So you’ve just gotten yourself a brand new guitar. While this is always exciting, there’s always some questions that pop up with new guitars. One of the most common I hear is people asking: Should You Restring A New Guitar?
It’s always a good idea to restring a new guitar. Unless you’ve just gotten a professional guitar setup that included a string change, you have no way of knowing how long the current set of strings may have been on this guitar.
That said, there are some other factors to consider when trying to decide whether you should restring your new guitar. Let’s take a closer look below!
Why Change the Strings on Your New Guitar?
So is there any real benefit to changing to fresh strings on a guitar that arrived pre-strung out-of-the-box? Yes! Clean, new strings will sound clearer, stay in tune better and be much less likely to break. It is also possible that the strings were not put on correctly by whoever sold you the guitar.
Furthermore, many guitar sellers are inclined to string their guitars with the cheapest strings available to them. This means whatever you replace them with will likely be strings of higher quality.
By putting on a new set of strings, your guitar will sound like it is supposed to sound.
Will there be tension or intonation differences if I change strings?
No. The only time tension or intonation will change, with regards to the strings, is if you change string gauge. For example, changing from 9 gauge strings to 11s.
Should You Get a Guitar Setup for Your New Guitar?
Since the guitar is new, it might be a good idea to get a professional setup too. This will make sure the intonation is correct, the neck is straight, and it plays properly. If the guitar came from overseas it may have undergone some climactic changes which can affect the straightness of the neck.
Many setups will also include a string change as well, knocking out two birds with one stone. To learn more about whether you need a professional setup (and how you can even get one for free) check out my blog on the topic.
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