yea, i feel a bit weird asking this question because i've been playing awhile, but i have embedded reasons for it. i still havent nailed down the distinct SOUND of old strings.

now before you reply, let me go a step further and try to refine this. i do know that old strings sound mellow and dull. what i'm actually asking is regarding to OVERDRIVEN sounds. yea, its mellow, less highs, etc etc. but how would that affect distortion, regardless of tone?
for example, say i take a random Les Paul, Strat, Tele, whatever, and suppose this guitar has had its strings on for a few months, and having gotten a good deal of use in that time. alright now i plug this guitar into the most barebones rig possible...a Pro Junior, no pedals. lets say we set the volume and tone to '8' each.
so, assuming we didn't know how old the strings were, and we crank the volume knob on the guitar and let er rip with some power chords, then maybe hit up some leads, what would be the telltale sign that those strings have got to go (AUDIBLE signs, not physical feel)?

i assume that old strings will make overdriven sounds just sound like crap, because they're not vibrating fully and providing a true to form signal. garbage in, garbage out, right?

granted, i'm also trying to diagnose if its possibly the speaker and/or tubes that would be contributing to said crap overdrive, but my thoughts are to look at the strings before i point fingers. in my case, both my guitars have gone a bit over one month with the current strings, and they've been getting significant use. i noticed the crap OD is more apparent with humbuckers (GFS alnico 2, btw). its hard to describe the sound, it was some kind of a mix of sterility, fuzz, and a touch of mush. sounds alot better with single coils though. maybe the PJ doesn't like gibson

There are variables here...has the guitar been sitting in a store and played heavily? Or has the guitar been sitting there not used. It is too hard to really give any answer and it si very subjective. One persons dead tone may be another's ideal tone...not sharp shooting you just IMO it is a subjective thing

msvolpe, you wouldn't be a Kiwi, would you?

Old (electric) strings lack spank and note definition and really old strings on the verge of breaking often have confused harmonics due to finger crud clinging to them making them hard to tune as the fundamentals and harmonics may or may not be in sync with each other. The effect is basically the same as acoustic strings aging but with less significance because the amp and pickups play such a large part in the tone.

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Just think of how awesome a guitar player you could have been by now if you had only spent the last 10 years practicing instead of obsessing over pickups and roasted maple necks.

I don't like strings on for long,not only do they lack sustain but when you play barre chords the further up the neck you go the more out of tune each chord is.I always wipe down my neck and strings well after playing to prevent tone-killing crud build up.

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'65 Strat,65 Mustang,65 Jaguar,4 more Strats,3 vintage Vox guitars,5 Vox amps,'69 Bassman with a '68 2-15 Bassman cab,36 guitars total-15asst'd amps total,2 vintage '60s Hammond organs & a myriad of effects-with a few rare vintage ones.

First of all if they are that old and dead playability is just boing to suck. Try sliding a few frets on dead strings ypu will be sticking all over the place. The intonation and tuning stability will be horrible and they will just sound horrible. I like to play my strings and break them in a bit on an acoustic because I dont care for the brand new squeak you get especially if recording.

For me old strings that need to be replaced sound like a guitar has the tone knob turned down. Notes are not as clear and bright, distortion is not as well defined. Other issues when strings need replacement are they may have crud built up or flat spots on the bottom sides where they meet the frets.

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"My mind is a raging torrent, flooded with rivulets of thought cascading into a waterfall of creative alternatives." Blazing Saddles...

Hi msvolpe: they sound like this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pNoPNC3e ... playnext=1

Cheers - C

Old strings sound dull (less top/treble) and have less sustain.

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Listen to the Doors.

Robbie Krieger liked using dead strings

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It wasn't Willy-Nilly, it was at crows.

it seems most of these replies were made before thoroughly reading my OP, but nonetheless thanks for the insight.

i did change strings on my 2 guitars, because i decided they could use it. the wound strings were losing their spank and on the verge of dead tone.

anyway, i think the crappy overdrive/distortion mentioned at the end of the OP was due to the guitar cable being used. im not sure what brand, someone gave it to me, but i never noticed an issue before with it. tried another cable out of curiosity yesterday (after string change btw) and it seemed to sound better *cross fingers*.

having assumed that old strings have negative impact on distortion for obvious reasons, i based this thread around that. however i now see it may not have been the strings totally at fault, again fingers crossed.

thanks

update:
played the PJ at higher volume (aka band rehearsal) last night with a les paul. the resulting sound was somewhat acceptable, and i suppose my cable theory may be correct, however it still sounded a tad ratty/harsh.

my guess is this may be evidence for why everyone swears by changing the speaker. perhaps it doesnt like humbuckers? i'll have to plug in a strat again next time i can play loud and make sure the amp is up to speed, because i believe it takes to single coils much better.

any other ideas other than crappy speaker?

thanks again