Acoustic guitars have 6 strings.  Normally you will have 4 "wound" (more on this in a mo) bass strings and 2 plain treble ones (more on this in a mo too).
The bass ones need to be thicker to get the lower notes, this means they are made with a core wire and then an outer wire wrapped around this.  The outer wire is either made from 80/20 Bronze or Phosphor Bronze. These are called "wound" strings. For help choosing a new set, see our String Guide.
The trebles are made from a single strand of nickel-plated steel and are referred to as "plain".
The windings of the wound bass ones get gunked up with dead skin cells, oil from your fingers, dust and lots of other yucky things (you may also find that your fingers smell funny after you have played) as you play.  This means that they no longer sound as bright and crisp as they do not vibrate evenly.
YOUR G, OR 3rd, is also the most prone to breaking (on an acoustic) as it has a tiny core and if this breaks, it is just another indication that they need changing.
Remember, when you change them, change all 6 at the same time so that you get an even tone. 

Below you will find a step by step guide on how to change them on your acoustic guitar. Simply follow this guide and shortly you will have restrung your guitar.
If you need any help choosing a set for your acoustic guitar or need any more information when trying to fit them, feel free to call us on 0845 2222 603 and Guitarbitz will be happy to assist.
Good luck.
 
 
You'll need a few things:
 
Wire Cutters, Spray Cleaner, String Winder,  Headstock Stand, Lemon Oil, two cloths, one for cleaning the body and one for the lemon oil, a tuner and finally some new strings! 
 

STEP 1

Slacken Strings and remove the string from the peg.

STEP 2

Push the string towards the pin. of it doesn't budge then hopefully the next couple of steps will help.
 
 

 STEP 3

Another option is to cut the strings and push the bridge pins up from the bottom. Quite often they are stuck because the ball end is jammed so do try and pull this out from the bottom too. 

 STEP 4 

Another option is to cut the strings and push the bridge pins up from the bottom. Quite often they are stuck because the ball end is jammed so do try and pull this out from the bottom too.

 STEP 5

Most string winders have a slot that can be used to remove bridge pins. Be careful as this can mark the wood. We only recommend using this as last resort. 

 

STEP 6

This is a great time to give your guitar a deep clean and get off the dust that would normally be hard to reach.

 

 

STEP 7

Put a few drops of lemon oil on a cloth and rub it into the fingerboard.

STEP 8

Slowly work the lemon oil in to the wood all over the fingerboard, don't wipe it all away let a small amount soak in for 30 seconds or so.

STEP 9

You can also hydrate the bridge if it looks very dry. Make sure you remove the saddle first as the lemon oil can cause strings to slip on the saddle.

STEP 10

Grab your new packet of strings and take a close look at what order the strings go in and this is crucial to restringing guitar correctly.

STEP 11

Add a 45° bend at the end of the string. This will help make sure the ball end is in the correct position, which will improve tuning stability.

STEP 12

Push the ball end down with the bridge pin. Make sure the tail of the string sits in the groove of the pin and that this groove is pointing straight down the neck.

STEP 13

Repeat these last two steps for the other five pins. Pull on the tail of each string to make sure the ball end is in contact with the bottom of the pin.

STEP 14

Make sure the holes on each machine head are pointing straight down the neck.

STEP 15

Draw the string over the saddle, over the top of the nut and through the hole in the machine head.

 

STEP 16

Pull the string tight and measure to the next machine head along. This will give you a good amount of winds around the post and again help with tuning stability.

STEP 17

Pull the excess you have measured back through the post and begin to wind anti clockwise, make sure to keep some tension so the measurement you made stays the same.. The string running down the neck should always be on the inside of the post.

STEP 18

Make sure the new wraps are on the bottom pushing the previous wrap upwards.

STEP 19

Start tightening the string until there is a small amount of tension. A couple of winds around the post should be enough.

STEP 20

Take your wire cutters and trim off the excess string. The closer you can get the neater it will look.

STEP 21

Do the same for the remaining 5 strings, gradually working from the thickest to the thinnest.

STEP 22

Once all the strings are on you can bring them all up to the correct pitch. Bring all the strings up to pitch gradually moving back and forth between each string so the tension is even across the neck.

STEP 23

Now the guitars up to pitch you need to stretch in the strings. This is a vital step as it will stop your guitar dropping its tuning and eliminate a lot of time wasted retuning to break in the strings.