Changing strings
- Thread starter idssdi
- Start date
usually i do every 2 months, depends on how much i get to use my guitar. if i dont get to use it (life gets in the way) then the strings can last much longer. but i definitely recommend wiping down your guitar after playing, i cant say enough about how much it can stretch the life of your strings!
I change the ones on my main axe around once a month. They get pretty dull sounding and longer than that. The strings on the guitars I don’t play as often get it about every 2-4 months depending on how much they get played and the tone I’m getting from them. There’s nothing like a fresh set of strings!
Coated strings definitely last longer. Cleaning your strings after you play certainly helps them last longer. If I’m doing shows – i change my strings every other show. If I’m doing session work – every day. For practicing purposes, I would say once a month would be fine. The problem with old, dead strings is that not only do they have no ring or sustain to them, they are also hard to keep in tune.
J
Jak Angelescu
Guest
GAAWWD I’m TERRIBLE with keeping up on restringing my guitars. I guess I gotta change that. I’m on of those people where unless it snaps I can still play on it. Anyone have any advice on restringing a guitar with a locking system? I’ve been putting off restringing my for far too long only because everyone says “leave it to the professionals”. But I don’t have $200 lying around to have someone restring two of my guitars 
Is it something anyone can do with practice and patience?
Is it something anyone can do with practice and patience?
I’m pretty much in the same camp as Jake Young above: my main guitar gets new strings about once a month, and my other guitars every 2-3 months on average. Granted, which guitar is my “main” can change on a monthly basis, too, heh.
To Jak Angelescu: three of my guitars have floating Floyd Rose-style trem systems. I remember getting my first floating Floyd back in like 1989, and had serious headaches with them until I changed the strings on it about 5-6 times. My advice is to definitely only change one string at a time to keep the bridge fairly near it’s usual position. Stretching each new string at least three times, tuning it, stretching, tuning … then change the next string. If your bridge floats (can dive down as well as pull up), I’ve found that after all the new strings are on it’s still usually flat in tuning across all the strings. As you bring each string up to tuning pitch, by the time you do string #6 then string #1 is off again. One trick is to start on the low E and tune it a bit higher than its normal pitch (if standard tuning, then just short of halfway between E and F in tuning). Tune the A high, just like the low E. Tune the D and G strings a little higher, but less than the A and low E (about half as high). Tune the B and high E to normal pitch. This makes them come into tune much quicker across all the strings. Maybe that can help. Cheers!
To Jak Angelescu: three of my guitars have floating Floyd Rose-style trem systems. I remember getting my first floating Floyd back in like 1989, and had serious headaches with them until I changed the strings on it about 5-6 times. My advice is to definitely only change one string at a time to keep the bridge fairly near it’s usual position. Stretching each new string at least three times, tuning it, stretching, tuning … then change the next string. If your bridge floats (can dive down as well as pull up), I’ve found that after all the new strings are on it’s still usually flat in tuning across all the strings. As you bring each string up to tuning pitch, by the time you do string #6 then string #1 is off again. One trick is to start on the low E and tune it a bit higher than its normal pitch (if standard tuning, then just short of halfway between E and F in tuning). Tune the A high, just like the low E. Tune the D and G strings a little higher, but less than the A and low E (about half as high). Tune the B and high E to normal pitch. This makes them come into tune much quicker across all the strings. Maybe that can help. Cheers!
I’d change mine every week if 1: I could afford it and 2:I didn’t hate changing my strings so much lol!
That said, I usually change them maybe every 3-4 months, mostly cause I hate the process of doing it xD
It really depends how often you play. For how often I play, I should change them every couple weeks to be honest. I play quite a bit. I love the feel and ringing sound of fresh strings, just hate putting them on
That said, I usually change them maybe every 3-4 months, mostly cause I hate the process of doing it xD
It really depends how often you play. For how often I play, I should change them every couple weeks to be honest. I play quite a bit. I love the feel and ringing sound of fresh strings, just hate putting them on
It depends how how much you play. It I get cheap strings, I need to change after 2 weeks. If I spend a little more on something like cobalt they will last about 6 week. If I splurge on a set of elixirs they last about 3 months but I find that I sacrifice tone for the coating. I do have a set on my stratacoustic because I play it out and on the go. For all the rest I have been playing paradigm since they came out last year. They also last about 3 month, but don’t muffle my tone. X6 the life for 3x the price. Also, I change them before every show.
Similar threads
