Guitar String Winder
Click here to see a great selection of string winders
Whether we like it or not, changing the strings on your guitar with a reasonable degree of frequency is an absolute must.
This is becauase over time, strings can become worn and corroded because of all the bending and being pressed against the metal frets and even teh sweat from our fingers that they have to endure when we are playing.
Newer strings will undoubtedly help to improve your overall sound because they retain their shape and malleability meaning, that they sound brighter and crisper which in turn makes those chords and notes much cleaner.
In all my time as a player a and guitar teacher I have never come across anyone who actually enjoys changing their guitar strings and unless you are practised at doing it, it can take a while and seem like a very boring task.
The easiest part is removing the strings, a simple air of pliers will help you out here. What most people often find the hardest part though, is winding the strings onto the tuning pegs once they are in position, to get them in tune again.
There are hiowever, several tools that make this a whole lot easier and a Beginners Electric Guitar favourite is the humble string winder
The string winder is made by many guitar and guitar accessory manufacturers including Fender, Gibson, Jim Dunlop and Planet Waves and is usually a simple plastic affair. There are a few different designs with some claiming to be more ergonomic than others, but the common feature of all of them however is a rotating tuning peg shaped socket attached to a handle with which to operate the string winder
They come in a variety of colours and usually cost about $5 or less.
All you do is get the string in position on the tuning peg, making sure it is placed securely in the eyelet or (split if you are using split pin tuners), then simply place the socket over the tuning peg and use the handle as leverage to wind the peg until the slack of the new string is taken up and the pitch starts to get higher.
Using a chromatic tuner to check, once the string is almost in tune you can then remove the string winder and do the remainder by hand for a little more accuracy.
With practice this can speed up the boring task of changing your strings to the point where you can do all six in five minutes. This is great because it means you can start playing and sounding great a whole lot quicker and can spend more time doing it.
You’ll most likely get change out of $5, every guitarist needs one!
So, if you want to save a ton of time and a ton of hassle. Get yourself a string winder
