238658923659

Chapter 16: Changing Strings
313
8. Slowly bring the string up to the proper pitch by turning the tuning
key slowly.
You can determine the correct pitch by the adjacent string, using the
tuning methods described in Chapter 3.
Figure 16-9:
Coiling the
string on
the post.
9. Stretch out the string.
New strings will continue to stretch (causing them to go flat), even after
you tune them up to pitch. To help get the stretchiness out of the string,
pull on the string gently but firmly with your fingers, bringing it directly
above the fingerboard, as shown in Figure 16-10. After each pull, the
string will be flat (under pitch), so tune it up to pitch by turning the key.
Repeat the process of pulling the string with your fingers and tuning up
with the tuning key until the string no longer goes flat after you pull on
it. You may have to do this four or five times — generally a few times
more than you would for acoustic strings — but the whole procedure
shouldn’t take more than a couple of minutes.
Locking systems, floating bridges
Locking bridge systems, such as the Floyd Rose,
require a different stringing approach. The
strings don’t pass through a tailpiece from the
back or top. Instead, they get clamped right at
the bridge using a screw mechanism. (Some
systems require you to clip off the ball before
installing.) Then the string passes through a
locking nut, which uses another clamp system,
after the string is brought up to tune with the
tuning keys. After the nut is locked off, any further
tuning adjustments must be made at the
bridge using microtuners. Locking systems are
widely used in rock playing because they offer
high tuning-stability when used with extreme
whammy bar moves. Locking systems aren’t as
common in guitars used for blues playing, but
they do offer an extra level of tuning security in
any guitar where you desire a floating bridge.
TEAM LinG