how often do you change strings?

Calvin Walley · Post by **Calvin Walley** » 12 Nov 2007 7:02 am

i got the idea of doing this poll because i mentioned that i had left my strings on for 2 years
and up until a few days ago , they still sounded pretty good , so here is the question

"how often do you change strings"

Dean Edwards · Post by **Dean Edwards** » 12 Nov 2007 7:36 am

HOW DO I REPLY?

Calvin Walley · Post by **Calvin Walley** » 12 Nov 2007 7:50 am

Dean , all you have to do is vote in the poll

Cameron Parsons · Post by **Cameron Parsons** » 12 Nov 2007 10:51 am

The poll didn't have the option, but I change my strings once per week.

Calvin Walley · Post by **Calvin Walley** » 12 Nov 2007 11:08 am

Cameron,

it seems like it take's mine a week just to stop stretching and settle in. thats one reason that i don't like changing them

mike nolan · Post by **mike nolan** » 12 Nov 2007 11:11 am

Once a week on the currently favorite gig guitar.....once a week should be a poll choice.

b0b · Post by **b0b** » 12 Nov 2007 11:22 am

You must be logged in to vote.

I added the "Once a week" option.

b0b · Post by **b0b** » 12 Nov 2007 11:28 am

I selected "Every 3 months", but really its "only when needed". Seems that my strings need to be changed every two-three months given how little I've been playing lately. There have been times in the past when they needed to be changed once a month.

I really think it depends on how much you play, how sweaty your hands are, and the weather. Strings might last a year on a guitar that gets played once a month.

Calvin Walley · Post by **Calvin Walley** » 12 Nov 2007 11:55 am

B0B,
for those that change strings a lot, how do you get the strings to settle and stop stretching.

b0b · Post by **b0b** » 12 Nov 2007 12:00 pm

Calvin Walley wrote:B0B,
for those that change strings a lot, how do you get the strings to settle and stop stretching.

I'm not familiar with that problem. The strings stabilize within an hour or two of playing time. I do use the pedals and knee levers constantly as I play, so maybe that has something to do with it. I bounce on the pedals as I tune up, too.

Larry Lorows · Post by **Larry Lorows** » 12 Nov 2007 12:17 pm

I don't change my strings at all. I played 6 string guitar for years and I like the dead jazz sound and I guess it's the same with my steel. I like playing standards and I just don't like the bright sound. Larry

Dick Wood · Post by **Dick Wood** » 12 Nov 2007 1:25 pm

Calvin, I play 3-4 nights per week so I change them every two weeks.

As for your problem of the strings settling in,try the so called double lock method.

Put the string through the peg and start the first loop around the peg on the outside nearest the open end of the peg and as it makes it's first complete loop pull it as you continue winding so it crosses back over itself winding towards the opposite direction being sure you have at least 3 turns around the post.

Once you have it to pitch tug firmly but not too hard and retune a couple of times and it should stabilize after a few minutes.

I've done this for years and it works great.

Good luck

Calvin Walley · Post by **Calvin Walley** » 12 Nov 2007 1:28 pm

thanks Dick

i will give it a try

Ray Minich · Post by **Ray Minich** » 12 Nov 2007 1:29 pm

Brings to mind the old thread comment "A & B Pedals shiny, C pedal - dull...".

My C6th neck's strings are caked in rust and red as a beet. Mebbe tis time to look into this...

A. J. Schobert · Post by **A. J. Schobert** » 12 Nov 2007 2:09 pm

So you see my point calvin?

Changing strings frequently is very important, it is part of maintenance.

I also will oil a little at this time as well.

Old strings will have a "dead" tone, I always like new strings as they will carry out a brighter tone with them.

Calvin I think you will get alot more out of your mullen by doing this, I keep 3 packs on hand.

chris ivey · Post by **chris ivey** » 12 Nov 2007 3:08 pm

whenever i have a really important gig.......never!

Calvin Walley · Post by **Calvin Walley** » 12 Nov 2007 5:40 pm

A.J.

one of the main reasons i did not like changing them was getting them to settle in , but Dick gave me a suggestion that i am going to try, who knows, i might even end up changing them every 3 months !!!!

Ken Byng · Post by **Ken Byng** » 13 Nov 2007 4:53 am

I clicked the 2 week box. I love the sound of my steel guitars with new strings. I find also that the intonation of wound strings changes for the worse when they are old.

My Tele gets new strings every other gig. Nothing worse than a Tele with dead strings.

