How do I change Uke strings on a Tenor with Bridge Pins?

I am lost as far as where to begin can someone help?? How do I get the strings out of the bridge??

Take the pins out first.

Yes, by gently levering them. On a guitar, the tip of a teaspoon is perfect.

Sounds like you have a Kanilea.

Loosen the string first. Then use the string to pull the pin out.

The pin is grooved. So tie a knot on the end of the new string. Place it in the groove and stick it back in.

dhkane said:

Sounds like you have a Kanilea.

Loosen the string first. Then use the string to pull the pin out.

The pin is grooved. So tie a knot on the end of the new string. Place it in the groove and stick it back in.

Click to expand...

Ha ha! Yes, loosen the strings first. Whoops.

Yes it is a Kanilea..........And I am a bit nervious about removing the pins. They just sort of "pop" out?? Then attach new string and replace?? This sounds like a job for "superman" maybe I should just take it to a professional, dont want to break anything. Especially being my wife's Uke !!

No, it's easy. Guitar players do it all the time. The pins are conical, and are only held in place because of the ball pushing up from underneath. It's really, really easy.

Spend $2 and get a string winder:

The arrow points to a notch used to pull the pins.

Thanks for all the help !! One final question.........How does the string attach to the pin on the bridge???

It doesn't attach.

deach said:

Spend $2 and get a string winder:

The arrow points to a notch used to pull the pins.

Click to expand...

Hey, I got one of those winders. Learn something new everyday.


Thanks Deach.

Howie1947 said:

Yes it is a Kanilea..........And I am a bit nervious about removing the pins. They just sort of "pop" out?? Then attach new string and replace?? This sounds like a job for "superman" maybe I should just take it to a professional, dont want to break anything. Especially being my wife's Uke !!

Click to expand...

It should pop out pretty easily, without too much pressure. Just pull it straight up.

It feels delicate because of the lighter framing "White label" ukulele. I own a 'blue label" with the original heavier framing and it gets man handled a lot. But I don't think Kanilea changed the bridge.

Give Kanilea a call. They'll be more then happy to help you. :nana:

The ball end of the strings pushes into the hole, then the pin goes in, with the narrower part facing forward (you'll see what I mean when you remove it). As you pull the string, the ball-end snugs into the pin, and presses it in such a way that it can't pull out.

SamWise said:

The ball end of the strings pushes into the hole, then the pin goes in, with the narrower part facing forward (you'll see what I mean when you remove it). As you pull the string, the ball-end snugs into the pin, and presses it in such a way that it can't pull out.

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I've never seen ball ends on uke strings. You have tie your own knot. I think this is one reason people don't really like bridge pins.

The end of the string should have a knot in it that fits into a notch in the underside of the soundboard. (The bridge pins themselves don't really do all that much in terms of holding the string down. They might help keep the string from wangling itself loose from the notch a bit, but not much otherwise.)

Loosen strings, pull out the pins. the little pry part of the string winder is for that (as previously illustrated.) To actually get the strings out of the holes you may have to push them down first to get them free of the notch. Then pull out.

To restring, just do it all in reverse. Tie a good knot and try and hook it around in the notch. This can be a little tricky and annoying. I generally use the bridge pin to try and guide it a bit. It's not rocket surgery by any stretch, so I wouldn't worry too much about "breaking" anything. (Reasonable precaution and all that.)

Once the knot is caught. Tighten and stretch and move on down the line until finished. the end.

And by all means get yourself a string winder. Best 2 dollar investment a stringed instrument player can make. Hands down.

The Caveat (and where the swearing begins) is that sometimes the best of knots can slip when winding or even a few days later. Last time I switched out the strings on my Kanile'a made uke, I had about a week and a half where I'd open up the case to find the A string had come loose about every other time I picked the thing up or a couple of strums and ping! Not a big deal. Minor annoyance. I eventually clipped off the end and made a new knot which caught better.

deach said:

I've never seen ball ends on uke strings. You have tie your own knot. I think this is one reason people don't really like bridge pins.

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Plus some people think they're a bit of an eyesore. I've even known some acoustic guitar players who snub them for that reason.

Yeah, just knot the ends. Heck, give it a double knot just to be sure if you're worried.

Tie a small glass bead onto the end, pull it tight, then drop it into the hole and finagle it so it catches. Then push the peg in, making sure if there's a slot in the peg it aligns with the string. Push it in, and if it pops up when tightening, push it down again.

I used to use brass pegs on my guitars because it gives a brighter sound. Probably would work on ukes, too.

You've got me interested - how many other ukes have pegs and holes as opposed to the tie-down bridges?