Changing Strings.

[RGGR]

With buying a new guitar, I realized how dull my older (year and a half old) one was sounding. I figured it was time to change the strings.

As it was my first Edge Pro Tremolo string change it took me a while to get everyhing back in order......and the sound of the guitar is like day and night.

I know professionals tend to change their strings every two weeks, but I'm no professional........maybe play an hour a day, so I figured I could wait a little longer.

My question now. What is your experiences with string changes. How often?? And what makes strings go bad??? I figure the moisture and salt in the sweat of your fingers has something to do with it???

Just curious.

Some answers I found here

[mikhailgtrski]

It depends on how often you play, how acidic your sweat is, and how clean you keep them. But a year and a half is a little too long

I only get to play 1-2 times a week and my sweat doesn't seem to corrode the strings, so I'll go from 2 to 3 months between changes. Usually I'll know it's time when I notice the intonation and tuning stability starting to deteriorate.

My son plays a lot more than I do and his sweat is more acidic, so his go dead a lot faster.

Mike

ps - If you play acoustic, we've found that Dean Markley Alchemy strings sound really, really good and they last a lot longer. Of course, they cost twice as much

[Marzocchi705]

every month to 6 weeks, i use elixer 'anti-rust' strings and they do what it say on the box. any other string id be on the 2-3 week mark. I play everyday for at least 5hours.

[Primal]

For guitar, I would tend to replace strings every month or so, depending on how much you play. On my bass, however, I can usually go for about 2 months before they get to the point where I can't get my tone (very bright, Justin Chancellor-esque tone).

A year and a half? How could you stand it?!

[Marzocchi705]

im used to year and a half old strings, i go to public school...

[croaticum]

When i was playing in a band i used to change my strings every gig but now i do it once per month.

I use BLUE STEEL strings and i must not forget the one and only FAST FRET. LOL

[egdeltar]

I change my strings about every 3 weeks or so, maybe less, maybe more.

[Odin]

I would say it is a matter of taste. Many bass players prefers old strings, and some doesnt change before they break. Some player even use butter on the strings to make them sound more dead..The ones that always screams about changing strings every day is usually people that makes em, sells em or are sponsored in somekind of way.

Guitar strings may be a little different than bass (harder to keep in tune after a while etc).....either way, my advise is that you should change youre strings when you dont like to play on them anymore

[Nitefly SA]

i usually dont change em til they break, but i just bought a box of 25 sets of guitar strings, so that will change. I tried boiling my strings once because i dont like the souond strings have when they are new, it still had the sound but it was weaker and left in a day or two instead of a week or two

[Thoughtless 7]

I change mine about once a month, i usually play for an hour a night everyday.

[stiggz]

i personally love the sound and feel of new strings, i change mine when i feel they need to be changed, in the summer/wet season i do it bout once a month cos of the humidity, but in the winter/dry season bout every 3 months.

luke

[Pr3Va1L]

For me it depends... I can stand much older strings on my eletcric than on my acoustic. Dunno, the sound seems to be less affected by strings on my electric than on the ovation...

Ovation really needs new strings or else it just sounds bad... Defeat the whole sound that I like in my ovation (sounds very bright and metallic). So I use elixirs on my acoustic so it stays with that sound...

BTW I hated blue steel strings last time I tryed em... Sounded duller new than used!!

Anyways... I can change them anywhere between 2 weeks to 2 months... depending on what brand of strings and how much I play... And on when I can get my ass to the shop.

[Stickmangumby]

I also change mine about once a month. If you play an hour or so I day, I reckon after a month they would be sounding dead. Also, look at the strings, if there is any sign of corrosion or rusting, or kinks in the strings from where you press them onto the frets, or flat spots that have been worn down on the wound strings, its time to change... it not only affects your sound, but also your tuning, the intonation will be screwed.

Sorry about the incoherence

Short answer = 18 months is too long, try 1 month.

[RGGR]

I guess I have waited a while with changing the strings as the whole "changing strings on a FLoyd Rose type floating trem" caused me some anxiety.

But as with most things in life.....there comes a time when you run out of excuses and just have to dive in and do it.

It was all in all way less painfull then expected. It was actually very easy. I figured out how to tune a FR trem very early on....and changing strings one at a time is like doing a multiple stage tuning session.

All is back in tune now and in next couple of days I will re-tune to compensate for additional stretching of the strings.

I will order couple of sets of strings and do this more often.

Like my flight instructor once told me when getting me PPL....So that makes one more of us, and one less of them.

;-)

Edited January 7, 2006 by RGGR

[Nitefly SA]

My first FR equipped guitar i had no idea how to change the strings, it was my second guitar, i had to figure it out for myself, i had no allen keys, i did it with pliers

[mikhailgtrski]

I don't clamp the nut down right away after a string change. I pull on the strings a few times to stretch them out, play the thing for a little bit, re-stretch, then tune it to pitch and clamp it. After that it stays pretty much perfectly in tune until the strings get old.

[Southpa]

This reminds me of a newsgroup thread that went for miles, dealing with a method someone used for reconditioning strings. I haven't tried it, sounds like a pain in the ass to do when I can get a new set for 5 bucks down the street. Not to mention that dirt isn't the only issue, strings wear, stretch and deform too. And I suppose you would have to own a guitar with top mount strings so you can put them back on easily.

Anyway, boil the strings in a mix of vinegar and water then dust in baking soda to neutralize the acid. They might be clean but thats about all.

Edited January 7, 2006 by Southpa

[Mickguard]

I buy my strings at $2 a set...whatever I can get a good deal on...that meant Ernie Balls last year, this year it's been Dean Markley...I like both, the Dean Markley feel a little slinkier...but I'm not too particular (I didn't like the GHS Fatties I had though, they seemed to break much faster).

I change them when they break (high E), or, in the case of my guitars fitted with string savers, when they stop holding the tune. That usually takes a while though.

My fingers aren't all that acidic, it seems, even in summer. Some days I play up to five hours a day (I shoot for between 2-4, depends on my workload). I play the crap out of it too, I've got a heavy hand...still working on controlling that though.

But mostly it's all about laziness...even though I use locking tuners, so it's really only a five-minute job, I'll put off a string change for weeks!

[Thoughtless 7]

I did a search on google with my first FR trem, read up then had no problem changing them. I never put the clamps on the nut, it stays in tune perfectly without them, plus its easier if the tuning slips (very rarely does though).