- 1). Loosen the 6th (low E or thickest) string by placing the string peg winder on the corresponding tuning key and turning it clockwise. Turn the key until the string windings are visibly loose and the string is slack enough to be pulled an inch or two away from the fretboard. The fretboard is the front of the guitar neck where the frets are located.
- 2). Untie the string knot at the bridge with your fingers and pull the string out. The knot is a in the shape of a figure-8, and will come apart easily.
- 3). Unwrap the windings around the tuning key post, and untie the knot to remove the string. Knots at the tuning post will vary because there are several different methods of knotting. Coil the string and discard, or you may save it for use as a spare.
- 4). Remove the new low E (6th) string from the envelope and unwind it. The envelope will be printed with the name and number of the string. If you are saving the old string, place it in the envelope for future identification.
- 5). Thread the string through the vacated string hole at the front of the bridge, pushing through until 2 inches protrudes from the back of the bridge. This is called the "loose end" of the string.
- 6). Tie the string to the bridge by bringing the loose end of the string back toward the front of the bridge, and looping it under the string at the bridge insertion point. Pull the loose end toward the back again, weaving up and over the string twice to form a double figure-8 knot. Pull the long end of the string to tighten the knot.
- 7). Attach the string to the tuning key post by threading it through the hole. Pull the string through, leaving enough slack so the string can be pulled away from the fretboard about 1/2 inch.
- 8). Secure the string to the post by looping the free end of the string around the post once and threading it through the hole again. Pull tightly to seat the string in place. This method is quicker and easier than other knotting methods, and will hold the string in place just as well.
- 9). Tighten the string by inserting the peg winder on the tuning key and turning clockwise until the string is no longer slack.
- 10
Tune the string to pitch by picking the string and blowing into the pitch pipe hole marked E6 (or similar designation). Turn the tuning key until the pitch of the string matches that of the pitch pipe. An electronic tuner that has an audible note feature may be substituted for the pitch pipe. - 11
Apply gentle pressure to the string as you tune by pulling it up slightly from the fretboard. This will help stabilize the string and help it stay in tune. With nylon strings, it is not uncommon to stretch the string 5 or 6 times before tuning becomes stable. - 12
Repeat Steps 1 through 11 for the remaining 5th (A), 4th (D), 3rd (G), 2nd (B) and 1st (high E) strings. - 13
Trim the excess string from the bridge and tuning key by cutting with wire cutters.
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