How often should I change my guitar strings?

  • Thread starter Thread starter antispatula
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antispatula

antispatula

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I've never bothered to thing about that untuill they break, but mine haven't broken at all since I got the guitar, like 6 months ago! So yeah, insight would be good. They sound a little dull and blunt.
 
I think you should just change them whenever they are feeling and sounding dull.

I just changed mine after about 4 months, which I think was too long, and damn they sound and feel so wonderful.

I need to start changing them more often. I think before that I hadnt changed them for even longer.
 
I change my guitar strings at least once a month, usually more. I am playing (by playing i mean in front of people, not just for fun) on a consistent basis though, so it is a big deal to me that the sound and feel fresh...I think it is probably up to you, but 6 months is quite a while!
 
It's gonna depend. I hear of guys that go through a set every couple weeks, others that keep them on for months at a time. A few variables (I'm sure there are more), how often you play, you're style of playing, bio-chemistry, and how well you care for them.
 
For what it's worth here is my formula for when to change strings: Take the guage size of your smallest (high E) string, multiply this by 2, this will give you the number of actual playing hours a set of strings will (should) last. It dosen't matter much if they are cheap strings or if they are expensive, this formula works about the same for them all. The way you play will affect this somewhat but for an average it is safe to say 20 to 30 hours of actual playing time is about the life span of any set of strings. If you play as hard as I do, then it is much less, I rarely get more than a week out of a set of strings. Any set of strings, even if the guitar has been in storage and not played, should be changed after a couple of months. I may be a little picky but I have come to appreciate both the sound and feel of new strings. Old dull strings make any guitar sound bad, while new strings can make even a cheap guitar sound good.
 
punkin said:
It's gonna depend.
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For me i prefer older guitar strings that have been played on for while but i think this is because i mostly punk music and i can get a better punk sound with played in strings. I once read that johnny ramone used to only change his guitars like once a year (not sure if true).
 
I like to change my strings every couple weeks since I record. New strings make a HUGE difference in tone. One time I had strings that were like a year old and then I replaced them and my tone sounded soooo much better.
 
While newer strings will yield a different tone, don't under estimate the tonal goodness of 6 month old strings. Just depends what you are looking for and your preference regarding the matter. Since I've several electrics I keep one usually with a fresh set, atleast every 4 or 5 weeks or so depending on play time, my strat keeps a set until a string breaks, no more, no less. If none break within 9 months, they stay, if one breaks the first day, the entire set gets replaced.
 
When I was playing live a lot, a set of strings would really only last me one show, so I changed them right before each show we played. During the weeks we practiced, though, they were fine. So, I guess on average, strings would stay on my guitar for maybe 2 weeks max.

It's an expensive habit, but I never broke a string live in 3 1/2 years.
 
I buy them in bulk. 10 packs of D' Addario for 30 bucks. I hate the sound of old strings personally.
 
I'm with Ericlingus. When I'm actively recording or gigging, I change my strings almost every day. If I need to punch in afterward, I know a set of new strings will sound like the set of new strings I recorded with in the first place. OK, if I play for an hour, I don't change my strings, but if I play for 6-8 hours, I do. Playing live, I play a lot of heavy rhythm (think Pete Townsend) That absolutely kills strings. 6 hours of that, and they are done. If I'm just doing my daily doodling, it might be a couple of weeks. God, I hate dead strings.-Richie
 
As much as I like the sound of new strings, I can't afford it. I usually go through a set or two a semester, so 2-4 months for me. You should be wiping down the strings after you play with a hankercheif or something, it definitely helps lengthen their life.
 
hiwatt357 said:
When I was playing live a lot, a set of strings would really only last me one show, so I changed them right before each show we played. During the weeks we practiced, though, they were fine. So, I guess on average, strings would stay on my guitar for maybe 2 weeks max.

It's an expensive habit, but I never broke a string live in 3 1/2 years.
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Same here. I preffer not to risk it and make sure I have fresh strings for every show. They sound so much better to me, plus they feel better. I'll also restring if I'm doing any important recording stuff. I can understand wanting older strings for certain sounds, but I like the sound and reliability of fresh strings personally.
 
antispatula said:
I've never bothered to thing about that untuill they break, but mine haven't broken at all since I got the guitar, like 6 months ago! So yeah, insight would be good. They sound a little dull and blunt.
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Back when I used to "gig", I would change strings twice a week, now that I don't play that often I will change them when they break, or when I am going to do some recording.
 
Our recomendation at the shop is at LEAST once a month, though I suppose that would be two months if you are using coated strings. But that is a bare minimum, which is to say the point where the enviromental damage to the strings (even if they are not being played) is enough to keep the strings from playing in tune and/or sounding good. In practice, you should change them as soon as you feel they don't sound good or you are having tuning problems.

And of course, you should probably bear in mind that I sell strings. (Though it is a very small part of our income every year.)



Light

"Cowards can never be moral."
M.K. Gandhi
 
For me it depends on a lot of factors. Whenever possible, I use Elixers to avoid changing, plus they're quieter and have a faster feel. I rotate about a dozen guitars in live use and usually go up to six months between changes. Other guitars and instruments can vary, I've had to change nylons in as little as 3 hours in certain conditions.

If you're banging out tunes on one acoustic with non coated strings let's say, I'd figure a month would be a long time even if your hands had little or no acids.
 
To maintain a consistent sound, I change guitar strings every 6 hours of playing time. Any longer than that and the sound changes noticibly.
 
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