How to Remove the Guitar Strings from the Tuning Posts

Video Transcript

MATT GRAHAM: Now, we're going to remove the ends of the strings from the tuning posts over here on the headstock. Again, this section of the guitar is the headstock. It contains the tuning posts as well as the tuning keys or just tuners. And so what you're going to do is basically grab the string and start unwinding it. And you have to be careful at this very end because the string can pop out from the post. And then since it's been curled around the post, it has a tendency to wind back in. And it can get you just like a scorpion tail, like it can come down and actually pierce your finger or another part of your hand. So be very careful when you're doing this. I recommend doing it slowly. So again, you just unwrap it from the post and then very carefully pull it out. This is a great time to use your needle-nose pliers to remove these strings from the posts. So you'll just come in with your pliers and do the same thing, you'll wrap around until it pops out. And you saw just then how the string whipped back towards what would have been my hand, but since I'm using the pliers I was out of harm's way from the string. Sometimes where the string is kinked, right here you have to straighten it with the pliers and then pull it out. And again, these small-diameter strings are the ones that are just like little needles, and they will get you if you're not really careful at this point. And this last string was broken and so in the next clip, I'm going to show you how to deal with the removal of broken strings.

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