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String Changing - How Often?

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(@rcsnydley1)
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Joined: 16 years ago
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I seem to be always debating with myself over whether to change my strings or not. I play approx. 5 to 6 days a week for 2 to 4 hours per day. The difference in the sound between obviously old strings and new is amazing. However, I don't want to wait until that happens.
Since I play so often I'm afraid I don't notice the subtle deterioration of the sound quality. So, I was wondering if anyone had any "rules of thumb" or other gauges they use to determine when a new set of strings is in order.

Ric

"I've got blisters on my fingers." - Ringo Starr


   
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(@rparker)
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Joined: 20 years ago
Posts: 5480
 

There's been a few threads regarding this one. Some people wait until they are a bio-hazard, and some change once a month regardless. All sorts of variations in between. Soooo, for me, I change them when I notice that they sound horrible. Depends on the guitar, too. My LP gets most play, so that one ends up being probably every 3-6 months. My accoustic is sounding really sweet these days, so I don't dare change them. They are a year and a half old. I only play it maybe 3-10 hours a month, though. I know they're getting worn too, as they are not keeping tune very well. I still don't want to change them.

Roy
"I wonder if a composer ever intentionally composed a piece that was physically impossible to play and stuck it away to be found years later after his death, knowing it would forever drive perfectionist musicians crazy." - George Carlin


   
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(@vic-lewis-vl)
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Joined: 20 years ago
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Funny you should ask - I just changed the strings on my acoustic, and the difference in tone is amazing. Sounds like a guitar again!

I don't think there's ever going to be a convenient answer to this one - there's no handy equation. What you can do is try and prolong your string life by cleaning them after use and giving them a thorough wipe down when you put the guitar down.

Alternative answers;

1 - As often as you can afford to - strings are £5 ($10) a set here in the UK, so if you've got several guitars, all of which are in regular use, cost is going to have to be factored in.

2 - As often as you need to - that's entirely up to the individual. If you love the jangle of new strings, replace them when they're sounding a bit lifeless.

3 - As often as you can be bothered to - I hate changing guitar strings, and I'll put it off as long as I can. Although, when I've finished changing them, I invariably think to myself, "Hmmm, that didn't take as long as I thought."

Makes note to self, ****"Change strings more often!"******

:D :D :D

Vic

"Sometimes the beauty of music can help us all find strength to deal with all the curves life can throw us." (D. Hodge.)


   
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(@ballybiker)
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Joined: 18 years ago
Posts: 493
 

sometimes i'll delay changing....sometimes i'll not delay

personally i hate the grubbiness that builds up under the strings...finger gunk/dust/grease...never mind the sound quality

yeah i could just unwind the strings and release the pins and clean away....but i see it as 'well i may as well put new on now'

so.....

unless your gonna gig regular...do as YOU see fit 8)

your choice

what did the drummer get on his I.Q. test?....

Drool

http://www.myspace.com/ballybiker


   
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(@slejhamer)
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Joined: 19 years ago
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I must have acidic sweat, as non-coated acoustic strings don't last a month for me. I switched to Elixir coated phos-bros just to avoid changing them so often. They get a bit hairy after three months, then corroded as the coating wears down, but they are still usable for a few more weeks.

"Everybody got to elevate from the norm."


   
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(@ricochet)
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Joined: 21 years ago
Posts: 7833
 

Mine last a good bit longer when I rub them down with olive oil at installation. Sometimes I go back and repeat it, but I usually forget. Right now my strings are pretty tarnished. Changing them out would doubtless brighten up my tone. Bare finger picking is hard on them, the area where I pick is the first to corrode when I'm playing that way.

"A cheerful heart is good medicine."


   
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(@jwmartin)
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Joined: 17 years ago
Posts: 1435
 

I change my electrics every 3 months or so, but I play all 3 about equally, so it equals about a month of playing time. Of course, sometimes I change more frequently because I'm constantly wanting to try different strings. My acoustic is a different story. When I bought it 5 years ago and my grandfather put a set of Martins on it. I played it for a few months, then put it in storage where it sat for a year and a half. I've been playing it pretty solid for last 3 years and it still has all the same strings. It's reached a point where I've decided to not change them until one breaks or starts sounding bad. They still sound great!

Bass player for Undercover


   
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(@rahul)
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When they break.


   
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(@number6)
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Joined: 19 years ago
Posts: 152
 

Mine last a good bit longer when I rub them down with olive oil at installation. Sometimes I go back and repeat it, but I usually forget. Right now my strings are pretty tarnished. Changing them out would doubtless brighten up my tone. Bare finger picking is hard on them, the area where I pick is the first to corrode when I'm playing that way.

I've never heard of anyone doing this. Do you do it specifically to extend the life of the strings or is it to stop finger squeaking? Does it smell strongly after a while? I might try this sometime...

The hunger site. Click once a day to give free food.


   
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(@anonymous)
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i sort of like the sound of old dead strings, but i usually change them when they're overpoweringly sour.


   
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(@corbind)
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Joined: 22 years ago
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I'd say change them when they get dirty funky, corrode, or when you don't like the sound.

"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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(@ricochet)
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Joined: 21 years ago
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Olive oil's something I've used for years as a fretboard and string lubricant. If it's applied with the fingers, rubbed in and wiped off, not leaving a thick oil slick, it never becomes sticky or smelly. A microscopically thin film's all you need.

"A cheerful heart is good medicine."


   
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(@hyperborea)
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Joined: 17 years ago
Posts: 827
 

For me it works out to be every 5 to 8 weeks on my main guitar (maybe 40 to 80 hours of playing). There's a point in there where it becomes just a bit harder to tune them (a little more finicky while tuning) and the intonation is off. I use that "hard to tune" indicator to let me know when to change. If I let it go too long they also start to get a bit buzzy and rattly sounding.

That's on my electric but on the acoustic (which I admittedly don't play anywhere near as often) I keep a set of coated D'Addario EXPs on there for a year or more.

Pop music is about stealing pocket money from children. - Ian Anderson


   
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(@billyboy)
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Joined: 16 years ago
Posts: 91
 

For me, I like when a set of strings get broken in. There's a little less clarity but they become a known quantity. And by broken in I mean a good month of hard playing.

Brand new - they do have much brighter tone but they sound too metallic to me. I guess because I know it won't last long. I tune by ear and find it much more difficult with a brand new set of strings - seems there is so much more going on, takes a little longer to zero in. Just changed the strings on my Squier, should make it a regular occurence for when I win the lottery and have lots of guitars restringing to do :)

Anyone else amazed how they hold up? You can beat on them for monthsyears. For being so thin, after the new smell wears off they still get it done.

"In my dreams your blowin' me... some kisses" - Lets Duet - Dewford Randolph Cox


   
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(@ricochet)
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Joined: 21 years ago
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I like that bright new string sound but it takes a bit to get them to hold stable tuning (not nearly as much when you learn how to put them on.) As they gradually age I don't really notice anything till they get BAD and won't intonate right. When the rust starts scraping on my slide, I figure it's time for a change.

"A cheerful heart is good medicine."


   
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