Who cuts strings when changing them?

[FuseG4]

Unwind until floppy and then cut near the bridge to prevent negotiating the spirally bits through the body or mustang bridge cigar

With the Ibanez with edge style trem can just loosen at the bridge and take em out

Does that count as cutting, I had to cut the ball end to get it in there xD lol

 

[ehdwuld]

Just put new strings on my semi hollow Grote. When I put on new trem and locking tuners

They weren't bad so I just pulled the pigtails through the tailpiece wrapping them up to maybe use later
Started to reuse them. Just to avoid the stretching you got to do wilt new ones

I always save them and donate them to my more financially challenged friends.

Or use them as hot spares

 

[AdrianSD]

With the Ibanez with edge style trem can just loosen at the bridge and take em out

Does that count as cutting, I had to cut the ball end to get it in there xD lol

You don't have to cut the ball end

 

[Thumpalumpacus]

Cut the pigtails, yep.

 

[GuitarStv]

I find by the time that I've unwound the string enough to be loose it'll usually pull out of the tuner without too much trouble so no need to reach for the snippers. If it's still giving me issues then I'll cut the string.

 

[Bill Dennis]

I loosen them, then cut them off. All at once. It's never been an issue.

 

[chadd]

I release tension and then cut in the middle for anything with a stop bar tailpiece. No sense in dragging the twisted bits through the little holes and across the finish

 

[Mincer]

If I do cut them, I cut them in the middle. I hate for the little pigtails to be cut and go flying (then I step on them later).

 

[Solarflares]

That's how I do it. A sudden tension release isn't good.

It’s good at the time.
It’s the guilt afterward that is the problem.

 

[jeremy]

i feel no guilt

 

[Binnerscot]

I detune and cut. No shame in being practical.

 

[Mincer]

I detune and cut. No shame in being practical.

Same.

 

[Solarflares]

i feel no guilt

I was talking about a different kind of tension release…

But back on topic.

 

[jeremy]

i assumed as much, just being playful

 

[Solarflares]

Well, make sure you rinse your hands afterward.
But don’t imagine that will wash away the sin.

Wire cutters don’t belong anywhere near a guitar.
Several easy alternative techniques to make this a reality.

 

[Chistopher]

Wire cutters don’t belong anywhere near a guitar.

Love finds a way

 

[Securb]

Most of my main players have locking tuners, so it is not an issue now.

 

[MikeS]

I cut them after a little detuning. I cut them somewhere over the fingerboard, as cutting them too close to the tuner results in more frequent string end stabbings. Unless the board seems extra dirty, on guitars with floating bridges I'll sometimes go 1 at a time just to reduce chances of screwing up the string/spring balance.

 

[Mincer]

Nothing worse than a string end under a fingernail.

 

[Solarflares]

Nothing worse than a string end under a fingernail.

In my early days of backwards tremelo - I wound the bar round and pressed down fully with my right hand flat on the bar. The E string snapped somewhere around the 24th fret, looped around, and entered my right hand just above the thumb, in the fleshy part. It carried on all the way through until the end was poking out almost at the knuckle.
I tried to pull it out, but the pain was excruciating, and all it did was to pull the flesh about.
I tried everything for about an hour, but just lacked a third hand to brace the flesh firmly.
I had to go out on the street and stop a passer-by, and explain in Swedish what I wanted them to do.
Eventually we had me bracing my flesh whilst he yanked the 4” of string back through and out of my hand.
After this, I moved both my E-string tuners closer to the nut to lessen tension, and never broke a string after that.

I used to change strings sitting on my bed. I’ve certainly had string ends stuck in my arse, and the backs of my legs. Once I rolled over in bed in the middle of the night, sat bolt upright in pain, and ripped the quilt back - only to find a 1” piece of B-string sticking out of my cock!
Needless to say, I’m a bit more careful these days.