Solid Body Electric Guitar Setup
Solid Body Electric Guitar Strings
Generally solid body electric guitars are fitted with three unwound plain steel strings (strings 1- 3) and three nickel wound onto steel strings (strings 4 - 6). In almost all cases roundwound strings are used and are often a lighter gauge than steel guitar strings. This is to help with the need of bending the strings, a common technique with electric guitar playing.
Fitting Solid Body Electric Strings
Fixing the string to the bridge: There are several variations on fixing an electric string to the bridge. Some electric guitar manufacturers use a bridge system specifically unique to their guitars. Some strings are inserted through holes at the back of the body, some are inserted through holes in a bridge tailpiece. With some more complex bridges such as the Floyd Rose bridge, the ball end is cut off and the string clamped to part of the bridge.
The most common bridge set-ups are shown. If your bridge is dissimilar to one of these types consult a qualified guitar repairer or an experienced guitarist.
Inserting string through hole at back of guitar body.
Fender Stratocaster style bridge.
Bridge tailpiece style.
Floyd Rose Tremolo Bridge.
Tying the string to the tuning key: Most electric guitar strings are fitted to the tuning key in exactly the same way a steel string acoustic string is fitted (see page 7). The string must also be neatly coiled 4 - 5 times around the barrel of the tuning key from the top of the barrel near the hole to the base of the barrel. Once again, it is important to take into consideration which side of the barrel the string is wound from. On electric guitar heads which have three tuning keys on each side, the strings are wound in the same way as a steel string guitar (see page 7). On electric guitars that have six tuning keys on the same side of the head, as with the Fender Stratocaster style, all the strings must be wound from the right side of the barrel (see adjacent diagram).
If the strings are wound correctly the string will tighten when the tuning key is turned in an anti-clockwise direction and loosen when the tuning key is turned in a clockwise direction.
