How to Restring a Classical Guitar, Step by Step

To restring a classical guitar, slacken and remove the old strings, tie each new string at the bridge with a secure knot, wind it onto its tuning post in the right direction, then tune up and retune as the nylon stretches. Most people can do the whole job in 30 to 45 minutes. The nylon then needs a day or two to settle. This guide covers each stage in order, including the knots that stop strings slipping and the mistakes that cause buzzes or damage.

A classical guitar is strung differently from a steel-string acoustic. There are no bridge pins, the strings are tied, and the tuning posts are slotted rollers rather than pegs with a hole in the side of a post. Once you have done it once, it becomes routine.

Table of Contents

• What you need before you start
• Choose the right strings
• Take the old strings off safely
• Tie the strings at the bridge
• Wind the strings onto the tuning posts
• The order to fit your strings
• Tune up and let the nylon settle
• Trim the tails and tidy up
• Common mistakes to avoid
• Our perspective
• Need strings, or a hand with the job?
• FAQ
• Sources

What you need before you start

The essentials are cheap and simple. Guitar World’s classical restringing guide lists a new set of classical strings, a tuner and wire cutters or a guitar tool as the basics. Extras that make the job easier and tidier are:

• a peg winder, which turns the tuners far faster than your fingers
• a soft cloth and guitar cleaner or polish
• fretboard conditioner, for when the fretboard is bare
• a pencil, for lubricating the nut slots
• a headstand or a folded towel to support the guitar

Work on a flat, clean surface with the guitar lying on a towel or a soft mat. Classical Guitar Corner suggests a neck support and a piece of card around the bridge. The support holds the underside of the neck so you can turn the pegs freely. The card protects the soundboard if a string comes undone and whips across it.

If you are building a home kit, our guide to the best guitar setup tools for home maintenance covers cutters, winders and cleaning items. Our guitar accessories collection has the small bits you will want to hand.

Choose the right strings

A classical set has three plain nylon treble strings (1st E, B and G) and three wound bass strings (D, A and low E). Guitar World notes that the plain strings last much longer than the wound ones. You can therefore buy treble and bass sets separately. The winding on the basses wears through rust or broken windings, and when that happens the string sounds dull or harsh, which is the signal to replace the set.

Make sure you buy strings made for classical or nylon-string guitars. Steel strings are made for a different guitar. They put far more tension on the instrument than a classical guitar is built to carry, and they have the wrong ends for a tie-block bridge. You can browse nylon sets in our guitar strings collection.

If your strings sound lifeless quickly, grime may be the cause. Our piece on why guitar strings get dirty and how to make them last longer explains simple habits that help.

Take the old strings off safely

There is one firm rule: never remove or cut a string that is still under tension. The National Guitar Academy warns that a tight string can spring off the guitar and possibly cut you or catch you in the eye. Treat the cut ends like pins or needles.

First turn each tuner until the string is completely slack. A winder speeds this up, but use it carefully so you do not force the mechanism. Then either unwind the string from the post and undo the bridge knot, or snip it near the 12th fret once it is slack and pull the two halves out separately.

All at once, or one string at a time?

Guitarists disagree here, and both approaches are common.

• One string at a time. Some luthiers prefer this because it keeps tension on the neck throughout. A classical guitar has no truss rod, so you are guarding against sudden changes in neck tension.
• All at once. Classical Guitar Corner’s Handbook of Guitar Mechanics says that removing every string at once is fine and quicker. A short time without strings does no structural harm. If the guitar is bare for longer than about an hour, it may need time to settle before its sound returns.
• In two halves. A common compromise is to change the three bass strings first, then the three trebles. This keeps some tension on the neck while you work.

If you are new to the job, the two-stage approach (basses, then trebles) is a sensible middle path. It also gives you tuned strings to match the new ones against. If you want to clean the fretboard, an all-strings-off session is the ideal moment. That is the one time the National Guitar Academy says taking all the strings off at once is perfectly fine.

