Stringing a tele - any tips/advise?

[bb_matt]

After my initial stringing up of my new tele, with 11's, I realised what a shoddy job I'd done.
With my acoustics, I've always found it pretty easy, having done it so many times, I've no idea why I'm struggling so much with my new tele.

So, The top E is fine, I rewound the A so that the loops actually went below the hole, rather than above (yeah, I know, told you I did a shoddy job), the D was fine.

The G was a disaster, I literally had a single loop holding it on, so the angle to the nut was virtually straight. In the process of attempting to restring this, I've now broken two G strings - I have two left to work with, so I'm taking a break for some study.

In the process of restringing today, I also bust the B and low E - it's been a disaster.

With the lower, thinner strings, do you wind a few loops before threading through the hole?
This seems pretty difficult to do, without, I guess, causing the potential of string breakage?

Yep, this is a serious newbie question, but I think it's worth getting some advise here, if anyone can spare it without laughing...

About the only corny humour I've got from all this, is chatting to the wife about nuts and G-strings - well, she found it funny... never gets old, right?

"What are you doing in there, honey?"
"I'm just making sure my nut is right for this g-string"

 

[brogh]

Hi,

i do it this way since like ...10 years or so ... never ever had one problem, quick and fast

go at minute 3:00

 

[Bergy]

Hmm, a picture of your tuning posts might help us figure out where you’re having issues. You want the string to coil around the post nice and neat. Almost like how a mountaineer coils their rope very carefully.

It sounds like you might be running your coils on the wrong side of the hole. If you do that you’ll end up reducing that breakaway angle, like you mention with the G string. Some folks will make their initial wind above the hole then coil the rest below it so that the string cinches down on itself.

Dunno how you’re busting that many strings. It isn’t that uncommon to break 1 every once in a while restringing, but more than that is. Are they all breaking in the same place (at the bridge, nut or post)?

I think Broghs got the right idea. Watching a few minutes of YouTube videos on restringing might be worth a thousand words here.

Good luck!

 

[bb_matt]

I've watched about 10 videos - the high strings are pretty easy, but so few detail the lower strings - at least, not close up.

I've seen the technique Brogh mentioned in a number of videos.

I'll keep on watching more of them, till I get a good idea of the do's and don'ts - it's one of those supposedly simple things that can trip newbies to electric guitars quite easily, as it has with me.

 

[brogh]

the high strings are pretty easy, but so few detail the lower strings - at least, not close up.

i really feel no difference in stringing between high and lower strings, the thineer strings are a bit more slippery than the wounded one, yeah, the trick is in keeping tension

the index finger serves to keep the winds going downwards, but you need to get some pull to get it going.... do you do this ? see pic..

in this case the thumb is used to get the wounds going downwards, and the index is used to pull the string to get tension on both sides, from the bridge side and from the tuner side, as you start turning the string shortens and once you are in close proximity with the string at the nut you'r good to let go, putting a bit of tension is "the secret"

tune up stretch a couple of times and you're good to go

 

[RadioFM74]

Brogh is right. My procedure is
- Trim the strings (and “crimp” them if needed). They are too long as they are. I use the tuner posts to measure the length. Pull your string so it’s straight past the tuner peg where you’re gonna wind it. Count the length needed to go two tuner posts past, and cut (3 for unwound strings).
- Now put the string end in the hole (if it’s a modern tuner, don’t leave much string out of the other side), then using the technique shown above by Brogh turn the peg while keeping the string in tension (a peg turner helps to have a faster and better job). The goal is to have the string make nice orderly below the hole/split, so it leaves the tuner peg at the bottom or round about there.
- If you use vintage tuners, it may be a good idea to “crimp” the tip of the high E and B, because sometimes these string may slip out of the hole while you’re turning. Also a good way of avoiding the classic blood droplet on the ball of your thumb

Once you get the hang of it, it will be a breeze.

 

[Bergy]

I wonder if he has split post tuners. Gotta precut the strings for those, but you shouldn’t need loops or knots or anything. Let the post do that work for ya as you wind the peg. Those little $3 plastic string winders speed things up quite a bit.