Jack Stoner · Post by **Jack Stoner** » 13 Nov 2007 5:05 am

I checked the once a month box but when I'm working the "road" I change a lot more often. As someone noted it depends on how often you are playing. It's not just the tone of new strings, you have to take in the metal fatigue from the constant stretching of the strings. Keeping new strings, or relatively new, on a guitar minimizes string breakage. Although we have all probably broke a 3rd string on stage, I like to minimize the possiblilty.

Louis Vallee · Post by **Louis Vallee** » 13 Nov 2007 5:14 am

Unfortunately I sweat a lot on the right hand and i play 15-20 hours per week so I change them every week.

Post by **Dave Mudgett** » 13 Nov 2007 9:40 am

I voted "only when needed", but the "only" doesn't belong there. IMO, "When needed" is the only reasonable answer for someone like me whose playing schedule varies a lot. For me, the string-changing frequency is probably a linear function of how many hours I put on them - EXCEPT that 1) after a couple of months, they're dead even if I didn't play on them at all, or 2) when I have an important gig or a session, I just go ahead and change them regardless.

On the break-in period - for either guitar or steel, I wind around the pegs several times and always stretch each string in. One by one, I grab each string at the 12th fret and gently lift it up to put pressure on it to remove the slack. I need to be especially careful on the E9 3rd string - it's very easy to break it. I keep on doing this until the pitch doesn't change anymore. To me, this is the trick to be able to change strings 10 minutes before a gig or session starts. I definitely like fresh strings.

Papa Joe Pollick · Post by **Papa Joe Pollick** » 13 Nov 2007 9:51 am

What Larry posted reminded me of a felow picker that I use to know.He liked the sound of well used strings while I prefered the bright sound of new.There for he would use the strings that I was done with.Talkin lead guitar here.I would be very careful when removing strings as to not cut or bend them.Every once in a while he would buy me a set.
To each his own. PJ

Phillip Telford · Post by **Phillip Telford** » 13 Nov 2007 10:47 am

I change mine every Super Bowl if they need it or not.

Duncan Hodge · Post by **Duncan Hodge** » 13 Nov 2007 2:03 pm

I put "only when needed", but that basically should read, whenever I decide to switch to the other steel. Neither my ZB, or Fulawka ever seem to break strings. Down here in Florida the strings appear to rust a long time before they break. Anyway, I've been playing the ZB for the past couple of months and I'm starting to get the "Fulawka itch" so I suppose I'll take it out, slap on a new set of strings and play it for a couple of months. As I type I realize that my answer should read "every two couple of months", or "every other couple of months" I suppose either is just as accurate.
Duncan

basilh · Post by **basilh** » 13 Nov 2007 5:06 pm

Fortnightly or sooner if playing 5-6 nights per week, that only happens in the summer for me..

See what a top pro has to say :-

Steel and Strings
by Paul Franklin

I'd like to share my thoughts about steel guitars and string changing. I've found over the years that If you play your guitar (It doesn't matter what brand) 1 hour a day you should change your strings between 10 to 14 days. If you play more often than that you should change every week. If you didn't play a note on your guitar for three weeks you'd still need to change them. Just tuning to 440 and doing nothing stretches the life and flexibility out of the strings after a few weeks.

Professional Guitarists all over the world will agree that the most they can hope for is a weeks worth of use, out of a set of strings, because of the bends they make. This pales in comparison to the bending and constant stretching that pedal steels do. If you are breaking strings or having tuning problems, chances are you're not changing often enough.

I know that it is expensive so if you can't afford to change as often as you need, try changing the plain gauges each week & the wound strings every two weeks. Changing strings compares to changing the oil in your car. You wouldn't go 15000 miles per change and expect your engine to sound and perform right. Steel guitars are machines as well as a music producing source.

I know all the cliche's, "you don't like the sound of new strings" or "I don't change them until they break"! Modern manufactured steels have become state of the art. Strings are still being made the way they were 40 yrs. ago. They can't take the constant stretching from the pedals over a long period, and still keep their sustain and tuning. When I lived in Detroit I kept strings on forever until they either broke or started to have that awful zinging sound. I've been there...done that.

In the studio I change every 3 to 7 days. Guitarists change generally every day. Acoustic guitarists change for every 3 hr session. Sometimes they get a good set that lasts all day. That's how important strings are to the tuning and tonality of the instruments you hear on records.

It's important to have a well tuned instrument. I've seen all the posts about "How we should tune" but nothing about the strings that we are trying to tune.