With the strings off, wipe the fretboard and body, check the nut slots and bridge saddle for wear, and look for anything loose. Our 5 signs your guitar needs a professional setup is worth a read while the guitar is bare, in case something needs more than new strings.

Tie the strings at the bridge

The bridge knot is where most beginners struggle, and where strings most often slip. The method below works for both bass and treble strings, with a different number of wraps.

1. Thread the string through the bridge. Pass the end through its hole in the tie block from the soundhole side, leaving a few inches (roughly 5 to 10 cm) of tail on the far side. Do not leave too short a tail, or the knot will not hold.
2. Bring the tail over the block. Take the short end up and over the top of the tie block, then back underneath the main length of string.
3. Wrap the tail around itself. Pass it around its own tail and back under the main string, so it traps itself.
4. Seat the knot. Pull the main string gently towards the headstock. The knot should settle at the back edge of the bridge, with the tail behind the tie block and not on top of it.

How many wraps?

The plain nylon trebles are slippery. Bill St Clair’s guide to classical guitar knots suggests looping monofilament strings three times rather than two so they never slip. Wound basses grip better, so one or two wraps are normally enough. A reasonable rule of thumb from several guides: bass strings get one or two wraps, treble strings two or three, and the top E often gets a third for security.

Do not over-tighten the knot

The same guide advises tightening by pulling gently on the vibrating part of the string, letting the knot seat itself under tension. Do not lever it as hard as you can. An overly tight knot creates a sharp kink where the string leaves the saddle, and a sharp kink can weaken the nylon and lead to the string breaking at the knot later. A gentle kink is normal.

Guitar World also warns that badly tied strings can slip, drop out of tune, and in the worst case whip the top of the guitar near the bridge. Take your time and check each knot before you start tuning.

12-hole bridges and string ends

Some classical bridges have twelve holes rather than six. The principle is the same, but the string path differs, so check the holes before threading. Some wound strings are also marked with a different end for the bridge and the tuner. If your set comes with instructions, follow them.

Wind the strings onto the tuning posts

Once the bridge end is secure, move to the headstock.

1. Pull the string up to the tuner and pass it past the nut.
2. Thread the free end through the hole in the post from the inside.
3. Leave some slack. A few centimetres between the post and the nut gives enough winds without strain. Guitar World suggests pulling the string back until your thumb is level with the third fret, and doing the same on every string, so that the amount of slack is consistent.
4. Loop the free end back around the string to lock it, then begin turning the tuner so the string winds neatly.

Aim for about three to five tidy wraps on the post. Each wrap should sit neatly beside the last, on the side of the post nearer the nut. If wraps wander across the roller, they can jam, and forcing the tuner may crack the post.

Which way to turn the tuners?

On a standard classical guitar with three tuners on each side of the headstock, the two E strings (1st and 6th) wind towards the outer edge of the post. The other four wind towards the inside. This stops strings crossing over each other. As you turn the tuner to raise pitch, check the string is winding in the direction that tightens it. If the pitch is dropping, you are turning the wrong way.

If you play steel-string or electric guitars with locking machine heads, the procedure is different. Our guide on how to use locking tuners covers that.

The order to fit your strings

A sensible order is:

1. Low E (6th), then A (5th), then D (4th), the three wound strings.
2. G (3rd), B (2nd), then high E (1st), the plain nylon strings.

This follows the usual advice to start with the thickest strings. Work from one side to the other, and keep tension balanced as you bring each string up. As you go, tune each new string roughly to pitch before fitting the next, rather than tightening one fully, so tension builds evenly across the neck.

Before stringing, you can rub a soft pencil lightly through each nut slot a few times. Tomas Michaud’s beginner’s restringing guide suggests this graphite helps strings slide when you tune, which reduces pinging and sticking.

Tune up and let the nylon settle

Nylon stretches a lot, and new strings will drop in pitch repeatedly at first. That is normal. Guitar World describes how, with the guitar roughly in tune, you can stretch the strings a little to settle the winds and knots. Once they have settled, nylon strings are very reliable at holding pitch.

