How to string an electric guitar

I'm writing this tutorial to help new guitarists string their electric guitars.

The first step is to purchase some strings from your nearest music store, depending on the type of music you want to play the string gage will be different. If you want to play heavier music such as metal then I suggest using a heavier gage of string. If you want to play calmer music such as indie, or maybe soft rock I suggest a lighter gage.

Next make sure and remove ALL existing strings. The best way to take off the old strings is to simply loosen them up then cut them right in the middle with wire cutters. Then just pull the left end through the tuning knobs, and the right end through the back of the guitar (Note where the strings come out of the back).

After you have removed all the strings its time to put on the new ones. Start with the string closest to the top of the guitar. On your string package you can reference by color which string is which. Find your string then run the sharp end through the back of the guitar in the hole relative to the string you are putting in (These holes in the back are the same holes the old strings came out of). Run the string all the way through so that it is pulled tightly into the back. Now place the sharp end of the string through its relative tuning knob at the top of the guitar. You should pull enough through so that when you pull the string up off the neck there is a gap of about one foot. Now turn the tuning knob clockwise until the string is relatively tight against the neck and it has wrapped around the knob 3-5 times. Now cut the excess string that is coming out of the tuning knob but leave about 1 inch in case you want to lower the tuning.

Do the same thing for all your strings, then tune them with either a digital tuner or by ear if you can. You can purchase a cheap digital tuner for around $20 at your nearest music store.

Enjoy!!