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Location: upstate ny | Is it possible to take already-strung strings off a guitar and then put them back on? I just put new strings on my guitar, and now im going to get new tuners and I was wondering if there was any way to save the strings or if I just have to dump some more money on new ones. thanks |
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Location: Capital District, NY, USA Minor Outlying Islands | yes. |
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Location: Upper Left USA | The few of us frightfully frugal are actually pretty good at it! |
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Location: upstate ny | lol. ill have to see how good I am when i give it a whirl ;)
thanks! |
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Location: Campbell River, British Columbia | I think I remember some advise once about taking dead strings off, boiling them in water to get the dirt out, and restringing. Never did it, don't know if it works.
But I DO keep 1st, 2nd, and 3rd strings in my gig bag for backups if one breaks on a gig. (They seem to be the ones I break, though not so much anymore.)
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Location: upstate ny | nice quote ;)
and thanks for the tip! |
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Location: SoCal | I used to, in college, when money was even tighter than it is now, take my strings off my guitar (the 4 wound ones), boil them in water, then rub them down. You'd be amazed at all the crap that comes off of them (I seem to remember that it was mostly green). They'd be bright as hell, almost crashy, but it saved me from buying new strings for another week.
These days, constantly trying different strings, if I pull strings off a guitar and they are still good, I save them and possibly put them on another guitar, or back on the one they came from if the new strings are no good.
Jeez, I'm reminding myself of my grandfather. When he died and we cleaned out his garage, we found old brake pads and air filters from 50 years ago...... |
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Location: Keepin' It Weird in Portland, OR | I've wanted to do that while adjusting the action...
[Hate to waste a perfectly good set of strings...
Especially if I have to change the setting more than once!]
But the problem that I see is getting the curled-up ends out through the bridge!
And then get them back in!!
But maybe they soften-up after you boil them :rolleyes: |
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Location: upstate ny | ya, if and when i replace the tuners I dont think im gonna be able to get those babies through the bridge. Im used to electric which is typically a little easier... |
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Location: Keepin' It Weird in Portland, OR | Hey, I got two guitars with bridge pins...
I shaved and adjusted the saddle-height on the Johnson without taking the strings off of the tuner!
But (in case anyone didn't know, or had forgotten)
I HATE BRIDGE PINS!! |
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Location: Earth·SolarSystem·LocalInterstellarCloud·Local Bub | By Moody:
I used to, in college, when money was even tighter than it is now, take my strings off my guitar (the 4 wound ones), boil them in water, then rub them down. You'd be amazed at all the crap that comes off of them (I seem to remember that it was mostly green). Then made soup? |
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Location: NJ | Originally posted by Jeff W.:
By Moody:
I used to, in college, when money was even tighter than it is now, take my strings off my guitar (the 4 wound ones), boil them in water, then rub them down. You'd be amazed at all the crap that comes off of them (I seem to remember that it was mostly green). Then made soup? |
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Location: Munich, Germany | unbrok3npp,
this is definitely no problem. The only ones that maybe a little bit harder to get through the bridge are the wounded E and A, but if you straighten them a little bit it is as easy as if they were new. If your fingers hurt while straightening, take needle nose pliers like a leatherman has to do the job.
The ease getting them back on the tuners depends on how long you left the strings. If you have cut them very short it is a bit more difficult, but it works as well with the right stringing technik.
Mabe this picture will help:
I never leave "much string" on the tuners and have done it seperate times.
Best regards,
Kurt |
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Location: Atlanta, GA. | Boil in a mixture of water and vinegar.
or is that the beginning to a shrimp boil? |
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Location: cincinnati, ohio | Should be okay with new strings, as long as there aren't any fret notches worn on the underside. If you don't get the worn spots right back over the frets, that's where they'll break at the most inopportune time! :mad: I know from experience.
Boiling strings: back in the day, that was a good trick for us impoverished musicians. Worked pretty good. Still impoverished, but that seems like too much trouble today. |
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Location: Munich, Germany | One more thing:
Place a sheet of paper (something like that) behind the bridge when you pull out the curled strings to avoid scratches on the top.
Another tip: When you change the strings next time (and do not want to reuse them), losen the tuners and cut them off right before the strings, Then you don't have to pull the curled ends through the bridge.
There is another thing: Do you know string tubes? ;)
Some other fellows will tell you about them. Cliff? Tuppy?
Best regards,
Kurt |
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Location: Munich, Germany | Hah - I see - somebody already mentioned string tubes in your other thread :D
Kurt |
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Location: cincinnati, ohio | Original quote by Koenig Kurt: There is another thing: Do you know string tubes? String Tubes = Snipe Hunt!!! :D |
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Location: Munich, Germany | Originally posted by Koenig Kurt:
...before the strings, Sorry, should be "...right before the bridge."
Kurt |
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Location: Central Massachusetts | errr, if you're just taking the strings off to replace the tuners, there's no need to take them out of the bridge and all that entails. if you need to get them out of the way, just coil them up into a ziplok bag and lightly tape it to the top or something. |
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Posts: 1126
Location: Omaha, NE | I pulled a shim from under the saddle of my new KOALA by just loosening the strings. Which is nice for setup type changes, since you are likely to be going back and forth and there's no point at all in burning through a new set each time.
But that's about it. I find that nothing shags strings out quicker than repeated changes in tunings. Taking them on and off will fatigue them quickly. I would certainly replace with a fresh set before playing out. |
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| Excuse me but strings are pretty cheap if you buy the off brands and even GHS or D'Addarios can be as cheap as $4.50 less if you buy a few sets at once. New strings sound so good on a guitar you owe it to yourself and anyone listening to you to get new ones.
Boiling strings????
With todays energy prices it would probably cost as much as a new set of strings to boil the water. |
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Location: Capital District, NY, USA Minor Outlying Islands | You can sell the string soup after you've boiled the strings, and make up the water boiling energy cost. Or use it to make your coffee in the morning ...
It can't be that bad. There's nothing better then a steaming cup of hot dog water broth from a NYC street vendor. Man that's good stuff. |
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Location: Hicksville, NY | Back in college when money was tight, and I couldn't afford to replace strings on a regular basis, I used to treat the strings with the silicone-based WD-40. Accompanied with a soft cloth, I would spray that can to either lubricate, remove or free the rusted and corrosive parts of the strings. Sometimes, I would get very lucky where the strings were as good as new, and the guitar would come alive again! Unfortunately, I would also end up with the worse results, and be left without any other choice but to replace the strings on the guitar. |
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stupid question...
