Changing Classical Guitar Strings

When To Change Your Strings

"When should I change my strings?"
I use to change mine when the basses lost their brightness.
They usually last about three weeks, but I play five to six hours every day.

"How do I know my strings are dead?"
At this point you'll see fret wear--black marks--on the strings and have difficulty tuning.
If they're really terrible, the basses will be corroded and the trebles scratched (worn rough where you pluck).

Players with sweaty hands can kill fresh strings in less time because of corrosion.
However, the typical hobbyist that washes their hands before practice and plays an hour a day can expect a month of decent tone out of standard strings.

D'Addario Pro Arté Composites, Extended Play Coated, last two or three times longer than standard strings.

EXP Strings Package

I was playing the Pro Arte before and they last quite a long time too:

Traditional String Changing Method

You will save a lot of time and energy usign the ultimate restringing tool. Unlike ordinary peg winders, the patented Pro-Winder is a high-quality peg winder with a built-in clipper and a bridgepin puller. The winder is designed to fit virtually all guitars.

Ergonomically designed with hardened tool steel wire cutters, the Pro-Winder with built-in clipper is the ALL-IN-ONE restringing tool.

http://www.planetwaves.com/ptoolsdetails.aspx?ID=3

Removing Strings

Use the Pro-Winder to unwind the strings. It's faster than winding by hand.
Turn the winder counterclockwise to loosen the string and clockwise to tighten the string.

Don't remove all the strings at once. Instead, remove and install one string at a time. Removing all the strings traumatizes the neck and sound board.
How? The strings exert a total force of 75 to 90 pounds of tension on the sound board and neck. If you release all the tension, the wood flexes. After reinstalling the strings it takes several hours for the sound board to flex back to optimal shape. Thus, you'll notice a lost of volume and tone until the sound board returns to normal.

Attaching The String To The Bridge

Once you have removed a string, attach the string to the bridge as illustrated in the diagram:

Making Your Strings Last

D'Addario Pro Arté Composites, Extended Play Coated, last two or three times longer than standard strings.
They're worth paying twice as much to preserve tonal response and avoid frequent string changes.
Washing your hands before playing also has a major impact on string life. It is helpful to wipe your strings down with a micro fiber cloth.

Micro fiber picks up sweat and oil better than any other fabric.



The Planet Waves Micro-Fiber polishing cloth acts like a magnet for dust, dirt, and oils, and lasts considerably longer than ordinary cloths. Woven from microscopic fibers, the Planet Waves Micro-Fiber Cloth is 10 times finer than silk, up to 30 times finer than cotton, and 100 times finer than a human hair. The fibers are woven into masses of tiny "hooks & loops" which cut through stains, attracting and absorbing dirt, smudges, and microparticles that ordinary cloths cannot reachor remove.
Best of all, the Micro-Fiber polishing cloth needs only minimal polish or no polish at all when you clean your guitar!
http://www.planetwaves.com/pcaredetails.aspx?ID=6

Of course, the more you play, the faster you wear out your strings. That's a fact of life. Live with it.
However, the enjoyment of beautiful tone and wide dynamic response is worth a string change every month or even every week.

Good luck with your next string change!

Philippe Bertaud
http://www.PhilippeBertaud.com

Free Alhambra Guitar Clinics

Howdy Y'all,
Now that I endorsed the coolest guitars on Earth,
Alhambra, I will be offering free clinics.
You will be introduced to all the models from 1-C for beginners
to the Luthier Models, Rio, India and Flamenco.
I will be more than happy to provide you information.
Just email me! or leave a comment at the bottom of the page.
You have nothing special to do beside registering.

Go to the Alhambra Clinic Page to check calendar and register.
The next clinic will be on:

Saturday December 6th
@ Strait Music 2428 W Ben White Blvd Austin, Texas 78717
(800) 725-8877
Seating is limited, please register at: http://www.PhilippeBertaud.com

4 Sessions of 2 hours each will be available:from 11:00am to 1:00pmfrom 1:00pm to 3:00pmfrom 3:00pm to 5:00pmandfrom 5:00pm to 7:00pm

Take care, the Alhambra-Mania is contagious!
Philippe







View the complete Philippe Bertaud tour schedule

Guiarist... Why?

My first passion was the nature. Living in the south of France, where the mountains are breeding with the sea, I wished to become a shepperd. I used to go to workshops and had summer jobs in farms and one of those shepperds I met introduced me to the guitar. You move one finger from C Major to A minor and a whole world is going on… No need to tell you when my parents picked me up, after the workshop, I decided to change my destiny and become a guitarist. I just wanted to play and through a music store, found my first teacher - Serge Donsey - who became my mentor and me, his favorite student.
I used to spend mornings with him, discovering jazz, Brazilian music, classical and a very important notion:to be a specialist of the non-specialization, to be curious and learn all the time. Villa Lobos was my first classical music love story. I created my imaginary Brazil - no need to tell you my first trip there matched my dreams - his music became a walk in the rain forest, portraits of Brazilians, lovers on the beach…And then, it was time to cut the umbilical cord and go to the Conservatory.
There it was a very different story:conservative people - yeah, it is the conservatory… - judgemental about your positions and a lot of things far from the music. I get into the egomaniac world. I never heard before you had different guitar schools ! I thought everyone was a part of the guitar world. Wes played with the thumb, Baden with all the fingers, Joe Pass with a pick and so what? They were different, but you can recongnize their sound like a voice. What a goal instead of being formated to the same playing style.This is what I am going to stick to as a performer and a teacher and share with you.
All the best,
Philippe