Beginner guitar

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Tom said:
That would have been an awesome concert. Hope she made it inside the stadium. Countless folks with tickets were stuck in traffic for several hours and never made it. Others were turned away because the parking lot was full.
Nope, she didn't get in. I just got the following email:

Never mind, we never got in. We missed it! $1000 down the drain. Epic fail. Traffic was not controlled, no limo drop off. I am so sad today
 
As you can tell, I'm just a beginning student. Hopefully, I don't forget what I learn  :(
 
she didn't get in

So sorry to hear that. I feel bad for all those folks who bought tickets and didn't get in. In addition to the traffic mess, non-ticket holders were allowed to tailgate and listen during the concert, which meant that numerous ticket holders were turned away from the lot.

McCartney apparently heard about lots of folks getting there late because of the traffic, and extended the concert by an hour.
 
Just to muddy the waters a little. You might consider finding a used guitar in a pawn shop or second hand store. I picked up a beautiful (as in not a mark on it, sounds wonderful, easy to play) Epiphone in a second hand store for $175. 
 
Too late to buy a used guitar; I already bought the (new) Yamaha, and that's the instrument we're discussing changing strings on. OTOH today I was looking at cheaper (than mine) new and used guitars at the Guitar Center.
 
Sorry, Tom. I guess I missed that. Here's something to consider. I have used silk and steel guitar strings in the past. They are easier on the fingers of your left hand.  You would have to decide whether the sound is to your liking.
 
Punomatic said:
Sorry, Tom. I guess I missed that. Here's something to consider. I have used silk and steel guitar strings in the past. They are easier on the fingers of your left hand.  You would have to decide whether the sound is to your liking.
If you want to use silk and steel strings you must have a guitar set up to handle them. Tom's guitars are steel string models so they won't work with silk and steel strings installed.
 
The new Elixir strings arrived today, a day later than promised.

I don't plan to do anything until my Wed appointment at the dealer; They have a tech who is apparently brilliant. If this doesn't work, I'll consider going to an appropriate community.

Edit: Typo.
 
Are you saying this is an inappropriate community?  IMHO that's what's making it fun!

I don't think we've steered you wrong.  Have the tech teach you how to change your own strings!

I rarely take more than 3 strings off at any time - never remove all the tension from the neck.  This is probably because some of my guitars don't have truss rods and I just got into the habit.

I'm careful not to mix up the bridge pins.  They go into the same holes they came out of.

I saw a video of some guy using steel wool on the fretboard and neck!  Don't!  Just don't!
 
Tom doesn't have bridge pins, they are only on nylon string guitars.

Well, my Takamine 12-string and Yamaha 6-string are both steel string guitars, and they have bridge pins, as do the other steel string units I've had my hands on.
 
Are you saying this is an inappropriate community?

Not at all, and I wasn't referring to this or any other online forum. Looks like another of my attempts at (self-deprecating) humor didn't work, or at least didn't come out right.

FWIW I removed only one string at a time, so the bridge pins went back into their original holes.

I've changed (nylon) strings on ukuleles before, but this was the first time changing steel strings. It looked a lot easier on YouTube  :-[
 
Larry N. said:
Well, my Takamine 12-string and Yamaha 6-string are both steel string guitars, and they have bridge pins, as do the other steel string units I've had my hands on.
Opps sorry about that. It has been too long since I hung around a guitar store.
 
Had my second guitar lesson today. My mentor played my instrument and thought it was 100x better than with the OEM strings, although the one remaining OEM string is still a dud. Tomorrow he and I are going to meet with the dealer tech to have him adjust the truss rod (if necessary) and install the Elixir strings.
 
Had a good visit with the luthier/tech at the dealership.

The 9-42 DR Zebra soft strings I'd installed had made a difference, but I had him install the 12-53 Elixir soft strings. The bridge was cracked, and he replaced it (he actually tweaked a bridge to optimize it). He also checked out the action, and confirmed the truss rod was adjusted correctly.

This is a whole different instrument! My guitar guru was along for the ride, and he had the same reaction when he played the guitar after the above was completed. We went back to his house and played around for a while, and the verdict was the same. I'm a convert!

Thanks to everyone for the advice. We (I) finally came out the other end.
 
On to Carnegie Hall...

A guy got in a NY cab and asked "do you know how to get to Carnegie Hall?", and the cabbie replied "you practice!".
 
Not going to say I told you so...........  :-X

I think you're probably talking about the saddle.  The saddle is the actual bone or plastic piece that the strings rest on.  If the bridge was cracked it would take more than a few minutes to fix.

On one of my trips to NYC I asked the waitress in a deli that question.  She looked me over and said "You ain't going there no matter how much you practice sweetheart." 
 
... you're probably talking about the saddle.  The saddle is the actual bone or plastic piece that the strings rest on.  If the bridge was cracked it would take more than a few minutes to fix.

Whatever you wish to call it. It's the only thing the strings rest on between the nut and the "bridge pins". I said nothing about "a few minutes to fix"; The guy was called in by his boss to take care of me, and he was working on it for an hour or so (I didn't time him, because we went to lunch).
 
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