Strings,one at a time or all at once?

[Chriso]

Hi All
Just bought a new Limited Edition Casino lefty.
On reading the owners manual I noticed that it recommends changing strings one at a time.
I've always taken all the strings off cleaned the fretboard and then restrung my strats tele and les paul.
Is there a right way and a wrong way to change strings and how do you clean a fretboard without taking all the strings off?
Is this a peculiar thing to hollow body guitars.
Confused
Chris

 

[Davis Sharp]

For every guitar except my Casino Coupe, I take them all off at the same time. With the CC, the trapeze bridge falls off when I do that. So I leave one or two on just to keep the bridge in place. I can still clean/oil the fretboard.

 

[Raiyn]

Usually, all at once. I'm rethinking that on the full floating bridge of my G&L Doheny Tribute. Haven't really decided yet. I might wedge it instead.

 

[ucsteve]

Usually, all at once. I'm rethinking that on the full floating bridge of my G&L Doheny Tribute. Haven't really decided yet. I might wedge it instead.

with my Harmony's floating briidge i do 2 at a time. outside 2, next 2, middle 2. unless im gonna oil the fretboard. then i just6 rough place it and intonate it later

 

[Raiyn]

with my Harmony's floating briidge i do 2 at a time. outside 2, next 2, middle 2. unless im gonna oil the fretboard. then i just6 rough place it and intonate it later

Seems reasonable.

 

[soulman969]

If you don't have a problem with the tail piece coming off when you remove all of the strings then it makes no difference which way you do it. The guitar itself won't be impacted one way or the other.

Since I always clean and polish my frets each time I restring I prefer to remove all of the strings so I have full access to the frets and fretboard. But that's me. You should do it as you prefer.

 

[Cozmik Cowboy]

With my jazzbox, I throw a strip of painter's tape across each foot of the floating bridge, and tape a chunk of rubber to the underside of the (very heavy) trapeze, then take them all off. If the bridge slips, I center it by eyeball on the side points of the ƒ-holes, then check it with the strobe when I'm done (never needs more than a slight nudge to be right from there).

Everything else (1 classical with a tie block, one bass strung thru-bridge, one solid strung thru-body, one semi with stop-bar, one resonator with slots in a fixed, mando-style tailpiece, and 3 bridge-pin steel-strings), there's no reason to do anything except take them all off; won't hurt the guitar - they're not holding it together - and it lets me clean thoroughly, as soulman969 says.

Davis, what kind of trapeze does your Coupe have? Every trapeze tailpiece I've ever seen (including a number of Casinos - but no Coupes) has the arms through holes in the tailpiece, and nuts on the ends; nothing can fall off. Shoot us pic if you can.

 

[IGRocker]

It makes zero difference. Every tech I’ve seen takes them all off at once, and I’ve done both ways the last 15 years. Anymore I just cut them all off to speed up the process.

 

[Raiyn]

I think I'm going to throw a Tremolo Stopper in the G&L.

Not really "necessary", but it'll make stringing from "level" less of a PITA. Lockers ain't supposed to have wraps after all.

 

[Supersonic]

Add me to the list of those who change them all at once. Hard to polish frets and condition the board just doing them one at a time.

 

[Davis Sharp]

Davis, what kind of trapeze does your Coupe have? Every trapeze tailpiece I've ever seen (including a number of Casinos - but no Coupes) has the arms through holes in the tailpiece, and nuts on the ends; nothing can fall off. Shoot us pic if you can.

It's the lower part that comes out of the hook. Not always, but often enough.

 

[Cozmik Cowboy]

It's the lower part that comes out of the hook. Not always, but often enough.
View attachment 12681

Ah -I see.

A quick squeeze (after taping hook & body for protection) with sturdy needle-nose pliers should fix that.

 

[Steven Westberg]

Hi All
Just bought a new Limited Edition Casino lefty.
On reading the owners manual I noticed that it recommends changing strings one at a time.
I've always taken all the strings off cleaned the fretboard and then restrung my strats tele and les paul.
Is there a right way and a wrong way to change strings and how do you clean a fretboard without taking all the strings off?
Is this a peculiar thing to hollow body guitars.
Confused
Chris

You’re doing it right already. Sometimes “directions” should be called “confusions”

 

[Biddlin]

You're supposed to change 'em?

 

[MrJay]

Always change my strings one at a time unless i am going to clean the fret board, then I would take them all off and check and adjust neck relief afterwards if needs be.

Cant think of a good reason to give the neck a sudden shock otherwise.

Just my two penniesworth

 

[Raiyn]

Cant think of a good reason to give the neck a sudden shock otherwise.

It would only be sudden shock if you did something stupid like clipped all of them at once while tuned to pitch, at which point you've earned the whipping that you'll likely get. Detuning them to slack is a gradual enough process even with locking tuners (no wraps) that it won't hurt anything.

 

[gillman royce]

I was told decades ago that by taking them off all at once you're suddenly releasing like 250 lbs of pressure on the top of the guitar - no issue if it's a solid body but semi or full hollow ? Also depends on what part of the country : Florida - humidity etc.

 

[Raiyn]

I was told decades ago that by taking them off all at once you're suddenly releasing like 250 lbs of pressure on the top of the guitar - no issue if it's a solid body but semi or full hollow ? Also depends on what part of the country : Florida - humidity etc.

I live in Florida, there isn't much you can tell me about humidity.

Like I said, detuning them is sufficient to release the pressure. I don't care if it's a pre war jazz box or yesterday's Les Paul. You were told wrong.

There's nothing wrong with doing it one at a time, but your assumption about "shocking the neck" is incorrect. The thing ain't made of balsa.

 

[Steven Westberg]

Always change my strings one at a time unless i am going to clean the fret board, then I would take them all off and check and adjust neck relief afterwards if needs be.

Cant think of a good reason to give the neck a sudden shock otherwise.

Just my two penniesworth

There is no shock to the neck.

 

[dasherf17]

Hi All
Just bought a new Limited Edition Casino lefty.
On reading the owners manual I noticed that it recommends changing strings one at a time.
I've always taken all the strings off cleaned the fretboard and then restrung my strats tele and les paul.
Is there a right way and a wrong way to change strings and how do you clean a fretboard without taking all the strings off?
Is this a peculiar thing to hollow body guitars.
Confused
Chris

I read somewhere (and heard from others early on) you do one at a time, except when you do the fretboard, as measured here...taking all strings off takes the tension off the neck. Putting them back on takes a little more effort and time to tune up to where it's good.