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Post subject: String Neglect, common practice ?
Posted: Sat Jan 15, 2011 9:00 am
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Sitting around yesterday playing the strat, and just not happy with the sound. So after about a hour I thought "geeze, when did I last change the strings" Changed them out with a new set, and WOW.
How many out there find themselves doing the same thing ? I try to keep up on them, but sometimes I just get caught up in something and forget all about them. What a bonehead!!!!

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Post subject: Re: String Neglect, common practice ?
Posted: Sat Jan 15, 2011 9:20 am
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Yeah, that happens tome more often than not... I can hear when the stings are going "flat" on my acoustics, but not so much with my electrics... I think the best thing is to get into a routine to put on fresh strings. I should listen to my own advise :D

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Post subject: Re: String Neglect, common practice ?
Posted: Sat Jan 15, 2011 9:34 am
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i couldnt agree more, ive had issues where my strat keeps going out of tune, on a guitar with locking tuners i might add.
changed the strings, tuned it and stable after stretching them a little.

also, ive noticed diadarrios have been having a little oxidization on brand new strings.
:?

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Post subject: Re: String Neglect, common practice ?
Posted: Sat Jan 15, 2011 9:45 am
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Yeh, a routine would be nice, but alot has to do with my work schedule. A own my own construction co. and sometimes I will play for hours, for 2-3 days in a row, and other times I wont pick it up for more then 30 min. for a week or two.

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Post subject: Re: String Neglect, common practice ?
Posted: Sat Jan 15, 2011 10:20 am
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When the strings get the sweat and all the stuff that can stick to our hands, overtime they can oxydize and kind of turn into a file and they eat out the frets very fast. Better change them more often. :?
Claude. 8)


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Post subject: Re: String Neglect, common practice ?
Posted: Sat Jan 15, 2011 10:36 am
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Strings are not that expensive,I've never understood why people keep nasty strings on their guitars.....it's laziness. :wink:


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Post subject: Re: String Neglect, common practice ?
Posted: Sat Jan 15, 2011 11:12 am
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Even on my daily players, I only change strings about every month or so.....on the guitars I just collect, well, some of them have had the same strings on now for........15 years OMG!!! I change them before a gig when I have one, though! :)


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Post subject: Re: String Neglect, common practice ?
Posted: Sun Jan 16, 2011 1:26 am
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Rebelsoul wrote:
Strings are not that expensive,I've never understood why people keep nasty strings on their guitars.....it's laziness. :wink:


You'd be shocked by the number of people who have no idea how to change their strings. As a result, they get nasty. I do simple guitar repairs at the shop I work at and I think that 75% of my repair duties are changing people's strings for them. Some of them are beyond nasty to the point that I have to wash my hands before I even touch the new strings.

As far as my strings go I'm obsessive compulsive when it comes to changing them. :lol: At least once every two to three weeks. Less than that if I have more gigs than normal, or outdoor gigs in the summer. Those summer gigs kill strings in a matter of minutes.

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Post subject: Re: String Neglect, common practice ?
Posted: Sun Jan 16, 2011 8:26 am
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Depending on how much I get to play (some weeks it's as low as 1 - 1.5 hours) I'll change them every 3 months or so - depends on the brand of string and how well they hold up.

I'll admit to putting off changing guitars with "standard" tuners; I'm terrible at changing them even after playing for the better part of 30 years (I'll admit to a 5-year "hiatus" from about 1987-1992). Locking tuners or Fender split-post aren't an issue, just standard tuners where you have to thread the string through the hole and have either tie them or use some kind of lock wind. I will always wind up with at least one plain string with a cross wind (instead of all the winds being in the same direction up from the bottom of the tuner). I took the time to make a list of the guitars I've owned over the years, and of the 40 some-odd guitars 15 had locking tuners of some kind, 13 had split-post, and only 7 had "standard" tuners.


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Post subject: Re: String Neglect, common practice ?
Posted: Sun Jan 16, 2011 9:39 am
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I can see how some people might just forget to change their strings, as I've done it more than once :roll: but now I generally change my strings when the old ones begin to oxidize and they start to feel a bit gritty, and sound dull. I maybe do it every three weeks, maybe more frequently when I play more :)

Drew


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Post subject: Re: String Neglect, common practice ?
Posted: Sun Jan 16, 2011 9:57 am
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Rebelsoul wrote:
Strings are not that expensive,I've never understood why people keep nasty strings on their guitars.....it's laziness. :wink:


What I can't understand is guitar shops who don't try and keep the strings on their guitars at least semi-fresh. I was in a store yesterday and tried out a 2009 American Deluxe that they have on display (it's still brand new - it's an 09 serial number but they only got it in last year) and struggled to play it properly because the strings were that bad. This is a £1000 guitar!! I can almost understand it on the Squiers and MIM guitars - but on the higher end MIA stuff??

texasguitarslinger wrote:
You'd be shocked by the number of people who have no idea how to change their strings. As a result, they get nasty. I do simple guitar repairs at the shop I work at and I think that 75% of my repair duties are changing people's strings for them. Some of them are beyond nasty to the point that I have to wash my hands before I even touch the new strings.


My Ex's brother was a guitar teacher and yet didn't know the first thing about changing his strings or setting up his guitar - I always ended up doing it for him...

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Post subject: Re: String Neglect, common practice ?
Posted: Sun Jan 16, 2011 11:37 am
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Rebelsoul wrote:
Strings are not that expensive,I've never understood why people keep nasty strings on their guitars.....it's laziness. :wink:


Agree! If they start to feel sticky to me and sound dull they're gone! This could happen after one gig or a few weeks, depending on how much play a certain guitar gets. I could never go to a gig or a jam with strings that don't feel fresh! It really does affect my playing and tone.


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Post subject: Re: String Neglect, common practice ?
Posted: Sun Jan 16, 2011 1:29 pm
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cedarblues wrote:
Rebelsoul wrote:
Strings are not that expensive,I've never understood why people keep nasty strings on their guitars.....it's laziness. :wink:


Agree! If they start to feel sticky to me and sound dull they're gone! This could happen after one gig or a few weeks, depending on how much play a certain guitar gets. I could never go to a gig or a jam with strings that don't feel fresh! It really does affect my playing and tone.


Absolutely! There is definitely a hygienic perspective to changing string when and as appropriate.

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Post subject: Re: String Neglect, common practice ?
Posted: Sun Jan 16, 2011 6:55 pm
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On guitars that I play daily I try to change strings every three or four weeks. I hear people complain that their guitar won't stay in tune and they have to tune it every time they play. To me when I pick up my guitar and it no longer needs tuned I figure the strings are probably dead and it is usually reflected in the tone I'm hearing at that point.

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Post subject: Re: String Neglect, common practice ?
Posted: Sun Jan 16, 2011 7:25 pm
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I have a routine with changing my strings. I do not forget very often, but I can tell when it is time to change by the tone. I generally change my strings once a month on my electric guitars and every 2 months on my acoustic.

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