TIPS FOR STRINGING YOUR 325
If you have a Rick 325 with a Bigsby tailpiece, you must be fully aware of what a pain in the neck it is to put a set of strings on it. The heavy strings required for a short scale guitar constantly pop off the tailpiece before you have a chance to tighten them up, to name one of the major irritations. It's a peculiar little guitar, challenging in many ways, and restringing is no exception.
Here's a few little tips that make putting strings on your 325 much much easier. Once you do these things, you'll never do it any other way.
1. Change your strings one at a time, starting with the low E string. Don't take all the old strings off first; leave them on so that the tailpiece remains under correct tension and the string anchor pegs are held in the right place (Try putting a new string on at the same time you're holding the vibrato bar down, and see how far you get). Also, if you take all the old strings off first, the tailpiece will invariably pop open, the spring and washers will fly out, and you'll be wasting time frowning and reassembling the tailpiece before you even start restringing. So take off a string, replace it, take off another, replace it, etc.
2. When putting on a new string:
A - Pull the top of string under the tailpiece bar and througn the bridge.
B - Bend the ball end around your finger into a 1/2" loop , so that it will conform by itself to the shape of the tailpiece anchor bar, and push the string ball onto the anchor peg.
C- Hold the ball onto the anchor peg with your thumb so it doesn't pop off, and pull the string nice and taught against the neck and hold it in its nut slot with the other hand. Also make sure the string is sitting in its slot on the bridge.
D - And here's the tip: while holding the string in position, take a good one-hand capo, like the Schubb or Keyser, and clamp it onto the neck at around the 7th fret. This will hold the new string perfectly and firmly in position so you can work at the tuning peg at your leisure without everything popping off the tailpiece and driving you nuts.
3. Learn how to properly attach your string to the tuning peg. A lot of windings stacked up means tuning problems guaranteed. You only need one winding and a locking loop. The best tutorial I've ever seen about anchoring strings properly is here:
http://www.guitarnotes.com/alan/ah_stringing_your_guitar.shtml
Study this carefully!! It's worth every minute of reading time.
4. And the easiest tip of all to follow: Don't change your strings too often. Those heavy gauge strings are good and rugged. You don't need to change the damn things every week. A good vigorous wipedown after every play and really you shouldn't have to change them more than once every few months. A lot of players claim that strings actually get better with age ( I tend towards this view). For all we know, Lennon changed his once a year, and it didn't hurt him any. So don't get too obsessed with new strings; if they ain't broke, don't fix them. Let your guitar and strings become as one.
Warm regards to all Rick 325ers
Tips for stringing your 325
Moderators: rickenbrother, ajish4
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NickD
Hi Guille -
I would think the Accent Vibrato is easier to work with because the strings can't pop off like with the Bigsby. But certainly the use of a capo would help in putting strings on almost any guitar. The same for the proper attachment of the string to the tuning peg; that applies to ALL guitars.
Thanks for reading my post!
I would think the Accent Vibrato is easier to work with because the strings can't pop off like with the Bigsby. But certainly the use of a capo would help in putting strings on almost any guitar. The same for the proper attachment of the string to the tuning peg; that applies to ALL guitars.
Thanks for reading my post!
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Nick_Thiel
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Guille72