Changing Guitar Strings

[jalevinemd]

Hey guitar players...I've always heard that when changing strings, you should do one at a time and not remove them all at once. Supposedly that can create radical tension changes that aren't good for the neck. Is this an old wives' tale or is there some validity to it?

[lbpesq]

Jonathan:
 
I've heard this one also.  Kind of goes along with the one about loosening strings before flying.  I've also read that they are both old wive's tails.  Personally, I no longer loosen strings when I fly and have not had any problem yet.  As for changing strings, while I used to do the one-at-a-time method, I now cut 'em all off first.  Once they are all off. Then I'm much more likely to clean off the grunge that collects next to frets and pickups and the dust that settles in those hard-to-reach places.  By the way, I just ordered one of these to make changing strings a little easier - especially when I'm doing multiple guitars.
 
Bill, tgo

[jalevinemd]

Bill,
 
Let me know how that thing works. I thought about one but wondered how much time it really would save.  
 
I'll tell you...I'd love to find someone who could come to my house once every month or so to change the strings on all my guitars, check the intonation, truss rods, etc...

[lbpesq]

Jonathan:
 
I'll do it.  I'll polish them and lemon oil the fretboards too.  Only $10,000/month plus expenses.  Such a deal!
 
Bill, tgo

[artswork99]

250 RPM!  LOL
 
I can use a gig being your technician right now... too bad I'm not closer to Chicago.  
 
Cheers, Art

[peoplechipper]

I could see the changing one string at a time thing useful on a floating bridge(hate when I have to work with those!) or perhaps a hundred-year-old guitar, but even them if the tension is only off for 10 minutes...really, if you have to worry about tension changes that much you probably have a repair waiting to happen...Tony

[jalevinemd]

Bill,
 
I'll get back to you on that one! For the $10,000, though, they'll be trips to the market and, of course, picking the kids up from school.

[paulman]

I'd been doing one at a time for years and years, just felt like the way to do it.  
 
How ever three years ago I picked up a new method.  Start by taking off the 1st and 4th strings, and then replace them and tune them back up to relative pitch with the other strings stretching them and all.  Do the same with numbers two and five, and then numbers 3 and six.  Then by the time it's re-strung, the instrument is already close to the original tuning and takes less work to get to playing mode.  
 
I guess it doesn't hurt to slice and dice the strings off all at once, reading other peoples reports on their methods.  Messing with my $5k guitar neck movement just freaks me out.  
 
I'd be interested to have Mica chime in on this one, and see what the manufacturer recommended method is *wink*

[hydrargyrum]

Hmm, isn't that like 160 pounds of tension for a guitar?  I've always changed my strings one at a time.  I just can't imagine that wood likes to have the shock of going from that sort of tension to zero in a few moments.

[olieoliver]

I curious, if the strings are changed one at a time, do you still oil the fretboard.  
I always let the lemon oil soak in for a few hours before I restring the guitar/bass.  
 
OO

[lbpesq]

When I'm going to lemon oil the board, I unwind all the strings at once, but I don't cut them off.  After letting the oil soak in for a 1/2 hour or so, I wipe off any excess (usually none) let soak a bit longer, than restring with the old strings.  A few days later, I change to new strings.  I find that just after I oil the board, the strings will soon turn black or at lest discolor.  I'd rather this happens to the old strings than to a new set.
 
Bill, tgo

[flaxattack]

i oil the fretboard 1x per year. when i do this i remove all 5 strings.this means i am doing an entire set up including checking the neck tension.  
 
if i am just replacing strings i do them one at a time- my preference- as i would like to think the string tension will remain unchanged.

[flaxattack]

oh and i replace in this order
 
a-d-e-g-b

[olieoliver]

When I was playing full time I would change my strings every other week, sometimes every week. I LOVE the sound of new strings, there's nothing in the world like it. I would always change them one at a time for that very reason, to maintain an even tension on the neck.  
 
Now that I play less often I change them about once every 5 or 6 weeks and take them all off to ease in cleaning the neck and body under the strings.  
 
OO

[hydrargyrum]

Yeah Olie, that is the one dilemma about changing strings one at a time.  I have attempted to get in there with Q-tips, but that never quite works.  I usually only oil my fretboards about once a year.  When I do so I do remove all strings, but I use the tuning gears and let them down slow, rather than cutting them.