How often do you change your strings

[Guest alanhindle]

I have to admit that I've been a bit naughty and not changed the strings on my Gibson SG and Epi Les Paul since I bought them about 14 months and 12 months ago respectively. I've only changed one broken high E on the LP. I've resisted because I've always tended to mess up string changes, especially on my old Yamaha with its FR type bridge.

 

Anyway, I've used this youtube video to guide me on how to do it properly on a Gibson style headstock together with advice from this forum (I think) on using the old strings to gently pass back and forth in the slots to minimise any string binding. I have put some fresh pencil graphite in there for good measure too.

 

Unsurprisingly both guitars seem better now than when they came to me new. I suppose the factory fitted strings on any instrument that has been stored for any length of time are going to have deteriorated before even being played. However, I don't know whether the Ernie Ball 10-46s I've now got on have made an even bigger difference but I'm getting masses and masses of tone and sustain now. Additionally, both guitar's necks are now like the finest butter. I was also starting to get more and more problems with keeping them in tune. Now they are both holding tune perfectly.

 

There's a lesson. Don't leave your strings on for a prolonged period of time.

 

How often do you all change strings, taking in to account time spent playing on any particular guitar in your collections?

 

Alan

[charlie brown]

Depends....some guitars, that I play a lot, I change strings fairly often...others not so much.

I tend to use Elixar's and D'addario's which seem to last "forever!" LOL! I don't mind string

changes, except on my Rickenbacker 12-strings! Now THAT is a "Pain!!" But, I don't have

any real "time table" as to when I do it...just when they need to be, mostly.

 

CB

[tvyelwhiteflag]

When I first started playing, string changing was a VERY EXPENSIVE sport! I don't know how many e strings I broke when I was "tuning"! lol The video on the D'addario website taught me the tricks and now I change them about every 2.5 months. I like the D'addario 10s, they seem to work well. I also run a pencil through the slots on the nut to graphite things up a bit too! I thought Gibsons were so good that they changed their own strings...

[Just Strum]

I thought Gibsons were so good that they changed their own strings...

 

That will be Robot III

 

patience.

[tvyelwhiteflag]

Epiphone's Robot guitar is decent, but it's arms always fall off and you need to replace them long shaft Switch Craft arms...

[Beans]

I just changed the strings on my Sheraton today, after about 10 months....very naughty. I've not played it that much this year though, I've had newer guitars that needed 'breaking in.' I gave her a polish too. Despite the severely tarnished hardware (not knowing how to take care of it as a kid!), it seems to be smiling at me! The rest of my guitars get restrung when needed.

[Dennis G]

This is being discussed in another forum I'm on, and here's my response, in part:

 

"I change strings every 4-8 weeks per guitar, depending on how much they've been played. As stated before, the strings will let you know, either by look, feel, or sound."

 

After a while, you just kind of "know" when you should change.

[taxman]

I don't mind string

changes' date=' except on my Rickenbacker 12-strings! Now THAT is a "Pain!!"

CB[/quote']

Unless they have done a string change on a 12 Ric themselves, there is no way on Earth anyone can fully understand what you wrote. Words can not describe the horror, dread, frustration of changing those strings. First time I did it, it literally took me eight hours. No joke. (I made the mistake of taking all the strings off and you know what happens to that R tailpiece when that happens.)

[charlie brown]

Unless they have done a string change on a 12 Ric themselves' date=' there is no way on Earth anyone can fully understand what you wrote. Words can not describe the horror, dread, frustration of changing those strings. First time I did it, it literally took me eight hours. No joke. (I made the mistake of taking all the strings off and you know what happens to that R tailpiece when that happens.)[/quote']

 

Yeah, I was lucky, in that I read something early on (1965-66?), that Roger (then "Jim") McGuinn said, about

only going one string at a time, and from each side, toward the middle. So, I never lost a tailpiece,

(Thank God...and Roger), but it's still a pain! The new ones, with the fully slotted headstock, will

be much easier, IMHO. Don't know why they didn't do that, in the very beginning, you know?

 

Cheers,

CB

[taxman]

 

The new ones' date=' with the fully slotted headstock, will

be much easier,

Cheers,

CB [/quote']

Huh? By fully slotted do you mean you can literally see straight through the headstock? Is that what they have come up with?

[charlie brown]

Huh? By fully slotted do you mean you can literally see straight through the headstock? Is that what they have come up with?

 

Yep! Take a look, at the newest Ric 12's. And, they went back to the full flag inlays on

the fretboard, too...all the way across, on the models that had those to begin with.

 

CB

[duane v]

I'll wait for a string to break:d/ ......

 

The last thing I wanna do when I pick up a guitar is maintenance.............. ya I know:-k

[sixstring19682]

This is a grate topic I had friend who said he only changed his string once he knew there was at least five pounds of rust mixed with finger funk on them (LOL) I guess what tells me its time to changed my strings is when I find myself noticing a change in the sound of the particular guitar I'm playing at the time I'll notice that I don't feel like playing.

