Re-stringing your Stratocaster or Telecaster Style Guitar with the Cuda Winder
Did you know Fender Telecasters and Statocasters have more factory tuning peg options than any other maker? Here at Cuda Winders, we answer countless inquiries about whether or not our tool will work on all Strats and Teles. The short answer is, Yes. But, if your Strat or Tele has stepped or tapered tuning heads you’ll need to use the Cuda Winder a little differently. Either way, the Cuda Winder takes the guesswork out of restringing by helping you measure each string to the optimal length. Your Strat/Tele will stay in tune longer and you’ll experience longer string life.
If your Strat or Tele has standard sized tuning posts, you can use the Cuda Winder exactly the same as you’d use it for a 3x3 acoustic or electric head stock following these steps:
1. Loosen your old strings using the Cuda Winder and uncoil the strings from the tuning pegs.
2. Insert the new strings as you normally would and route them through their tuning pegs.
3. With the string inserted in it’s tuning peg, place the nose of the Cuda on the tuning peg, above the string. Route the string underneath the Cuda and through its corresponding notch. Pull the string tightly toward yourself, ensuring there is no extra slack in the string. You should be left with an approximately 90 degree bend.
4. Pull the string back until the 90 degree bend meets the tuning peg and start winding.
5. Repeat this process for each string, placing the nose of the Cuda on the tuning peg which you are restringing. So, place the nose of the Cuda on the A tuning peg to bend the A String through the "A" notch. Place the nose of the Cuda on the D tuning peg to bend the D String through the "D" notch, and so on.
However, if your Strat or Tele has stepped or tapered tuning heads , the Cuda Winder can still be used to great effect following these modified steps:
1. Starting with the low E, pull the string tight through the Low E notch to put a kink in the string, then pull it back to the tuning post and wind as you would with any guitar. The tuning post on the low E will be the standard size/height.
2. Continue with the A string, using the coordinating notch. Measure/kink the string, pull it back to the tuning post, and wind.
3. Repeat the process from step 2, using the “A” notch for all the remaining strings.
When winding, to help your instrument stay in tune even longer, we recommend the first wind travel above the excess string and the rest of the winds sit below the excess string, as shown in the image below.
Feel free to reach out to info@cudawinders.com with any questions about these steps so we can help you string your Strat or Tele like a pro!
