Remove all the strings at the same time?

[markr31]

Every so often, I read (on here or Facebook) that you shouldn’t remove all the strings from your guitar, but should replace them individually, in order to not over-stress the truss rod.

Here’s an article that addresses that idea:

Why You Don’t Need to Worry About Removing All Your Guitar’s Strings at Once

[Jozsef]

I change strings one by one only on my Fender Strat because of the floating bridge. I’ve never had any issues with my other guitars due to removing all the strings at the same time. It makes cleaning the fretboard and the headstock much easier, too.

[Richard_close2u]

@markr31

I read (on here or Facebook) that you shouldn’t remove all the strings from your guitar, but should replace them individually

This issue comes round every now and again.
Do not give it another thought.
Take them all off.
Clean your guitar.
Replace them all.
No problems.

[HappyCat]

I’ve always just taken them all off when doing a full string change. I do my string change when I break one string.
When all strings are off is when I clean and polish my guitar which is easier to do with the strings off. I also lemon oil the fret board when all strings are off.

I’ve never had much difference (if any) in playability after a string change. So I just keep doing it the same way w/o much thought to it.

@Jozsef

I change strings one by one only on my Fender Strat because of the floating bridge.

While l don’t have a strat, I do have a 2 point floating bridge on one of my guitars (reverend). It does present it’s own challenges, but I still take them all off at the same time, even on that. I just gotta get it down to no strings for my fret board oil and clean up to get the drool off of it.

[mundeli]

CAVEAT

as @Jozsef & @happycat noted:
Bad idea if you have a floating bridge…

“Ask me how I know”…, he said as he was looking at the floating bridge resting on the floor

I now have markings in the finish, very light markings, indicating where the bridge needs to be repositioned…

[markr31]

Here’s a stupid question: I have a strat-type. I never use the vibrato bar. It is still sitting in the storage compartment of the case. I’ve changed strings on it dozens of times, taking them all off, cleaning the guitar, then putting the new strings on without ever experiencing a problem. How do I tell if it’s a floating bridge, or if it came decked from the factory (which as I understand it prevents the bridge from moving.)

[beejay56]

Richard

I had seen different advice for acoustic guitars with pickups under the bridge / saddle. The suggestion was to replace strings 3 & 4, G and D first, then strings 2 & 5, then strings 1 & 6. My understanding was this may help maintain the position and the performance of the pickup.

Have I acquired (more) duff information?

Brian

[Socio]

@beejay56

I had seen different advice for acoustic guitars with pickups under the bridge / saddle.

Gibson’s master luthier touched on that in this video but he said 3 at a time.

[sequences]

@HappyCat

a 2 point floating bridge

I goofed last string change and took off all the strings on my Kingpin and then bumped the bridge. This made the change take a bit longer than usual, needing to reset the intonation.

I like to use a couple small pieces of painter’s tape (not so aggressively sticky) to hold the bridge in place and then remove all the strings so I can get to the frets for cleaning.

Don’t worry about a neck problem. The neck is strong enough to not twist during a string change.
The truss rod’s job is to adjust relief by applying force against the neck and strings, so stressing it is certainly not going to happen by removing strings.

[GrytPipe]

@Richard_close2u

This issue comes round every now and again.
Do not give it another thought.
Take them all off.
Clean your guitar.
Replace them all.
No problems.

Yep, this says it all.

[mathsjunky]

@markr31

How do I tell if it’s a floating bridge, or if it came decked from the factory (which as I understand it prevents the bridge from moving.)

A floating bridge can move in both directions (string tension up and down), a decked bridge can move in only one (string tension down). a ‘blocked’ bridge (like Clapton strats) will not move in either direction unless the block is removed - this is different from a ‘hardtail’ which is a different bridge design altogether and can never move.

This is floating

This is decked

[sequences]

To add to Mathsjunky’s pictures:

This is “blocked”. See the wooden block stopping the bridge from being moved sharp, and the springs are very tight holding it from moving flat. The arm was removed from the other side as well.

This is the bridge that I bumped while strings were off. It is just held on by the strings, not screwed into the top like most bridges we see. It is free to slide right off the top without strings!

[sairfingers]

I have a Gibson SG. The bridge won’t fall off when the strings are removed but the stop bar (the part the string ball ends fit into) will. That’s exactly what happened the first time I removed the strings to change them. Fortunately no damage was done.
I now leave one of the middle strings in place, loosened enough to allow access to clean the fretboard etc but tight enough to hold the stop bar in place. I then remove that string once one of the new ones is fitted.