How often do you change strings?

[rinse_master]

Just a curiosity, I tend to wait till I really notice a tone drop off and they start looking pretty manky.

I've heard the guy from The Mars Volta (Cedric) used strings that were a year old for the album De-Loused in the Comatorium, just because he liked the sound better, so that got me thinking (hence the thread)

Any of you feel that way, or have they got to be spanking new every week?

 

[seafoamer]

Re: How often do you change strings?

I usually don't change em till the intonation suffers. Waste of time & money to change perfectly good stgs till they die. Unless u really like the sound of new stgs, which I don't.

 

[the guy who invented fire]

Re: How often do you change strings?

I usually don't change em till the intonation suffers. Waste of time & money to change perfectly good stgs till they die. Unless u really like the sound of new stgs, which I don't.

That's me too...unless I'm gigging alot, the I changem them the afternoon before a show...I hate to break strings during a show!

 

[NecroPolo]

Re: How often do you change strings?

+1 I don't like brand new strings. Fo my taste strings begin to sound good after 1 week of abuse.

Anyway, when recording, I need that extra presence that new strings deliver. After finishing a track I just compare it to the others and if there is any loss of presence I clean the strings carefully and if it doesn't work I change immediately.

When we are on the road I change only when one breaks. Of course then I cange the whole set. I was lucky with our recent autumn tour because they resisted the whole 2-month abuse. In case of a string break I keep an armed axe for backup.

I'm a lazy a$$ on the road so for a quick string care I use a GHS FastFret cleaner set. It restores some presence and removes dirt: finger ribbons, bone crumbs, beer, blood, girly curlies, etc It is not a complete and perfect solution but it is exactly what lazy a$$es (like me) can use on the road before and after the gig

 

[Closed Eye]

Re: How often do you change strings?

I actually like the way older strings sound...even though it's not "tonally proper" to use older strings I'll actually have one guitar where I don't change the strings for a long time, play the hell out of it, put it away for awhile, come back and tune up, and the thing sounds great.

Sometimes new strings are a little too bright for my taste...

Part of the reason I can also use strings for a longer period is I tend to wash my hands vigorously before practicing, which I guess helps them last longer (meaning, I suppose, when they're "older" they're still fairly clean)...

 

[Stringer]

Re: How often do you change strings?

I tend to change them every two weeks, but I have very acidic hands, so I eat strings like crazy.

 

[Archer_of_Fish]

Re: How often do you change strings?

I like strings that are past the brand new bright sound of a fresh package.

I change them when I feel they need to be changed.....depends on how often I play the guitar.

 

[Dooogz]

Re: How often do you change strings?

I tend to change them every two weeks, but I have very acidic hands, so I eat strings like crazy.

I have this problem, my strings seem to rust at an immense rate. I try putting a drop of "3 in 1" oil on the strings using a cloth after a period of playing. This helps make them last a lil longer. So i change every month or so!

 

[jimmy]

Re: How often do you change strings?

I practice a LOT and I'm a pretty hard picker, so they usually break within a week.
I'll have to say, one week for me. :smack:

 

[papersoul]

Re: How often do you change strings?

A lot of strings sound terrible when new because most mass produced string sare junk and sound that way! DRs are the best I've found in mass produced and also require little stretching to get them in tune. Stretching a string damages a string and shortens its life. I am going to check out SOS strings soon.

 

[Marty Horne]

Re: How often do you change strings?

I gig 5 times a week so I change strings every 2 weeks. After 10 gigs they start sounding a little dull and changing them this often, I don't break any strings and can get away with bringing one guitar. My new Anderson came with coated Elixir strings and so far after 2 months, they still sound good. I may start using them all the time.

 

[WITH FULL DISTORTION]

Re: How often do you change strings?

3 months.. maybe 6.

 

[Stringer]

Re: How often do you change strings?

By the way, I'm a big fan of D'Addario's method of packing them in a single, shrink-wrapped packet rather than in the old paper envelopes for each... that way you can buy them by the case and they don't go dead sitting on the shelf.

 

[Imp]

Re: How often do you change strings?

about 2-3 days before i gig.. saying that, havnt gigged since august :laugh2:

saying that, if i break a string, can't remember when the rest went on, and the others have gone rusty, i replace the lot...

 

[Neeradj]

Re: How often do you change strings?

I used to break strings a lot more when I used GHS Boomers, but now that I use D'Addarios they seem to be able to take a lot more rough picking and bending. I only change 'em when they get sticky and feel like metally. But around that time they'll break themselfs . That's about a year, two max, and really I don't pick softly at all!

 

[texasguitarslinger]

Re: How often do you change strings?

I change them about every 3 months. :smoker:

 

[LesStrat]

Re: How often do you change strings?

Eventually.

 

[Jeff_H]

Re: How often do you change strings?

I always buy special strings from Gearjonser called "Distortion Strings", $25 bucks a set. They look old, but he tells me they are specially coated for extra distortion....and I trust GJ.




Seriously, I usually change them when they break, or when I'm doing a major cleaning/tune up/pickup change. I don't get anal about changing them on a regular basis.

 

[clint_41]

Re: How often do you change strings?

i really dont change um until i they break, get those goofy notches in um from the frets, or until the gunk is too much for me. and +1 for not liking new strings... they are always out of tune, and they sound too brittle.

 

[grindell]

Re: How often do you change strings?

Barring a string break, I'm changing about 1 to 1.5 years.