Changing the strings on your Guitar is one of the most important things to learn. New strings have a nice bright tone and make
your guitar sound brand new. It is also important to know the proper way to do this and that is what I will explain here today. I would recommend having a winding tool, wire cutters and a good tuner before you start the process as it makes it a lot easier to do. Please read the whole article before attempting to replace the strings as there is a lot that needs to be done and I don’t want you to miss a step. It takes about an hour to complete the process and the satisfaction of doing it yourself is very fulfilling.
Removing the old strings
There are a couple of different ways to remove the old strings. You can simply unwind them or you can cut them off and remove them from the tuning pegs. I prefer to unwind them as cutting them can be dangerous if the cut string was to come back and hit you it could injure you. I also prefer to do them one at a time starting with the sixth string and working my way down to the first string. When you have it removed from the tuning pegs depending on your guitar (Acoustic or Electric) you may have to remove the pegs from the bridge before the string can be removed completely. (on most electric guitars you simply pull it through the back). The winding tool has a cutout for this so I will again recommend buying one before you start the process.
Installing new strings
I recommend installing the new strings one at a time meaning remove the old one and install the new one before moving on to the next. This makes tuning the Guitar easier when you are done. So I start by unwinding the low E string removing it and then installing the new one before I move to the next one. In this way there is less chance of warping the neck of the Guitar because if all the strings are removed at the same time. Once the new one is installed I tune it close to the proper tone then move on to the next and so on until all 6 have been replaced that way when you are done the Guitar is close to being in tune before you get to that step.
Winding
This is the most important part of the process. Properly winding the strings will keep it in tune for a long time. You start by 
installing the proper end of the string (the end with the small barrel attached to it) into the bridge of the Guitar then install the fastening peg to keep it in place on an acoustic guitar. On an electric guitar you just have to pull it through the back. In the case of your guitar has a whammy bar it may be different. I have an older guitar where the end of the string needs to be cut before installing it. I will then feed the other end through the hole in the tuning peg bend the end 90 degrees vertical then start winding. Put one turn of the string on the peg by holding it tight and make sure the next wind overlaps the first and holds the excess in a vertical position. Keeping pressure on the string wind it up 4 or 5 turns until it is tight but not too tight . I will usually pull the string away from the body of the guitar to accomplish this. If it is not tight after 4 or 5 turns unwind it and feed more string through the hole then start over. You do not want to have big wind on the string as this could make it go out of tune more often. Be careful not to over tighten the string or you will break it. Get the tuning close and move on to the next string and so forth until you are finished with all 6.
Tuning
When you have completed the string replacement the guitar will need to be tuned. I recommend getting a good tuner for this 
step as it makes the job much easier. A good tuner will automatically tell you that the string is in tune and in the proper key. It is also very handy to have if the guitar goes out of tune on you after you play for a while. I will start the process with the low E and move my way down. Pluck the string and listen to the tone. The tuner will pick up the tone and tell you whether it is high or low. Adjust the tuning peg accordingly to bring it in tune. This may have to be repeated several times due to the fact that increasing the tension on one string may make the rest go out of tune slightly but be patient and take your time and it will be well spent.
Completion
After you are finished with the installation and tuning of the new strings you will notice that there is a lot of string left over at the tuning pegs usually about 8 inches or more depending on how many turns it takes to get the tuning correct. Using a pair of wire cutters I will cut back the excess to about 2 or 3 inches otherwise they will bang together and make noise while you are playing and not sound very good.
Wrap up
That is it in a nut shell i have good luck doing it the way that I have described above that my guitar very rarely goes out of tune so please take your time and do it right the first time. You don’t want to make any mistakes along the way that may make you have to start over from the beginning. It is not difficult just time-consuming but with patience and practice you should get the hang of it pretty quickly. I hope you like this and you think it has been informative. I wish you good luck in your endeavor to replace your own strings. Good Luck to all.
Marty.