Does anyone like to play with "dead" strings?

[jaxson50]

Some guitars do well with well seasoned strings, others not so much, I can see why Seeger would want dead strings on a banjo, just like a resonator guitar, the sound is amplified by the resonator, so yeah old strings will work well on them. It seems to me the voice of the guitar has a lot to do with the question. Some sound great with bright strings some don't, the feel of the strings is a personal matter, some players couldn't care less or have sweaty hands that break strings down quickly. If you like dead sounding strings try silk and steel they break in quickly and sound dead to me after about 10 hours of playing.

A friend of mine has this problem and changes strings every week!

My arch tops seem to do well with old strings, I mostly finger pick and strings last about a year on my arch tops. One guitar teacher of mine played with big bands back in the 40's and 50's. He has told me it was a common practice for players to boil strings to make them last longer.

http://www.stiffarmingsociety.com/acoustic_guitar/strings.htm

[Jinder]

My Gibsons generally like new strings, but it depends what mood the guitars are in. Last week, I changed the strings on my SJ200 for a week of rehearsing and recording-it sounded really harsh at first, but after a day of playing, it sounded better than ever. Prior to last night's gig, I changed them for another new set (to avoid breakage onstage-I usually put a new set on for every show as I'm a heavy handed player and tend to get a bit hot-under-the-collar and perspire accordingly!), and it sounded absolutely beautiful.

 

Same goes for my Hummingbird-it all depends on the mood of the guitar. They are changeable beasts!

[brrobert]

I love the sound of old, thuddy strings on my J-185. That has been true for most of my gibsons, over the years. My LG-2 gets back from the shop next week... we'll see how the new strings sound on it.

 

Martins, on the other hand, tend to sound better with new strings.....

 

I haven't changed my J-185 strings in months! :-&/

[Space Pup]

While new strings definetly bring out the best tone and true sound of a guitar. Playing the blues on old strings does add a little more of that "whoa with me" tone.

[dberch]

Does anyone like to play with "dead" strings?

Well, I sometimes bend the old dead strings into silly shapes after I take them off my guitar. Does that count? :-k/

[dberch]

Does anyone like to play with "dead" strings?

Well, I sometimes bend the old dead strings into silly shapes after I take them off my guitar. Does that count?

[woodruff]

i recently converted to elixir 802/20 on my h-bird, love their tone and feel. so i can say i prefer old soungind strings, but i know my wife's j-45 sounds great with broken in d'addario pb 12s. and every gibson i play at GC sounds amazing, and has dead strings on them. if a guitar sounds great with dead strings, it's a keeper.

[sad57]

Does anyone else like to play with "dead" strings?

 

I just changed the strings on my Blues King Electro and it's driving me crazy. I guess I'll have to wait a couple of months till things get back to "normal". The shimmer and mettalic overtones of new strings are just not my thing.[/quote

 

A friend of mine seems to not mind. His father owns a '64 Fender Precision Bass that he bought brand new, and the original strings are still on it! To this day!

My friend says the bass has such a certain "sound" to it! I told him not to change the strings at this point, it is such an oddity, and special.

[Lucky Boy]

Old strings new strings, I can't help but love my Gibson either way.

 

She has a certain tone that I love with the old strings. Then when I put the new strings on her and me or my best friend are jamming them, She has a completely new sound that I love. For me, flip a coin.