Ya may wanna be a bit careful when using those guitar directions like “higher” and “lower.” Even though the little tiny string is closer to the floor, most guitarists call it the high E string cuz it is highest in pitch. Kinda counter intuitive.

Haha, good point about sharp string tips. I like to bend them towards the floor so I don’t poke the crap out of myself when I’m playing. I do that before I cut them down to 1/8 or 1/4 inch or else I also poke the crap out of myself bending the 1/4 inch string stub.

 

[viking]

Yep......Slotted tuners , measure 2 tuners past for the the 3 thickest strings.2.5 to 3 tuners past for the 3 skinny ones.
using a string winder is a must for a good job , imo
Down the hole , kink it , and wind while you hold it down. The string doesnt have to cross over anything , just neat winds from top to bottom
Tuners with holes in them , I measure the same , and some different methodes are used.
i prefer to stick it just through the hole , and cut them right away.
I use one wind above the string end , and the rest of the winds go under.
Works for me !
i use 10`s and havent broken a string in a decade or two

 

[PeterUK]

I’ve just seen your post re: luthier tools.

As you seem to be a). struggling to do the basics, and b). wanting to get more adventurous, I would strongly recommend spending either a weekend with Mike Gough on his ‘BYOG’ course or attend his Saturday morning ‘Guitar set-up course’ and you’ll learn a lot.

Then you can decide how far you want to go and how much you’ll need to spend on tools.

http://www.mg-guitars.co.uk/

Peter

 

[Flaneur]

If you don't have a (dirt cheap) string winder, I strongly recommend you get one...…..

 

[bb_matt]

I wonder if he has split post tuners.

Me? Hello there.

No, I don't have split post tuners.

I’ve just seen your post re: luthier tools.

As you seem to be a). struggling to do the basics, and b). wanting to get more adventurous, I would strongly recommend spending either a weekend with Mike Gough on his ‘BYOG’ course or attend his Saturday morning ‘Guitar set-up course’ and you’ll learn a lot.

Then you can decide how far you want to go and how much you’ll need to spend on tools.

http://www.mg-guitars.co.uk/

Peter

Thanks. I'll have a look at that.
I've strung acoustics for years, I'm competent with doing the setup on a neck and setting intonation, I just have very little experience with electric guitars.
I'm not entirely sure how to explain my method for stringing acoustics - I just kinda do it and have never really had much of an issue, so not entirely sure why it's causing me such grief on my tele. Possibly because I'm not used to a headstock with tuners all on one side.

 

[bb_matt]

Right, more or less got it - not perfect, but it'll do. Not surprisingly, my open chords now sound absolutely spot on
The B is a bit funky - I noticed a cross-over when I was part way through, bust enough strings today, so I just let it ride.
By the time I got to the low E, I had it down.



I just seem to have had a mental block when approaching this, after so many years on acoustic - really weird.
So, this is my Faith guitar (absolutely in love with this), strung in about 5 minutes.



Thanks for the replies guys and bearing with my embarrassingly bad day with my new tele.

 

[tessting1two]

The secret is getting the string length correct before you start winding it around the post. Things are a little more forgiving on guitars with tilt back headstocks because the number of string wraps doesn't affect the break angle over the nut in any significant way. But on a tele the number of wraps is very important.

Since you don't have split post tuners you have a few of options on how to re-string: one, put all the wraps below the hole; two, put the first wrap above the hole and the remaining wraps below the hole; three, use the lock-wrap technique (see video below). In my experience none of these techniques stands out as superior in terms of tuning performance so do whatever makes you feel best.

Watch from 2:10 to the end.

 

[2 Headed Goat]

About the only corny humour I've got from all this, is chatting to the wife about nuts and G-strings - well, she found it funny... never gets old, right?

"What are you doing in there, honey?"
"I'm just making sure my nut is right for this g-string"

 

[AJBaker]

I'd recommend the lock wrap technique. The others work fine, but a lock wrap is just inherently less likely to slip.