A practical routine:

1. Bring every string up to rough pitch.
2. Gently pull each string away from the fretboard along its length, then retune. Do not overdo it. Frets.com warns that pre-stretching beyond normal tuning pitch can create thin areas in the string, and uneven strings do not play in tune.
3. Retune several times over the first session.
4. Check again the next day and the day after.

The same page says the trebles are especially stretchy, and for the first day it can feel as if you will never get them in tune, but they stabilise by the next day. Tomas Michaud suggests letting strings stretch for around 24 hours before serious playing, though you can play sooner if you are happy to retune often.

Trim the tails and tidy up

Once the strings hold pitch, trim the loose ends. Classical Guitar Corner recommends clipping the tails at the headstock, leaving a few millimetres. At the bridge, cut the tails close enough that they tuck behind the back edge of the bridge and do not rest on the top of the guitar, where they can rattle and cause buzzes. Take care not to nick the strings or the finish.

Finish by wiping down the strings and the fretboard with a clean cloth. A quick wipe after every session extends string life.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Cutting strings under tension. Always slacken first.
• Using too few wraps on the trebles. This is the most common reason for slipping.
• Pulling the knot too tight. It creates a sharp kink and a weak point.
• Winding the string all over the post. Keep wraps tidy, near the nut side.
• Letting tails touch the soundboard. They can buzz and mark the finish.
• Judging the strings on day one. They will keep going flat until they settle.
• Fitting steel strings. A classical guitar needs nylon-string sets.

Our perspective

We see a lot of classical guitars that come in with the same few problems: knots that slip, tails that buzz against the top, or strings that simply sound tired. Nearly all of them come down to the same thing, which is care at the bridge and patience while the nylon settles.

Every instrument we sell is inspected and set up by us, and we believe a good setup matters as much as the strings you put on it. Fresh strings on a guitar with a well-cut nut and a properly set bridge feel and sound like a different instrument.

If you would rather have it done for you, bring the guitar to our Huntingdon shop. We offer an in-store restring service and can look over the nut, saddle and neck at the same time. If you would rather do it yourself, we hope this guide gives you the confidence to try.

Music

Need strings, or a hand with the job?

If you are ready to restring, you can pick up nylon sets and accessories from our guitar strings collection, where you will also find details of our in-store restring service at our shop in Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire. For anything beyond strings, such as a worn nut, a high action or a buzz you cannot trace, our team handles guitar setups, servicing and repairs.

Looking for a new instrument? Our classical and Spanish guitars include models such as the Yamaha CG122MS, and every guitar is inspected before it leaves us. You can also try guitars in store.

FAQ

Should I take all the strings off a classical guitar at once?

You can, and many players do. Classical Guitar Corner’s handbook says it is fine and quicker, though a guitar left bare for over an hour may need time to settle. If you prefer caution, change the three bass strings first, then the three trebles, to keep some tension on the neck.

How many times should I wrap nylon strings at the bridge?

Treble strings are slippery, so most guides recommend two or three wraps, with a third often used on the top E. Bass strings need only one or two. Keep the tail behind the tie block, not on top of it.

Why does my classical guitar keep going out of tune after restringing?

New nylon strings stretch considerably, especially the trebles. Guitar World says it is normal for them to keep dropping pitch for a while. Retune often, give them a day or two, and they will hold well afterwards.

Which way do I wind classical guitar strings on the tuning posts?

The two E strings wind towards the outer edge of the post, and the other four towards the inside. Keep wraps neat and adjacent, near the nut side of the post, so they do not jam.

Sources

• How to restring a classical guitar, Guitar World
• How to change strings on classical guitar, Classical Guitar Corner
• Handbook of Guitar Mechanics, Classical Guitar Corner
• How To Change Guitar Strings, National Guitar Academy
• Restringing a classical guitar: how to tie those knots, Bill St Clair
• The Beginner’s Guide to Restringing Your Guitar, Tomas Michaud
• Restringing - Nylon Strings, Frets.com

Recommended

• 6 Steps to Tune a 12 String Guitar in the UK and Stop Breaking Strings
• How to Use Locking Tuners: Restring and Tune Step by Step