Be careful when you change strings!
 

I was changing out the Strings on my Ibanez AEG 20 last night and I accidently mixed up the D and G strings,Having never tried the D;addario color coded ball ends before,I didn't check the color chart.Wow! did it confuse my Intellitouch pt10! All was well after I switched them but it sure sounded like the dogs breakfast until I figured out what I did wrong!Previously I always used Martin strings which come in pre packaged pairs thus making confusion very unlikely!

Don't get discouraged. After a few times changing strings with D'Addarios you get used to their color code, and their method of packaging their strings assures a greater shelf life for each set of strings.
It is a bummer when you make a mistake, however. I know, I had an experience just like yours before I got used to their color code. Stick with it, though. You'll get used to it... and I think you'll be pleased with the results.

I hate it when I accidentally tune a string an octave too high--I've actually done it without snapping the string....

The D'Addario color coding is nice.

They were OEM on the guitar and I was impressed with the longevity and tone so I think that I will stick with D'addarios from now on.

One thing I do with D'Addarios is take them out of the package and just feel the weight of the strings individually and lay them out in order. If you pay attention, you can easily tell which is which by weight as well as the pliability of the string. I had to do this a couple of times when I previously removed the bag of string from the box, didn't restring because something came up, threw away the empty box, then found the bag of string without the box. After doing that a couple of times, I found I didn't need to look at the color coding at all.

As for the octave too high ... 30 years ago I tried to do that with a low E ... the string snapped and went through my finger and hit my fingernail. Since then, I started changing strings one at a time so I had a tuning reference. I don't have that problem anymore when I remove all strings for thorough cleaning, but I still rather just restring one at a time.

I don't know about weight,but the difference in diameter is readily apparent to the naked eye...if you pay close attention!Which I didn't! I'll know better next time!

Hi Philo,

I did exactly what you did when putting on a set of D'Addario EJ16 strings some time ago and mixed up the G and D strings, thinking I could see the difference without following the color code on the package. I had been doing this for years, but one time I made a mistake. Trying to get the D string tuned up to the G note resulted in my breaking the string as I pushed it too far while tuning it. I felt really stupid, but I learned a lesson. The break was so loud! Like being next to a magnum .22 bullet going off.

- Glenn

I've done it before and snapped the string. I wasn't a happy camper, but that was years ago.

Thanks for the heads up, Philo. I'll have to keep that in mind when I get strings that are not individually wrapped with the wrapping stating the gauge.

Hi Philo,
We've all done it. I'm not really good at colors, myself. I tend to go by feel. It's a smart idea to lie them out in order, and its a great argument for changing strings one at a time.

Ouch! You are lucky that you could get them off and switched back to normal...

I still remember, when clipping off the ends of the strings, accidentally cutting the G string (that was already tuned to pitch!)... GOOD LORD!!! I thought I'd ruined my guitar, which, of course, I did not... that was over 40 years ago, and I still remember that awful sound, along with the feeling in the pit of my stomach!

I think the operative term from this would be to PAY ATTENTION!!!!!

play on....................................>

John

Ive done that- cant recall the brand , but they put two strings in the same pack -and Ive done that twice as i recall -think it was dadarrio , youd think thats a stupid thing to do -but sometimes I do stuff on auto pilot and i dont think about it -especially when your in a hurry . So maybe its a normal human thing ( hey were not perfect )

Most of the time when I'm changing strings I am watching football or such on the TV and thus it is very easy commit the infraction of operator error which can include but is not limited to the infractions you all have described. I also have been using D'Addario strings for years and have had good luck with them. I like the color coded string ball ends.

I agree, the operative term would be to PAY ATTENTION!!!!!

Blues

This is the main reason I dislike Martin's string packaging.

For a newbie, keeping the strings straight is hard enough to begin with.

Why make it harder with complicated, nonsequential string packaging?

It was a real near thing dudes! I barely had enough for 2 windings around the post instead of my normal 3-4 windings .Could have been an expensive mistake.

Oh, I forgot to mention another gaffe of mine... getting confused as to which way the tuning machines wound the strings, and putting the G B and E strings wound backwards!!! I actually played it that way for a while, then got brave enough to take 'em off and put 'em back on the correct way... something about turning the guitar around while changing the strings, having the treble bout facing me, that got me mixed up!

Again, this was 4 decades ago or so... but I still remember to pay attention when I'm winding/unwinding my strings, everytime!