*~ S T R I N G Z ~*

Opinions vary. The recommendation to change strings often usually comes from those whose like a fresh, bright tone from their guitars. Strings deteriorate in several ways -- dirt, corrosion, loss of elasticity. The effects of these degradations rob the strings of their brightness, sustain and nice smooth feel. This usually gets players to change strings anywhere from one a week (a lot!) to every several months, depending upon playing time, dirt/sweat and tonal preferences. The other thing that happens to old strings is wear at the fretting points. This creates thinned out regions that will not only affect tone, but intonation and tuning stability.

I'm on the end of the spectrum that does not change strings frequently -- a little loss of brightness does not bother me for my style of playing, and I find "worked" strings more comfortable. But I'm picky about tuning and intonation. If either of those start to go, those strings are history -- and the entire set gets changed, not just one offender. And I never tolerate more than slight discoloration, as that's an indication of going south due to corrosion. If I grab one of my guitars for a gig, and it hasn't had a string change in recent memory, it gets a new set pre-gig.

In your case, it's time to change them. It's difficult to believe they have not corroded, and even if you play only moderately for 2 years, there has got to be some wear on those puppies. The old strings are not going to hurt your guitar (unless rusting!!), but it may very well help your tone to change them. And you should learn to do this before you have to a change on an emergency basis and find out that doing it right is a lot more complicated than it looks. Visit Fender and string maker (Ernie Ball, D'Addario, Dean Markley, GHS, Fender) sites for instructions.

Definitely, change them. Sitting around can cause them to go bad if they sit long enough. They are cheap, and once yu learn, easy to change. :D

I change my strings often. at the minimum, once a month; depending on the hours playing. the strings on your guitar should be changed. sitting like that they probably have a coating of oxidation. they will not sound very good. your fingers probably turned black from playing them. it is a good habit to change strings. learn how. it is not hard. and you have a good opportunity to clean where you can't reach when the strings are off. I enjoy spending that time with my guitars.

1+ on what dogbite said

Strings need changed a lot more than most guitarists change them.

At least 3 or 4 times a year at a minimum. Many people change them more often due to how frequently they play the guitar, or the fact that they are gig'ing and can't tolerate an unexpected break or intonation problems during a show.

Change 'em. Buy a set of 10 strings and get in the habit of changing them every few months.