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new strings-yeah it's that time

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(@guitargeek214)
Trusted Member
Joined: 18 years ago
Posts: 41
Topic starter  

I was just wondering when was a good time to replace strings on my guitar. I've had it since July of last year, and I havn't changed the strings on it once since I got it. I know that I probably need to now, but what I don't know is what is a good time to change them, like over a period of months, or years or whatever.


   
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(@martin-6)
Honorable Member
Joined: 19 years ago
Posts: 418
 

How about making a string budget - think about what is a reasonable amount to spend on strings in a year, and then calculate how often that allows you to change them.


   
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(@alangreen)
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Joined: 22 years ago
Posts: 5342
 

We answer this one a lot. You've had your guitar for ten months so the strings are ten months old plus how long they were on the guitar in the shop before you bought it. I change mine every three months, and you'll get a variety of similar replies from the other members here.

Best,

A :-)

"Be good at what you can do" - Fingerbanger"
I have always felt that it is better to do what is beautiful than what is 'right'" - Eliot Fisk
Wedding music and guitar lessons in Essex. Listen at: http://www.rollmopmusic.co.uk


   
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(@off-he-goes)
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Joined: 20 years ago
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I change my acoutic strings about once every 5 or 6 weeks. The electric is more like 8 weeks because it seldomly gets played. If you wipe down your strings after playing it play give some extension to their life.

Vacate is the word...Vengance has no place on me or her...Cannot find a comfort in this world.


   
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(@corbind)
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Joined: 22 years ago
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I was cringing at your post. Ten months? :shock: That's way, way, did I say WAY too long. If you play that thing about every day for an hour you've got 300 hours on them. If you only pick it up every two weeks you're good. I used to change mine every 3 weeks but have mellowed out and do it every 6 weeks. I always change strings 2 weeks before a gig to get a nice clean set and let them break in.

I buy a 10 pack of D'Addario EXL115 strings for $33 including tax. If I change them say every 6 weeks it cost me $28.60 a year or $2.38 a month or 55 cents a week. That's the cost of a can of pop. Besides, it's easier to play with a nice, new, slinky set of strings.

"Nothing...can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts."


   
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(@artlutherie)
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Joined: 20 years ago
Posts: 1157
 

I usually change my strings when they start sounding dull. Sometimes it's 4 weeks sometimes 4 months you can never tell.

Chuck Norris invented Kentucky Fried Chicken's famous secret recipe, with eleven herbs and spices. But nobody ever mentions the twelfth ingredient: Fear!
ChuckNorrisFactsdotCom


   
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(@ginger)
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Joined: 18 years ago
Posts: 393
 

I usaully change mine about every 3 to 6 weeks. But here lately it's been more like every 4 to 8 weeks tops. Just depends really You get a real bright sound when you first string your guitar but it starts to dull in a few days. well it does for me anyway, lol


   
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(@Anonymous)
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I agree, 10 months makes for very old strings! They must sound very dull by now, else you found some decent strings!

I tend to replace mine at the end of each month, perhaps wait a week if they are holding up well. Like corbind says, you can get strings for less than a can of coke if you buy in bulk.
Pete


   
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(@off-he-goes)
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Joined: 20 years ago
Posts: 1259
 

I was cringing at your post. Ten months? :shock: That's way, way, did I say WAY too long. If you play that thing about every day for an hour you've got 300 hours on them. If you only pick it up every two weeks you're good. I used to change mine every 3 weeks but have mellowed out and do it every 6 weeks. I always change strings 2 weeks before a gig to get a nice clean set and let them break in.

I buy a 10 pack of D'Addario EXL115 strings for $33 including tax. If I change them say every 6 weeks it cost me $28.60 a year or $2.38 a month or 55 cents a week. That's the cost of a can of pop. Besides, it's easier to play with a nice, new, slinky set of strings.

We do the exact same thing. I buy strings in bulk, and save a ton of money. I get mine off eBay, and get Martins for my acoustic, and D'Addario's for my electric. I change them about 4-5 days before any sort of performance a week at most.

Vacate is the word...Vengance has no place on me or her...Cannot find a comfort in this world.


   
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(@artguitarhendsbee)
Estimable Member
Joined: 18 years ago
Posts: 157
 

I ususaly change mine abotu every two weeks, but I play constantly lol I walk around in the ahlways at lunch hour at school with the gutiar on>

Also brand new strings especailly d'adarrio XLs have this wicked snappy bright sound to them

can anyone tell me the brightest string they know?


   
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(@the-dali)
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Joined: 18 years ago
Posts: 1409
 

I look at it a different way... it depends on how much you are playing, and what you are playing.

What I mean is... if you are playing in your house to your cat and just trying to learn the instrument I wouldn't worry too much about changing the strings. Yes, you want to get a good sound out of the guitar, but for who? Lucky the cat? The point is to practice. I would think every 3 - 6 months in this case. If you change more often than that I think you are throwing money away. Especially is you have 2 or 3 or 4 or 5 guitars... It sounds cheap (10 pack for $30) but if you have 5 guitars you are looking at $120 or more a year in strings.

If you play alot and want the guitar to sound the best, then probably once a month.

It also isn't a bad idea to throroughly clean the guitar when you change the strings. Really wipe down the fretboard, wax the guitar, clean the metal of the bridge, etc...

-=- Steve

"If the moon were made of ribs, would you eat it?"


   
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(@duffmaster)
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10 months is a while. I'm sure the cat doesn't mind that much, but then again, I know pscyo cats. My cats killed a person, I'm dead sure of it.

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(@joevan)
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Joined: 19 years ago
Posts: 21
 

I tend to agree with The Dali Lima, it's more about how often you pick up your guitar and play.
Personaly, I tend to change mine about every three or four months, but sometimes it's been longer, or if I break a string then shorter :? It's worth pointing out that it's best to change the whole set if you do break a string!

I've never set aside a fund to buy in bulk or anything but I have always made sure that I have two or three spare sets in my guitar case, but I only have the one guitar.

One thought, if you are trying to train your ear to recognise notes etc then it's probably better to change more regularly...maybe?


   
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(@clazon)
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Joined: 18 years ago
Posts: 502
 

Just had to say.

I fixed my awful guitar's set up today by giving the neck a little bit more of a bow, but reducing the action. I also changed the strings and it really does sound good at the moment.

"Today is what it means to be young..."

(Radiohead, RHCP, Jimi Hendrix - the big 3)


   
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(@thectrain)
Estimable Member
Joined: 20 years ago
Posts: 126
 

Well I play really really hard so I tend to change my strings about once a month. Sometimes more. If i'm playing anywhere I change it before that . Also I used to break alot of strings so I would change the whole lot when that happened but now I use 11's so its not a huge problem.


   
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