How frequently should I be changing strings?

[Ben Thorpe]

I saw thread recently discussing string changes. I have owned my guitar for almost 9 months and I’ve never changed strings….. is that bad?! How frequently should I be changing my strings?

 

[idssdi]

You should be changing it about 1-2 months but then again changing the strings is one of the shittier parts of playing guitar. However, your guitar will go out of tune and loose its intonation if you don’t change them regularly

 

[Filip Tomiša]

You can do it every 3 months, just depends on how much you play. It doesn’t mean that your strings become bad after a month.

 

[Ryan Puro]

I have a Floyd rose on my guitars, so changing strings is an absolute chore. I’ve gone around a year without changing my strings and didn’t really notice a difference. I’ve learned to enjoy changing strings so I do it once my fret board starts to get dirty.

 

[Richard O'connor]

It depends on your budget. If you can afford to buy new strings every few weeks then do so. The longer you leave them though the more the strings will begin to oxidize, leaving them more prone to breaking. Plus the longer you leave them the duller the sound of the strings will become. If you don’t want to change them that often you can buy products from music shops and Amazon that you can apply to the strings after you finish playing. Skin oil, dirt and dead skin will be settling on your strings and neck. So removing this will help preserve the life of your strings a little longer.

 

[Josh Wright]

It depends on how much you play, when you start feeling pits in your high e string is how I do it. A good sign is also noticeable black spots on your strings.

 

[Joe Giumarello]

I change mine every 2 weeks. Usually because I break my high e string all the time but also because I play a lot. I should probably invest in Ernie ball paradigms. But I’ve learned cleaning you strings after playing really helps extend their life.

 

[Lewis Blake]

Monthly, more if you’re playing every day. MOST importantly, every time before studio/live sessions.

 

[Ed Seith]

When I was playing 2-3 hr rehearsals 3x a week with a band, plus gigs on the weekend and home practice, I would alternate changing strings on one every weekend, so with two guitars, they were changed every two weeks.
I play a LOT less now, and will easily go 6-8 weeks, then sit down and do them all (the 4 electrics anyway) at once. The acoustics I play a lot less, so I change them a lot less often – maybe every 6-8 months.

 

[Matt Wildman]

I say at least every 3 months. But hey as long as you don’t leave them on a whole year you’ll be good lol. I’m already due for a change

 

[Billy Robertson]

I think it also depends on strings too. I’ve noticed that the paradigms from ernie ball seem to last a lot longer but they are 3 times the price.

 

[John Tierney]

Your supposed to change them?! I just replace them when one snapped

 

[Billy Robertson]

the oils and dirt from your fingers dull them and dirty and dull them giving them a “duller” sound over time. and if you use a floating bridge and do a lot of pulling on the strings it will cause the strings to stretch to the point to where they don’t hold their tension and wont stay in tune as well

 

[Josh Wright]

Strings will stop holding a tuning after long enough.

 

[John Tierney]

I clean my strings off but then again compared to most of the people here, I don’t play nearly as much (1.5 hours on a very good day)