How often do you change strings on a non-pedal steel guitar?

Gerard Ventura · Post by **Gerard Ventura** » 19 Oct 2024 9:13 am

I don't play it as often as I should (just learning). Probably 2 years since I strung them (D8 Stringmaster clone, Elva West), no rust, grime or spilt beer, and they sound good as best I can tell. Thanks!

Noah Miller · Post by **Noah Miller** » 19 Oct 2024 10:56 am

Certainly a lot less often than the strings on a Spanish guitar.

Tim Whitlock · Post by **Tim Whitlock** » 19 Oct 2024 11:37 am

Maybe every 6 months avg per instrument? I love the sound of fresh strings but I can live with the old ones, especially considering the cost of changing 88 strings over 6 steel guitars.

Dom Franco · Post by **Dom Franco** » 19 Oct 2024 11:59 am

They seem to last forever! I use the heaviest gauge string possible for each pitch and they just never break. I do change them every year or so because I don't want one to eventually fail during a gig. I play hundreds of gigs each year, and I'm practicing or recording several days a week.

When I was playing Pedal steel the high G# would break often due to bending. So I would change it often to avoid failure during a gig.

For the last 12 years or so, playing non-pedal steel constantly I have never broken a string!

Dom

Lee Holliday · Post by **Lee Holliday** » 19 Oct 2024 12:38 pm

Not very often, I have also started using Daddario chromes and they seem to last a long time also reduce the noise of the slide/steel

John Larson · Post by **John Larson** » 20 Oct 2024 4:03 am

You can get more life out of them with this stuff as well.

Rich Arnold · Post by **Rich Arnold** » 21 Oct 2024 5:35 am

It all depends.
My Fender seems to need a change often. But I have an old Magnatone that sounds great with dull strings.

David Ball · Post by **David Ball** » 21 Oct 2024 12:27 pm

Lee Holliday wrote:Not very often, I have also started using Daddario chromes and they seem to last a long time also reduce the noise of the slide/steel

I've been using chromes too. I like them a lot--I use them on my hollow body electric guitars too. They seem to last forever...

Dave

Doug Taylor · Post by **Doug Taylor** » 21 Oct 2024 12:46 pm

For those using chromes what set would you recommend using? I tune c6 and e13. 6 string

David Ball · Post by **David Ball** » 21 Oct 2024 12:50 pm

I'm using them on an 8 string Clinesmith with a horseshoe pickup and bought singles to match a standard C6 8 string set. Can't recall the exact gauges, but I didn't find a pre packaged set that suited me. The tone of the chromes is a little less bright than round wounds, but with the Clinesmith it sounds great. Plus the decreased bar noise is a plus.

Dave

Doug Taylor · Post by **Doug Taylor** » 21 Oct 2024 1:01 pm

Thank you Dave, I was not aware you could get custom sets, I assumed you were using electric guitar sets. I need to do some looking!

Nic Neufeld · Post by **Nic Neufeld** » 22 Oct 2024 11:43 am

As far as I know you won't be able to find a string set that fits common tunings for lap steel in a flatwound set. It is possible though you could get lucky with a flatwound set that some of the strings worked fine with your tuning (maybe augmented with others). This won't be as cheap...but you can buy single strings for a custom set here:

https://juststrings.com/electric-guitar ... ngs-1.html

Plain strings can be any other brand. They have Thomastik flats too but boy those can be expensive! Love them on my bass though (albeit for reasons I wouldn't like them on a steel with...light tension, among other things)

Tim Whitlock · Post by **Tim Whitlock** » 22 Oct 2024 1:25 pm

Doug Taylor wrote:Thank you Dave, I was not aware you could get custom sets, I assumed you were using electric guitar sets. I need to do some looking!

SIT makes semi-flat string sets in some of the popular 6 and 8 string tunings. convenient, affordable and sound good, plus the semi-flats reduce bar friction and noise.

https://aliensandstrangersmusic.com/search?q=lap+steel

You can get them here on the forum as well. Just click "Strings" at the top of the page and "Non-Pedal Strings".

https://steelguitarshopper.com/non-peda ... le/?page=3

Nic Neufeld · Post by **Nic Neufeld** » 22 Oct 2024 3:22 pm

I stand corrected, I forgot about the SIT semi-flats. I even had some of those on a guitar, I think. If I recall they are groundwound or similar...more of a roundwound but with the outer surface ground to partially flat. It's kind of an in-between of a true tape / flatwound and a roundwound, but that may be a good thing as most steel players like the tone of roundwounds, but this would give a smoother feel. Since I've been using Basil's bars I don't get a lot of string noise so I haven't worried about it too much. But that's a great suggestion! I think being partially roundwound, they still might be subject to going dull...but for that matter, it isn't that flatwounds don't go dull, they just start out that way!

Jack Hanson · Post by **Jack Hanson** » 23 Oct 2024 6:50 am

When one breaks (seldom), I'll change 'em all. Or if I want to change tunings on a particular instrument and the gauges are wrong, I'll change 'em. I have several lap steels with strings that have been on there for over a decade, and they still sound great.

David Ball · Post by **David Ball** » 23 Oct 2024 11:39 am

Nic Neufeld wrote:As far as I know you won't be able to find a string set that fits common tunings for lap steel in a flatwound set. It is possible though you could get lucky with a flatwound set that some of the strings worked fine with your tuning (maybe augmented with others). This won't be as cheap...but you can buy single strings for a custom set here:

https://juststrings.com/electric-guitar ... ngs-1.html

Plain strings can be any other brand. They have Thomastik flats too but boy those can be expensive! Love them on my bass though (albeit for reasons I wouldn't like them on a steel with...light tension, among other things)

That's where I bought my singles.

Dave