastic unit and produced grooves, eventually making the whole unit worthless.

The bridge unit, on acoustic (electric’s are a whole different story) should be made out of wood. Specifically, Ebony. Ebony is a very dense, solid wood, but very rare and expensive. Other alternatives which are just about equally as good are Rosewood and Ash.

The white piece, the bridge itself, should also be made of a dense wood. Here, though, many alternatives will do and are usually to the manufacturer’s preference.

The whole unit is then firmly glued on to the top of the guitar, the soundboard.

Body

A variety of woods can be used to produce the body. Often these are due to manufacturer’s preferences, but quite often to economics. You’ll occasionally see plywood being used. If that’s the case, a simple rule applies: don’t touch! A guitar is a precision instrument which must be made out of top-quality products.

Also, the front piece and the back piece should be made of two different kinds of wood. You’re looking for a denser piece for the back and a lighter one for the front. Maple will often be used for the front piece.

Each panel is made from two different pieces of wood which are mirror images of each other. You should check this point. Just look at the grain of the wood starting at the middle and see if both sides (top and bottom) are mirror images of each other. If they’re not, then you’re looking at shoddy craftsmanship. Also, there shouldn’t be any knots in the wood. Sometimes you’ll find them, this indicates that the manufacturer is using a cheaper quality of wood.

The sides should be made from a third kind of wood. Again, different manufacturers will have different opinions on which particular woods to use. What it comes down to, at this point, is what you like.

An interesting concept I’ve seen, particularly from Yamaha, is to have a body that is unvarnished. The sound will not be extraordinary at first, but it will get better over time. The idea is that the wood is reshaped over time, according to the way you play and the specific sounds you produce.

I’ve never owned one myself because I can’t see myself playing this thing for two years waiting for the sound to improve. But I’ve known people who have owned these types of guitars and swear by them.

The rosette, the decorated part that runs around the soundhole serves partly to reinforce the sides of the soundhole. Not much is needed and it shouldn’t be an issue. Mostly, though it serves to decorate the guitar. This is a tradition that started off with instruments other than the guitar, thousands of years ago. It’s decorative, so you like it or you don’t.

End Blocks

As the sides of the guitar are made from two different pieces of wood (the end result being that it’s much more solid than if it were made from a single piece), these must be joined. Just putting them together and gluing them to the front and back of the guitar is not good enough, the whole thing would fall apart.

There is always an end block at the back of the guitar. You don’t even have to look for it. Again, this should be made of a dense wood. Where some manufacturers will attempt to save money is to not use one at the front. They figure that since the neck joins there, it should hold the whole thing together. Think again.

By holding the guitar with the neck pointing to the ground, you should be able to see whether or not an end block exists at the front. If you’re still not sure, loosen the string and place your hand into the soundhole and feel around, delicately. A good guitar is precision made so you don’t want break anything. Also, make sure your hands are clean so as not to leave any residue in the sound chamber.

If the salesperson tells you not to do that, then give them back the guitar and go somewhere else. You’re about to spend several hundred dollars on an instrument that will last you decades. You’re allowed to know what you’re buying and to not get taken for a ride.

The Neck

On an acoustic, a neck must be glued on the body. If there is no end block at the front of the guitar, that usually means that the neck is assembled on to the body at the same time as the body is assembled. This might be quicker for the manufacturer, but is not to your advantage.

The body should be assembled separately and the glue should be left to dry for several months before the neck is installed.

Like on an electric, a variety of woods can be used on the neck. The neck should be in two parts: the neck itself and the fingerboard. Sometimes the headstock is a separate piece which is glued on; this shouldn’t effect the sound or quality in any way.

The fingerboard is usually made out of varnished Maple or Rosewood. Some people prefer Maple, others Rosewood. Essentially, Maple is cheaper, but will give you a fingerboard which will last forever. The Rosewood will change over time. If you feel the Rosewood fingerboard of a guitar that’s 15 to 20 years old (or more), you’ll notice the wood isn’t quite even anymore. Constant pressure on it, with your particular style of playing, will change it’s form and make it more suitable for yourself. But sometimes this will result in a fingerboard that’s too crooked and must be replaced after 10 year or more.

