When do you change your strings? My older brother brought his guitar along when he visited my wife and I last year. When I picked it up to play it, the strings felt like they were a year old. He lives several states away; so, we don’t get to see each other often but he has been an inspiration to me from childhood on guitar. I was very surprised at the conditions of his strings.
My brother lives near the water down south and that is hard on metal. He also likes to play outside. Finally, he doesn’t like his strings to be very bright. He changes his strings about as often as I do but he has different priorities.
The factors determining when to change your strings
- Tone
- Frequency of playing
- String breakage
I find these three factors determine when I change my strings. First is the tone.
If you play your strings long enough, you will find the initial brightness fades to a dull thump at some point. This is particularly apparent on the wound strings. The unwound strings seem to retain their sparkle for a bit longer and I think that is because dirt and corrosion builds up between the wraps. The strings are no longer able to flex as they used to and the accumulated grime deadens the vibration of the strings. You might hear someone say one or more of their strings has “gone dead”.
I love nice bright strings especially right after I have replaced them. Something about that additional twang or edge excites me. When I only owned an acoustic and could not afford an electric, it was the only way I could hear just a little of the drive a lightly push electric would get. Played near the bridge with some aggression, a tiny bit of grind could be gained. That fades with time and amount of playing and signals to me I should change my strings.
How often you play
The frequency of live gigs is a good determining factor. Listen to a few guitar techs, Premier Guitar has a few, and they will tell you they change strings after every gig. That’s great for the pros but you may not have the time or cash to do that. Depending on the strings you buy, it could get expensive quick!
My typical frequency, outside the ‘rona lock-downs, is after playing two live gigs. I play in my church regularly and that means after the second Sunday on a set of strings (depending on how much I am playing the same guitar during the week). There are two reasons for this:
- Dead strings
- Broken strings
As I mentioned earlier, tone is my first determining factor but the risk of breaking a string is a BIG concern when playing live. I don’t have a tech to hand me a new guitar and the extra guitar can just be a nuisance when it happens so infrequently. It used to happen more frequently to me and that brings me to the next point.
String breakage
Other than hitting a wrong note, string breakage is about the most embarrassing thing for a guitarist. Not only do you lose the use of the string but it usually means your guitar goes wildly out of tune. Add a tremolo into the mix and “wildly” takes on a whole different meaning!
Now, string breakage can be the result of other problems on your guitar and you should take the time to properly deal with those. Strings can prematurely break from sharp edges at the bridge and nut. I find it most frequently at the bridge where the string comes up and over the saddle at a steep angle. This causes additional stress on the string and amplifies a sharp angle over the bridge weakening the string. Slightly rounding that edge will mitigate that issue. The same goes for the nut – sharp angles weaken strings.
You could also have slots in the nut and bridge that are too narrow. This catches the string and stresses it at those locations. Have you recently started using heavier gauge strings? Get the slots adjusted. Heavier strings through tight nut slots also risks breaking the nut and a much more expensive repair.
Strings are mechanical devices and suffer from repeated bending just like any other metal. Nylon guitar strings may last longer but the windings on the lower strings will still suffer from the bending action breaking the metal wrap. Corrosion just hurries the process along. When my strings start looking dull, I change them. If it feels like it has been a while, I change them.
When will You change your strings?
There is no magic formula here. If you play aggressively, you may need to change them more often. Tremolo use also can wear strings quickly. Get a feel for how your strings are performing and add in a comfortable buffer. Better to change your strings too early than too late!
Finally, one string or all of them? If you have broken a string in the middle of a gig or practice, change the one. That is the most convenient. You can wait to change the set to some time before the next public appearance. Remember to give them time to stretch! Steel strings need a day, at least. Nylon can take a few days and up to a week to settle in maybe longer depending on how often you play. Re-tune nylon strings at least once per day until they settle in to avoid any surprises.
For more tips on the Care and Feeding of Your Guitar, check out one of my earlier blog entries. I spent a lot of time repairing guitars and attempted to fix the issues I mentioned above even before the musician knew about them. Hopefully, there are fewer embarrassed players out there 😉