Article: If you don't know what gauge your old strings are, take your guitar into a music shop and have a tech look at them. If you look for your guitar on a string package, that only tells you that those strings are appropriate for your guitar. There's no guarantee those were the strings you had. If you want to use a different gauge, you'll need to replace all of your strings, not just the one that's broken. Changing the gauge of your strings will alter the balance between the nut and the bridge, which can destroy your guitar's intonation. Talk to a guitar repair expert before you attempt to do this on your own. The ball end of standard guitar strings won't fit in a Floyd Rose bridge. Cut off the ball end as well as the part of the string just above the ball that is tightly twisted. Make sure your cut is even and clean. If you're changing more than one string, only cut the ball end off of one string at a time. Since the ball ends are color-coded, this is the only way to know for sure which string is next (unless you're really familiar with the thickness of the strings). Insert the string into the saddle at the bridge, then tighten the bridge with your Allen wrench. If the small metal block fell out when you loosened the saddle, set it back into place before tightening the bridge. Take care not to over-tighten the bridge, or you could damage your guitar. If you counted turns when you loosened it, use the same number of turns to tighten it back up. Pull the string up the neck of your guitar, making sure it runs over the correct nut slot. Put the end through the post hole and kink the string over itself to lock it in place. Line up your postholes with the nut, so you can slide the string straight through to the other side. Leave some slack so the string can wrap around the post several times. This will help keep the string from slipping. Using your string winder or your fingers, carefully turn the tuning peg to bring the string back to tension. Be careful not to wind it too tight, or the string may snap. Each new wrap of the string should be below the previous wrap. This also helps keep your strings from slipping out of tune. Bring the string slightly up to tension, but don't try to tune it until you've checked the bridge. Open the back of your guitar with a Phillip's head screwdriver to access the bridge's springs. Slowly adjust the tension on the springs until the bridge is level again. A heavier gauge string will cause your bridge to lean forward, while a lighter gauge string causes it to sink back. This can badly affect your guitar's playability. If the bridge is tilted forward, turn the claw screws clockwise to tighten the springs. If the bridge is tilted backward, turn the claw screws counterclockwise to loosen them. Turn the screwdriver a quarter-turn at a time, and then check to see whether it's even. You don't want to go too far in the opposite direction.
What is a summary of what this article is about?
Buy replacement strings of the same gauge. Use wire cutters to snip off the ball end of the replacement string. Secure the new string at the bridge. Insert the other end of the string in the tuning post hole. Wrap the string around the tuning post. Adjust the bridge if you're changing to a different gauge of strings.