I'm changing the strings on my new guitar for the first time. It's an acoustic steel string guitar. The white pegs at the bridge were quite stubborn but now that I finally managed to get them out they are loose as hell. Without strings if I put the guitar upside down they all fall down. When I put a string in and try to wind it the peg always pops out.
This is my second guitar. I've changed strings on my previous guitar lots of times but I've never had this problem before. This is the first time I try to restringing this guitar.
Could I have damaged the plastic pegs when I pulled them out? They look fine to me.
I'd appreciate any help. Thanks.
"Hey Hey My My ... Rock and Roll can never die" Neil Young
The pins are probably fine. When you put the ball end of the string down in the hole make sure the ball goes past the bottom of the hole. Then put the pin in and pull the string up at the same time so the string ball bottoms out at the bottom of the lip of the hole and the pin goes all the way in. The pin just needs to push the string against the slot at the front of the hole and the pin should push the string flat against the slot. If the pin has a slot also line it up with the string.
Some of them are different sizes too.
If it was easy it wouldn't be worth doing.
Thanks for the reply. But I don't think that's the problem. I'm sure I put the pin in in completely as I've done this loads of times. I also just noticed that with the old strings the pegs lock fine. Could it maybe have something to do with the guage because the new strings are a higer guage. They're 12s.
"Hey Hey My My ... Rock and Roll can never die" Neil Young
The pins don't hold the strings in, the ball end of the string against the bridge plate and tension hold the strings. The pegs just act as a guide for the ball end of the string.
Take a look inside with a mirror and see if the bridge plate is gouged.
That would require undoing all six strings. I've heard people say you should never release all the tension from the neck. You think it's alright?
"Hey Hey My My ... Rock and Roll can never die" Neil Young
There is absolutely no reason why you shouldn't take all the strings off - after all the neck was made without any strings and it didn't harm it. In fact, you could argue that, in removing all the strings, you are doing the neck good, by allowing it to return to it's natural condition (i.e. not under stress).
The only danger of removing all the strings is that the bridge will fall apart/off. This only applies, as far as acoustic guitars are concerned, to instruments with floating bridges and, as yours, has pins, you don't have on of those. So, no need for worry.
I started with nothing - and I've still got most of it left.
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it is perfectly fine to remove ll th strings at the same time without damaging your acoustic.
use that opportunity to clean .
storing a guitar w/o strings would be a problem.
Thanks for the help amigos.
The problem seems to have solved itself. I still can't tell why the string wasn't attaching itself correctly, but that's in the past. :wink:
"Hey Hey My My ... Rock and Roll can never die" Neil Young