Finally, the butt of the neck (the part that goes down and joins with the body), should go all the way down to the back for stronger support.

In Conclusion

All in all, when looking to buy an instrument which will last you most of your life, you should take the time to make sure you’re buying something good and something that you will enjoy in the long run.

Don’t get taken in by salespeople who don’t know what they’re talking about. If you’re not comfortable with the instrument straight-away, don’t buy it. Always remember this when you walk into a store: they want to sell, you don’t have to buy.

The first thing you need for your ultimate playing position is the ultimate chair. Many people just grab a chair and go for it. The ultimate chair however has to have a few key characteristics. The first is that the chair should have no arms, the last thing you need is the arms of the chair interfering with the movement of you left or right arms. The second is the height of the chair. When choosing a chair stand in front of it so you are to the side. The seat of the chair should fall right in the middle of your knees. Another way to test it would be to sit on it, if you feet are flat and your lap is flat, then it is the right height. However, if your lap angles to the floor it is too high, or if your knees end up pointed to the ceiling it is too short. Your personal chair will depend on your height, and vary person to person.

The second thing you need is a foot stool. This is so that you can elevate your left foot to rest the guitar on the elevated thigh. One of the things that has become quite popular ( and what I use) is an “A” frame. The “A” frame attaches to the guitar by suction cups (although some clamp on) and elevates the guitar to the proper height while allowing you to keep both feet on the floor. Some people even use a combination of “A” frame and foot stool to achieve maximum support. The foot stool is the most secure thing to use as far as guitar support but the fact is is that by having that left foot elevated, it causes a lot of stress on the lower back. If you use a foot stool try to keep it as low as possible, this reduces lower back strain.

Thirdly, sit on the edge of the chair and do not slouch when you sit. Sit with your back straight, it is okay to look at the guitar and your hands, it is not okay to lean over and look at your hands. Keep your shoulders level, and don’t lean to the left or to the right. However, there will be times when you will lean to the left in order to reach those notes above the twelfth. Make sure you recover your posture after playing those types of passages. Many people don’t know what to do with the right foot, it just seems to be there. You must be careful in which position you place the right foot because it is an easy target for excessive tension build up. I like to keep the right foot relaxed and sometimes in a position when it is almost fully extended and on the heel, some like to keep it bent back under the chair on the ball of the foot.

Whatever your preference keep in mind the mid range principle, which was advocated by Aaron Shearer. All of our joints can function within three realms of movement. The first is to the extreme left or up. Try this: Hold your hand out in front of you and curve your wrist to the extreme left. Now try to wiggle your fingers. Not very comfortable is it. Do the same experiment but this time curve your wrist to the extreme right, which is the second realm of movement. You will see that this is not so comfortable either. Now, hold your arm out straight without deviating the wrist to the right or left. Now, wiggle the fingers, this should present no discomfort or awkward feeling. This is the mid range, or the range between the extremes. This is where the most comfort and economy of energy reside. The same is true with the waist. This is why you want to avoid leaning too far forward or too far back.

Your hands should fall very naturally to the side of your body, then raise them to the guitar. You want to avoid the “chicken wing” syndrome of shooting out the left elbow at certain points of a work. The reason to avoid this is excessive tension. As you go through and look at your posture you should eliminate everything that causes excessive tension. I say excessive, because you will have some tension. After all, you are using various muscles to play guitar, and support yourself and the instrument, and all muscular exertion causes tension. There is though, a difference between wanted tension and unwanted tension. So in conclusion, go through your posture this week and really be honest with yourself about what is good about your seating position and what is bad, and do not be afraid to really be truthful, about the bad. After all, once we have eliminated all that is imperfect, what remains is perfection.