String Neglect, common practice ?

way cool jr · **Joined:** Tue May 18, 2010 7:34 pm **Posts:** 6911

i hate string week.
i change my strings on the regular as far as the guitars that i normally play.
its the retired batch that i really hate. once a yr they get a string change.
now these are guitars i might play once a month if im lucky. so when it comes to string week i just cringe. the time alotted and the expense is something i have to plan for.
its a task i'll tell ya that.

prolog · **Posted:** Mon Jan 17, 2011 7:05 am

Infrequently for me - every few months for my Strat and Tele, and once a year for my semi-hollowbody (changing strings with a Bigsby is a huge pain!). I could, and should, change more often, but I'd rather practice my guitars than restring them.

Rebelsoul · **Posted:** Mon Jan 17, 2011 7:54 am

It's strange for me to read about people not knowing how to change strings or not wanting to do it because they have to tune more.....for me,I like changing strings and I tune everytime I start to play and check tuning often,I'm obsessive when it comes to a clean guitar and working on one is stress release therapy.

cedarblues · **Posted:** Mon Jan 17, 2011 9:52 am

Rebelsoul wrote:

It's strange for me to read about people not knowing how to change strings or not wanting to do it because they have to tune more.....for me,I like changing strings and I tune everytime I start to play and check tuning often,I'm obsessive when it comes to a clean guitar and working on one is stress release therapy.

+1 I tune before I leave the house and again just before I go up on stage!

guitslinger · **Posted:** Mon Jan 17, 2011 10:48 am

With 26 guitars to maintain,it's pretty hard to keep track of when strings were last changed on a particular guitar unless it's one that I have in my living room for daily picking.I have found that strings that look pretty clean and shiny can still loose their brilliance and their ability to hold their tuning.As soon as a set of strings start giving me any tuning or tonal problems I just whip them off and put on a new set and I always have at least 3 or 4 sets on hand.Also if I break a string I'll generally change out the whole set as I always keep the bridges and nuts of my guitars free from burrs and well lubed.

Rossfloss · **Joined:** Thu Jan 13, 2011 1:35 pm **Posts:** 129

I've gotten into the habit of wiping my strings down after every use with a rag and they stay cleaner at least three times longer.

cechansler · **Joined:** Sun May 16, 2010 4:01 pm **Posts:** 393

I forget to change strings sometimes and and i do notice the sound when i change it but its one of those things i say i am going to do but then i pick up one of my guitars and start to play and i lose track of time.

rkreisher · **Posted:** Mon Jan 17, 2011 7:46 pm

Rebelsoul wrote:

It's strange for me to read about people not knowing how to change strings or not wanting to do it because they have to tune more.....for me,I like changing strings and I tune everytime I start to play and check tuning often,I'm obsessive when it comes to a clean guitar and working on one is stress release therapy.

1/2 the fun about playing guitar is the up-keep. I love tinkering with my guitars.

John.E · **Posted:** Mon Jan 17, 2011 8:38 pm

prolog wrote:

Infrequently for me - every few months for my Strat and Tele, and once a year for my semi-hollowbody (changing strings with a Bigsby is a huge pain!). I could, and should, change more often, but I'd rather practice my guitars than restring them.

There are some good videos on the Gretsch site. One of them deals with re-stringing the Bixby bridge.

Hope it helps,
John.E

fendermandan · **Posted:** Tue Jan 18, 2011 8:08 am

texasguitarslinger wrote:

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.

I know what are you saying, we have very humid summers and my strings corrode after one or two gigs. Winter time seems a lot better I can go for a bout a month or more with one set.

da rok · **Joined:** Sun Dec 05, 2010 12:38 am **Posts:** 392

i change the strings on my guitars every 2 months or a couple of days b4 a gig... live close to da sea so anything metal gets hammerd...

JBat · **Joined:** Thu Jan 13, 2011 10:42 am **Posts:** 80

I've been guilty of it. But I do try to wipe my guitar down after every session, including the strings.

SmokeythaBear · **Posted:** Fri Jan 21, 2011 7:40 pm

A lot of the people come into the store and ask us to put strings on for them.

It considered a "repair"
I wonder why people don't learn how to do it themselves. If you want to be a guitarist, you gotta learn someday...

53magnatone · **Posted:** Fri Jan 21, 2011 8:09 pm

AdrianJordanMusic wrote:

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...

Ironically if it hadn't been for neglected strings on my 95 Larrivee 10, I would not have bought it, simply since someone else would have realized how sweet of a fingerpicking guitar this is.
On the other hand, thank's all for reminding me I have to make up a bone saddle for this guitar.

Not to mention time for the strats to also get strings...Wheee !!

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