I don't know why anyone would string a guitar by putting the end of the string JUST through the peg hole, and then winding and cranking and winding and cranking ... and then winding some more and then cranking some more ... and then winding and cranking and winding and cranking ... and then winding some more and then cranking some more ... man! Have you ever seen the wad of string that sits around the peg of a guitar strung that way? Pulleeeze!!! Dig this: That is NOT the reason they gave you all that extra string!

Whenever I see a guitar strung in this manner, I know I'm looking at a guitar that goes out of tune every ten minutes or less! Consider all the pressure created when a string is fully cranked to it's proper pitch. I wouldn't want my finger between that string and the nut! There's alot of pressure going on, eh? Mere common sense tells you that a string wound some twenty or thirty revolutions -- and rather loosely at that! -- around that little peg, is gonna stretch for quite some time before all that slack is taken up! What a miserable experience! Have you ever noticed, after putting a fresh set of strings on your guitar, that it takes a couple of days before all the strings stop stretching? It's a real pain, ain't it? Well, let's put an end to that, once and for all.

When I string up my guitar with a new set of sweet crunchy bronze wound honeys, and set all the strings in tune, I can put it back in it's case and be fully confident that the next time I take it out of the case, it'll be in perfect pitch. And here's how it's done:

STEP ONE: Set the ball-end of the string into it's proper seat, at the bridge of the guitar, firmly. Then, take the other end and slip it through the appropriate tuning peg. Pull it ALL THE WAY through the peg hole ... snug ... don't pull too tight, but gently take up the slack ... and then, kink the string at the peg -- to the right on the #6, #5, and #4 strings (see illustration 1. - ABOVE) ... kink it to the left on the #3, #2, and #1 strings (see illustration 1. - BELOW).

Next, bring the string around ... then, under ... and then, "cop a 'U'-ey" as you bend it back over the top (see illustration 2.) ... only, unlike the illustration, pull as tightly as you can on the string, maintaining a very snug wrap. You DON'T want the string (from the bridge, up to the nut) to be tight, -- you DO want the wrap around the peg to be tight. Capeesh?

Lastly, start cranking the string up, and you'll notice - as the peg turns - the string immediately bites down on itself ... it will NOT stretch beyond that "bite" point - and therein lies the key.

STEP TWO: Tune the string up to pitch. Then, grab the string at the 12th fret and pull it up, off the fretboard 2-4 inches ... bearing a good amount of pressure on the string, as you stretch and pull the slack out of it - yo ... if you don't know your own strength, be cool about this ... you don't want to bust and snap strings here - the idea is to stretch it a little bit. Then, tune it to pitch once again, repeating this "stretch-then-tune" procedure (it usually takes 5-7 pulls) until the string no longer goes out of pitch after pulling on it. Finally, you can neatly coil the ends, or cut them off with a small pair of "nippers," as I do.

NOTE: When all of the tuning pegs are on one side of the neck, like a Fender Strat, the strings will all be sitting on the right-hand side of their respective pegs, as outlined above, for strings #6, #5, & #4.

I use steel strings, so there's a "ball-end" on the bottom of my strings (probably like yours) and it's a simple matter to place the ball-end into the appropriate hole in the bridge, insert the bridge pin to hold it down, and proceed as outlined above. However... if you are playing a classical or folk guitar, then you are also using nylon strings, and there's a bit of a different procedure to follow. First, start with the bridge. As you can see by the illustration below, you pass the string through the bridge hole, then loop it around itself and wrap it 3 times:

Pull on both ends to snug up the wrap as much as you can, and bring the long end of the string up to the headstock ... poke it through the appropriate hole ... bring the string up over the tuner ... wrap 3 times ... and start cranking up the slack and tightening the string.

People often ask how frequently strings should be changed ... but the answer to that question depends on a number of things. Once conventional strings start showing a fair amount of oxidation (darkness in color) they become increasingly difficult to tune, and their sound quality will leave much to be desired. Once perspiration gets onto the strings, and especially into the windings, oxidation begins, and consequently, sound quality rapidly deteriorates. Everyone has different body chemistry too, so some may prefer one brand over another ... and you'll find your own eventually ... but, generally speaking, a new set of strings should be installed once a month - at the very least. They will lose their initial brilliance after 10 hours, or so, of playing ... and after a week of daily playing there isn't much brilliance left ... though they may sound "passable."

I use to to put a new set on every week or so ... but now that I use ELIXIR strings, I can go 2-3 months before needing a new set! ELIXIRS are coated, so they just DON'T oxidize very easily at all, and are a pretty safe bet no matter what your body chemistry is like. I always say, "ELIXIR strings are 3 times more expensive than conventional strings, but since they last ten times longer, I consider them to be the best, as well as the least expensive strings on the market!"