How often do you change your strings?

Mysterytrain · Post by **Mysterytrain** » Monday Apr 02, 2012

How often or after how many gigs until you put new strings on your acoustic or electric guitar/bass?

For electric guitar…

I use Elixir strings and very rarely change them.

I end up getting at least 4-6 months of weekend playing during colder months and 3-4 months during the warm outdoor season. I never have a problem with them going out of tune. Plus, they never oxidize after playing in late night damp conditions nor have indentations/wear from the frets.

I often change them because I feel guilty or have been too lazy to do it.

I know dudes that change strings every show. Seems like a lot of money. I get that there is a particular bright tone with brand new strings and that sound doesn’t last long. But personally, I like the sound of my strings after the “bright” tone wears off.

How about you?

metalchurch · Post by **metalchurch** » Monday Apr 02, 2012

Back when I played alot, I would change them about every 2wks and it would never go longer than that. I agree on the the fresh and bright sound, and I always preferred the "Day two" sound if that makes sense. I always had a few guitars in different tunings, so I try to play them all equally, because it allows me to keep track of how old the strings are.

Temp and humidity changes, coupled with sweat and dirt will totally choke the life out of strings like a neighborhood watch.

Always wash/dry your hands before playing and wipe off your neck and strings after playing. That saves on rust and keeps dust from settling on the strings and soaking up the sweat, which eventually forms a nice crud which robs tone and sustain.

kayla · Post by **kayla** » Monday Apr 02, 2012

i try and change my electric and my acoustic about once a month. sometimes its gotta be more often with the electric, because i use metal picks that seem to shred strings pretty quickly.

i like the new string sound too, but i hate fiddling with it til it will stay in tune.

and i hate changing acoustic strings, for some reason one time i can do it in 3 mins and the next im strugglin to get them to seat well. so the acoustic will go longer on string changes.

- kayla.

Gallowglass · Post by **Gallowglass** » Monday Apr 02, 2012

When they break...I can't stand the sound of new strings.

Everyone busts my chops about it. I admit it has gotten pretty bad at times. I know one of my Les Pauls had strings that were like 2 years old at one point (I wasn't playing it very often, though). I'm lucky in that my strings never really seem to rust or corrode...if that happened I'd change them more often. I've been making an effort to change them more often...just the thought of that new string sound makes me cringe. Ugh.

mjb · Post by **mjb** » Monday Apr 02, 2012

i hate new strings too, usually if i break one, which doesnt seem to happen much i'll usually use that as a reason to pull the rest of them off and do a wipedown and tweek the set-up if needed, give her a little love. i play soome kind of unorthadox fingerstyle and i use "style" loosly lol and strings seem to last forever. i've probobly had these strings on for 8 months or so. i'm with jason, i just loathe a new string sound. when i do put new ones on i'll mega tighten them up and just let it sit for a day or two if i can, and if i walk by my guitar i'll twist the tuners one way or another, just to remind her whos payin the bills.. i'll give her a little love but she still needs to know she works for me. keeps her honest.

i don't mind so much a new set of strings on an acoustic though for some things.

lonewolf · Post by **lonewolf** » Monday Apr 02, 2012

Depends on the use. I pick pretty hard and break a lot of strings, so I get the individual dozen string sets at MF and change them as needed.

I usually go about 30 hours of hard playing time and wait for a string to break to change them.

songsmith · Post by **songsmith** » Monday Apr 02, 2012

When I played the strummershow acoustic thing, I played 3-4 shows a week, and changed them weekly, until I got Elixirs, then about once every 2 months or so. Electric strings got changed every other gig.
On dobro, I change them pretty much every show on the electrified dobro, every other show on the acoustic... resonators seem like they're very persnickity about strings, banging on them with a steel bar deadens them pretty fast. On lap steel, I use big honkin' chrome flat-wound jazz strings, and they don't hit the sweet spot for the first 2-3 months... my main lappy has strings I put on about 3 years ago... they're much nicer after the skronky high-end has been beaten out of them.

bassist_25 · Post by **bassist_25** » Monday Apr 02, 2012

Generally, I'll get 5 or 6 shows on a new set of strings. Then, I'll start soaking them in denatured alcohol (which is 10x better than boiling them) and I'll often get another two months out of them if I soak them every couple of shows. It's a little bit of a pain, especially since pulling used strings through the ferrules on a string-though-body bass can be tedious at times, but a decent set of bass strings generally runs $20 - $30 a set; so it's worth it in the end to me. I used to use DR coated strings, which did last a little bit longer for me. But as they dulled, they seem to lose their mid-range, which drove my up the wall when everything I played sounded like Fieldy. *lol*

I love the new string sound. My philosophy on tone has always been that it's easier to cut something that you don't want than try and boost something from a source that doesn't exist in the first place. If I find that my strings are too bright, I just cut back the highs on my amp or the horn on my cabinet. Trying to EQ those highs back in on an older set of strings doesn't work. My philosophy is the same with pedals. If I'm using a buffered pedal, I'd rather have a pedal with a good buffered bypass that adds a little high-end that I can EQ out than a pedal with a bad bypass that sucks tone that will frustrate me trying to EQ back in on the amp.

...but that's just my approach to things.

Jasaoke · Post by **Jasaoke** » Monday Apr 02, 2012

A few days before every show. I think my sweat is highly corrosive. I just consider them a normal wear item and a cost of business.

metalchurch · Post by **metalchurch** » Tuesday Apr 03, 2012

Jasaoke wrote:A few days before every show. I think my sweat is highly corrosive. I just consider them a normal wear item and a cost of business.

For sure man, for $6.00 give or take, it's perhaps the cheapest "upgrade" if you will, that you could do.
Seems most agree that the new string sound is for the birds, or is that the byrds?

Jasaoke · Post by **Jasaoke** » Tuesday Apr 03, 2012

Well, new strings, coupled with tinnitis, (don't pretend like we don't all have it), IS a pretty bright sound.

Geetarzz · Post by **Geetarzz** » Tuesday Apr 03, 2012

Sometimes my sweat is like acid and kills strings dead in no time at all, other times I can have strings stay nice and bright for a long time??? I have no idea why??? I love the sound of nice new bright strings, so I change em whenever they die. No telling when that will be?? As needed. I'm looking for the brightest bass strings that I can find. Does anybody have any ideas? I just got a couple of sets of D'Addario Pro Steels. I've never used stainless steel strings before, but these are supposed to be super bright. I haven't put a set on yet, I can't get myself to change bass strings when the one's on my bass are still good.

bassist_25 · Post by **bassist_25** » Tuesday Apr 03, 2012

For brightness, you definitely can't go wrong with the D'Addario Prosteels. Dean Markley Blue Steels are also good, but they have a "dry" feel to them at first.

old Skool · Post by **old Skool** » Tuesday Apr 03, 2012

When I was using Ernie Ball strings I'd maybe get three shows out of a set. Since I switched to D'Addarios I can usually get at least 10-12 shows or more, maybe a little less during the summer mos. The lower tuned guitars with the heavier gauges i can sometimes go 6 mos or so before they go dead. Like Joe, I try to wash my hands before playing & always wipe off the strings after playing. Paul always gives me a hard time about washing my hands before we hit the stage but it really makes a difference. I don't seem to notice that "bright new" sound as much with the D'Addarios as I did with the Ernie Balls. I hated that bright thin tone of those Ernie Balls & would always try to change strings early in the week so I could break them in before the weekend.