I change the strings on my E-J200 more often than either of my electrics and I really don't play acoustic that often but I think it has more to do with string tension on the E-J than anything else but I may start following you guys once you start collecting guitars it seems they cost more once you own them.

I'm up to 8 guitars now,well if its alright to count a double neck as two:-)

[ButchCassidy]

I wait for a string to break, look really dirty, or sound dead. Usually 6 months. But i do thick strings so maybe that's why they last so long?

[Mugatu]

I use D'addarios or Martin medium guage strings on my acoustic, and generally change them whenever they look mucky and sound dull... usually about 4 to 6 months. I play that guitar about 3 to 4 hours per week.

 

I don't play my Sheraton quite as often (because the acoustic is my practice guitar) so the strings stay cleaner (and sound brighter) for longer. I've not changed a set yet, but I'll probably do the same and "play it by ear"... I don't see me changing them for a good few months yet.

[ef_in_fla]

Strings are cheap. and fretboards need cleaning, so I do mine at least once a year. Maybe twice if it's one I play a lot. I bought one of these http://www.thestringcleaner.com/ which works well and probably prolongs string life.

[Notes_Norton]

I change my strings about once per month.

 

While the strings would probably work for another month or two after that, by the end of the first month (1) they have lost much of their tonal brightness and (2) due to the fret wearing little notches on the bottom of the strings, they tend to lose their intonation on the upper frets, they can be noticeable flat at the 12th fret or higher.

 

I gig for a living, so intonation is very important to me.

 

I use D'Addario strings because (1) they sound good (2) they come with less packaging to recycle and (3) they are in a corrosion resistant pack so the South Florida salt air doesn't get to them before I take them out of the pack.

 

Insights and incites by Notes

[stan 58]

Once a year, but when you've got 16 guitars in your rotation, i guess it's really every 3 weeks. Stan.

[zonie]

I just changed the strings on the new Epi PR5 acoustic I just bought. IMO factory strings that are installed on their new guitars are really poor.

While I was buying new strings on line I also bought some Elixir's for 2 of my electrics and changed them too.

New strings sure make a difference! :-)

[sexygibson]

Wow; Im really sshocked at some of these replies. I change strings on my electrics about every 6 weeks and on my acoustic about every 4 weeks.

[Medic24]

Usually every month, maybe six weeks at the longest. I use Ernie Ball Regular Slinky, 10-46, they seem to loose too much tone/sustain after 6 weeks.

[IntelligentAl]

I change strings about once a month. For me, strings always seem to cost quite a bit so I try to put it off for as long as possible. I use Ernie Ball Super Slinkys which I break constantly. Still, if a string loses its brightness and I get less sustain, I know I have to change them...

 

IntelligentAl

[28v6r]

Every 3 months for me regardless of "playtime" I tend to wait until "Er Indoors" is watching her favourite Soaps then wheel out the tools...

 

I used to use D'Adarrio until I restrung a friends guitar for him and watch the "D" string unwind whilst being tuned!!!!

 

I then switched to Elixar and found a brighter, longer lasting tone and I now use them on both acoustic and Electric. A bit on the dear side but a better tone IMHO.

[Guest alanhindle]

I don't feel so guilty now.

 

Looking at the posts of Notes and Stan, I get the impression that for optimum performance once a month is about right if the guitar is heavily used. But, if you have 12 guitars and use them all equally but, overall, play frequently, that equates to once a year for each guitar. What I'm not taking in to account with this theory is that the strings presumably also deteriorate if unplayed, but much less so.

 

So, best way seems to be to go by your ear, comfort to play and signs of tuning/intonation problems then?

 

Two more questions:

 

1. If you leave your strings on too long, will they accelerate wear to the frets or damage them?

 

2. For those who gig or record, do you always do so on a fresh set? Presumably, top artists will have strings changed for each concert to avoid the risk of a string breakage as well as to maintain performance.

 

Alan

[Notes_Norton]

<...snip...>

2. For those who gig or record' date=' do you always do so on a fresh set? Presumably, top artists will have strings changed for each concert to avoid the risk of a string breakage as well as to maintain performance.<...>[/quote']

 

I gig and with once a month string changing, I haven't broken a string on the gig. But if I do, I'm prepared, I keep a set in the case.

 

Although I do session work as a sax/wind synth player, nobody calls me for guitar work -- there are many guitarists around here that play much better than I do. If I did, I'd probably change the strings a day or two before the gig to get the stretch out of them but I wouldn't play them very much so they still had the bright tone of new strings.

 

I have known guitarists who dislike new strings, and that goes to show there is more than one best way to do almost everything in music.

 

For me, I love the sound of new strings. If I had the money and if I didn't care about the environment, I'd change them every week.

 

Insights and incites by Notes