Easy-Play Acoustic Strings
A smoother coated feel and less string bite, so the string presses into a sore fingertip less. Fits most steel-string acoustics, not only Zagers.
$36
Buy a set
Sore fingertips are normal for the first few weeks. Hands that ache after ten minutes, months in, are not — that is usually the guitar, not you.
This guide separates the two. What is just building calluses and will pass, what is a setup problem you can fix in an afternoon, and what means the instrument is fighting you harder than it should. Most of it comes down to three things: how far the strings sit off the fretboard, how thick they are, and how wide the neck is.
Before you take anything off
Give yourself a clear half hour and a flat surface. Lay a folded towel down — it stops the guitar sliding, keeps the back off the bench, and catches the bridge pins when one inevitably pings out of your fingers.
What you need before you start
- A new set of strings. Match the gauge you are used to unless you are deliberately changing it.
- A string winder. A few pounds, and it turns a ten minute job into a five minute one. Most have a bridge pin puller built into the end.
- Wire cutters. Nail clippers work in a pinch. Scissors do not.
- A tuner. A clip-on or a phone app is fine.
- A soft cloth. The fretboard will never be easier to clean than with the strings off.
Why one string at a time
A set of acoustic strings pulls somewhere around 160 pounds against the neck. The truss rod is set to push back against exactly that. Take all six off at once and the neck straightens, the rod stays where it was, and when you string it back up the relief has moved. You will chase the action for a week.
Change one string, tune it roughly to pitch, then move to the next. The neck never loses more than a fraction of its load and nothing shifts. The only time to take everything off is when you are deliberately cleaning or oiling the fretboard, and then you put the new set straight back on the same day.
One more thing worth doing while the strings are off: look at the bridge pins. If a pin is grooved down one side, the string has been biting into it and it will eventually slip. A full set of pins costs very little.
The six steps
Work through these in order, one string at a time, low E first.
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Loosen one string at a time
Do not cut all six at once. Taking the full tension off in one go lets the neck move and the truss rod settle, and you will spend the next week chasing the action back. Slacken one, replace it, move on.
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Lift the bridge pin, do not lever it
Push the string down into the body first to free the ball end, then pull the pin straight up. Levering a pin out against the bridge is the single most common way people chip the finish on an acoustic.
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Seat the ball end properly
Drop the new string in, push the pin back with the groove facing forward, then pull gently on the string while you press the pin home. You should feel the ball end catch under the bridge plate.
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Leave enough slack for three wraps
Pull the string to its tuner, then back off about two inches of slack before you start winding. Three wraps down the post for the wound strings, four or five for the thin ones. Wraps stack downward, never crossing over themselves.
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Stretch each string before you tune
Tune roughly to pitch, then pull each string up off the fretboard an inch or so along its length. It will drop flat. Retune and repeat until it stops dropping — usually three passes. Skip this and the guitar goes out of tune for a week.
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Trim, and check the nut
Cut the tag ends close to the post. Play an open chord and listen for a ping as you tune — that is the string binding in the nut slot. A pencil tip rubbed in the slot fixes it; graphite is a dry lubricant.
The step people skip
Neat wraps are why it holds tune
Nearly every "my guitar will not stay in tune" email we get comes back to the tuning post, not the tuners. A string that crosses over its own windings has a tiny amount of slip built into it, and that slip works itself out over the first few days of playing.
- Wraps stack downward toward the headstock, never upward
- No wrap crosses over another
- Three wraps for wound strings, four or five for plain
- The tag end points away from the neighbouring posts
Which series is the one for you
Four series, same hand setup, same guarantee. What changes is the wood and how much of the work is done by hand.
| 20 Series | 50 Series | 80 Series | 900 Series | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price direct | from $1,095 | from $1,495 | from $1,895 | from $2,095 |
| Shop retail | $2,000 | $3,000 | $4,000 | $5,000 |
| Sound | Bright and focused | Natural and earthy | Fuller, more projection | Deep, rich and powerful |
| Soundboard | Spruce | Sitka spruce | Solid cedar or spruce | AAA Sitka spruce |
| Back and sides | Mahogany | African mahogany | Rosewood | AAA Indian rosewood |
| Bracing | Standard | More complex, deepens the tone | Hand carved | Hand scalloped by Denny |
| Owner rating | 4.78 / 5 | 4.78 / 5 | 4.78 / 5 | 4.78 / 5 |
| Suits | First good guitar, or coming back to it | Playing most days, wants more warmth | Gigging and recording | Replacing a Martin, Taylor or Gibson |
| Every series includes | Easy-Play hand setup · 100% money-back guarantee with shipping both ways · lifetime warranty on components | |||
Start with the cheapest fix
Before you change anything else, change the strings. It is the one fix that costs under twenty dollars and takes ten minutes.
This month only
Buy three sets, get the fourth free
Stock up while you are at it. Mix the gauges however you like — the cheapest set comes off at checkout, no code needed.
Ends 31 October 2026 · One free set per order · Applies to Zager acoustic sets only · Cannot be combined with the BOGO guitar offer
Common questions
Can I take all the strings off at once to clean the fretboard?
Yes, as long as the new set goes straight back on the same day. The problem is not taking the tension off, it is leaving the neck with no tension on it for days while the truss rod stays where it was.
My guitar buzzes since I changed the strings. What went wrong?
Usually nothing went wrong. If you fitted a lighter gauge, the neck has less pull on it and settles straighter over the first week, which lowers the action. A quarter turn on the truss rod brings the relief back. If the buzz is on one string only, check that the bridge pin is fully seated.
How much slack should I leave before winding?
About two inches past the tuning post. That gives three wraps on a wound string and four or five on a plain one. Too few wraps and the string slips; too many and they stack over each other and the guitar drifts out of tune.
Do I really need to stretch new strings?
Yes, and it is the step people skip most. A new string has slack wound into it that works out over the first few days of playing. Pulling each one up off the fretboard and retuning, three times over, gets that out in two minutes instead of a week.
What tools do I actually need?
A string winder, wire cutters and a tuner. That is it. Most winders have a bridge pin puller moulded into the end, which is safer than using pliers on the pin.
Keep going
What people read next after a string change.
Acoustic string gauges explained
What the numbers mean, what changes when you move between them, and how to pick from the guitar you already own.
Guitar will not stay in tune
Six causes, in the order worth checking them. Most of the time it is the nut or the winding, not the tuners.
Making a set of strings last twice as long
Wiping down after playing does more than any string cleaner on the market. Here is the rest of it.
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