ShortScale.org

I just changed my strings after what may, honestly, be as much as 10 years plus. I basically just change them when they break. They didn't break, I just thought maybe after all this time I should change them to see of they sound way way better. They sound better but not massively better. I use D'Addario 11-49s on a Jaguar.

I googled it and there's cunts out there saying you should change them weekly, which I think is just mental.

Gavin wrote: ↑Mon Jul 04, 2022 2:43 pmI basically just change them when they break. They didn't break

This is pretty much me tbh. I very rarely break strings. So I never really change them unless I fancy a change in gauge or to go from flats to rounds or vice versa.

I probably should change them more often than I do but I doubt I'd ever be arsed to do it more often than annually.

I think you can probably shut the poll now, Gavin. I think we've reached consensus:

I've joined that consensus, although my real answer is that it's when they won't intonate well anymore and feel manky, but that depends entirely on how often the guitar is played, could be months, could be years.

For the Hondo II Les Paul, I left them on until one of the wound strings winding broke. It still played but I put a "new" set on and the change in tone was huge. I also restrung the Squier Strat that my son had strung as baritone with a set of 9s I had lying around and it now sounds very bright. In general I leave them on until they break, or someone else with sweaty fingers plays them and they tarnish. I need to check back on the Squier Strat as someone else played it at the jam last night; I wiped it down with a paper napkin but who knows whether that was enough?

I believe the Shadows didn't like the sound of new strings and preferred to leave them on until they broke.

I've just changed the strings on my strat. The strings that were on I had bought in a store that hasn't existed for several years now. I changed them only because the high E broke when I was trying to tighten the string tree. To be fair the strings weren't intonating at all and were so grimy as to contain enough of my DNA to build my clone just by putting all that DNA in the right order. I can't play for shit so the fact that the old strings weren't intonating wasn't anything to me but the new strings feel and sound nice. I had Ernie Ball's 9's, put Dunlop 9's

Yeah by the way, my hands don't sweat, so my strings don't corrode as much

I change them when I just a hankering to. Depends on the guitar and how much I play it. I don’t like them too new, but I don’t like them looking like a nasty old prospector either.

Bass strings I prefer good and dead as well as acoustic guitar strings.

I always clean my strings after playing so they do last a while. I tend to change mine when they start to flatten where they touch the frets.

Watching the Beatles Get Back doc I noticed George always wiped down his strings at the end of the day. I would think, good for him.

Normally only if there's an obviously gross feel or tuning problem like Nick said, or a week before a gig (ancient history tho, RITE). Definitely not monthly, I guess 3-monthly sounds about right, even though I'm playing my JM 90% of the time.

I'm not a sweaty guy, so don't have issues playing at home (generally wash my hands before doing a PROPER PLAY SESH), but remember how GROSS it can get playing in a practise room over these past few months with the one-off wedding covers band. ICK. Had to wash my hands a few times during each practise to stop throwing up

I've got sweaty little raccoon paws for hands yet somehow this doesn't cause my strings to manically rust or my fretboard to get all gunked to high heavens. I do tend to wash my hands and wipe down the guitar though.

Gavin wrote: ↑Tue Jul 05, 2022 10:12 pm I've got sweaty little raccoon paws for hands yet somehow this doesn't cause my strings to manically rust or my fretboard to get all gunked to high heavens. I do tend to wash my hands and wipe down the guitar though.

But they do smell like fish, berries and garbage.

Before the first show in while/recording, otherwise, once the wound strings start to get the little breaks on the fret area. Or whenever they start to sound dead. I also have too many guitars and rotate often so I don't wear any of them out particularly fast.

since i'm not playing out anymore, i tend to have a go-to guitar that i'll play several times throughout the week. that one (whichever it is at the time) gets the strings changed very few months or so. the others that mostly sit, can go 6 - 12 months, but i don't like to go much longer than that. when i did used to play out, i'd change strings after no more than 3 or 4 uses which included rehearsals and shows. didn't like to get more than 6 or so hours of use on a set as that just seemed like waiting for breakage at the worst possible time. i also tend to clean, polish, and intonate guitars whenever i change strings these days which i obviously wouldn't have been doing as much years ago. that's also when i'll sort out any wiring or mechanical issues that come up. it's "me" time.

if i'm recording a new song, i tend to prefer having new strings for that, too.

I have a Squier Japan Tele that has either had zero or one string change since I set it up ten years ago. It sounds kind of magic unplugged, and plugged in through the neck pickup. I am too afraid to mess with it. Interestingly mine's also 11-49 or 11-52, whatever those Dean Markleys with the wound G were. The unwound strings are blackish on the side that my fingers touch and still bright on the underside!
Second one down, here - the others have all had more recent changes.

Change them into what?

I chose Sloan because I almost never change strings. I have boxes of them, and many that have been strung, then removed to do more work, so are wrapped around a tailpiece poking out in every dangerous way.

Some strings start to smell like pennies or garlic over time. No vampires here, with stacks of wood scraps.

There's probably a way to tell by look or feel. My daily (or now monthly) still has the strings I put on after I got parts from Mez. They would be missed.