String changes - lots of guitars?

[andrewsrea]

The topic and questions I have is:
Do you find strings just age out?
If you have guitars which go unplayed, when do you change strings?

I am blessed with 27.5 (a restoration in process) guitars. I have guitars which are my go-to and ones which are 'when the mood strikes.' This year, I've been caught up in projects and haven't been playing regularly (for me, it is more like religiously, like practicing four sets for a gig).

I keep a spreadsheet of string changes and what I have done to each guitar. I replaced the RS Superpot (hated the S-taper) that I had on my 2003 PRS McCarty's volume and the strings felt a bit dead. This is not a go-to guitar for me and the strings have a little patina and only a couple of fret divots (I can divot a set of strings in a week). Note that I carefully wipe off the strings after each play and care for each guitar every holiday (as you may know). I last changed the strings on the McCarty was March 2016 with a set of DR Pure Blues 9's.

What say you? Do strings become lifeless, even if they haven't been played? Do you change strings not because they are played out, but they aged out?

[jtcnj]

I have not experienced string age out, but have heard of it.
I currently have 10 electrics and some dont get played often.
I pinch the wipe down cloth around them and wipe skin oil off thoroughly after a session so they never get grungy.

For me substantial fret divots and tuning instability determine the need for string change.
I dont really notice strings getting dull sounding, and only sometimes notice new strings a little brighter at the very first.
It may be that I am just not as perceptive as others.

[littlebadboy]

Yeah, this is the reason that I try to minimize the number of owned guitars. I said, "I try". I promised to myself to just keep one main guitar, a backup, and a Frankenstein to do experiments. But then, I kinda got attracted to headless guitars and ended up with 2 (affordable ones) of them because there's a multiscale and a standard.

It also doesn't help that I am the host teacher for our school's Rock Band Club because I have to maintain the club's guitars. Luckily, Musicians Friend has cheap strings that seems to be good.

[BatUtilityBelt]

I tend to only change strings if they start sounding different in a (dull usually) bad way, or if I'm going to record something I consider important. I don't have strings showing oiliness like some of my friends have, no idea why that's even a thing. And I don't play hot stages so I just don't sweat on them.

[golem]

So I somewhat link older strings but about the time they get corrosion I'll generally find it's too much.

[uwmcscott]

I only play at home, and I store all my guitars in cases whenever they are not being played. The exception is that I usually have one acoustic and one electric on a stand ready to play in the living room, and I rotate them in and out. Especially with the acoustics I end up changing strings every couple of months as they seem to oxidize fairly quickly, and a string change improves the sound. On the other hand, my 2013 Les Paul traditional ( which I purchased new ) still has the original strings on it and the feel/sound great. I have 2 other LP's that I have changed strings on multiple times, but for whatever reason the Trad is still going strong with 8 year old strings.

[Mossman]

I never tracked how long a given set of strings last, and while I have some guitars and basses that get played more than others, none if them go for extended periods of time without getting played on a semi-regular basis (if that happens I typically sell the guitar), but it does happen sometimes, and I don't think I've ever picked up a guitar who's strings have gone dead just from sitting around. It would probably take a couple of years for that to happen... Everything oxidizes.

Also, strings tend to last a long time for me. I have pretty dry hands and my sweat doesn't seem to be very acidic, so by the time the strings on the well-played guitars go dead, it's not too uncommon for them to have been on the guitar for a year or more... or at least several months.

Round-wound bass strings seem to go dead quicker than guitar strings, which is a bummer, because they cost 5 to 6 times more than guitar strings. Flat-wound bass strings last a lot longer. If you like that dead, thumpy bass sound (I don't), they can last forever.

[mickey]

Acoustic guitars strings age out as quickly as they play out. Possible exception of Elixer but they sound crappy from new.
Nylon string guitar replacement string sets should come with 9 strings because the three higher strings (G-B-E) last about twice as long as the three lower strings do.
I replace nylon strings when the "D" string breaks.
With electric guitars, I replace the strings when the intonation goes off & replacing them brings it back.

[andrewsrea]

@BatUtilityBelt "oily" - is that the same as crud buildup?

@uwmcscott : you mentioned "sound" & "feel" - I think that is a big part of what I am experiencing. The strings don't sound terrible, but I feel that i am fighting them and they are not 'singing.' I am changing them today, so I'll report back if they fell better.

@mickey : You don't know how many guitars came to me for an intonation set-up and the problem was the strings having a soft spot from the extrusion process and they were stretching at that spot. The guitar would be in tune and as soon as you played on a certain fret or did a bend, it went out of tune. Also: "I replace nylon strings when the "D" string breaks." Are you just hard on D strings or is that a common occurrence on nylon stringed guitars?

[jhull54]

I change 'em when they begin to smell like curry.

[RockYoWorld]

Most of the time, I only change strings when I'm changing tunings, pickups, or when a string breaks, so my main guitars I regularly play/gig with are the only ones that get regularly changed. I'll also change strings on one of those main guitars if a big gig is coming up and I haven't broken a string in a while. It's rare that those guitars' tone feels noticeably dead enough for me to replace the strings because of it.

I also have a pretty clear, bright sound (going direct through Axe FX) so the dulling aging of strings might benefit me

[mickey]

"D" string breakage is common on nylon string guitars.
Pull one out of its case after ignoring it for a few months & you will usually find a broken "D"
Or it will break when you tune the guitar.

I replace "G" "B" & "E" every other time I replace "E" "A" & "D".

[Partscaster]

I play them till old, until I notice rust or poor intonation due to rust or grime buildup, usually closer to nut and on fretboard side of string, for me.
Any finger grime buildup equals poor intonation. I buy sets that I like, and then have a huge bunch of 10 string sleeves of each guage I might break or change more often than the entire set.

Been trying round core strings recently.

[Chocol8]

Strings definitely time out. If a guitar has been out of rotation, I plan to change the strings before it goes into rotation. Usually guitars are in or out of rotation for long periods, in excess of a year typically, so even lightly used strings are usually dead when I pick up a guitar that has been sitting.

I also (try to) minimize the number of guitars I have. Most of my playing, greater than 90%, is on one of two guitars that are in use at any given time. One is always one of my Strats, and the other is almost always a dual HB guitar. So, why do I realistically need a bunch of guitars? I need backups, so 2 Strats and 2 LP/AL/AD/335 types for a total of 4 guitars would be plenty to live on. Other than the fact that all guitarists should have at least one Telecaster. So, I need only 5 electric guitars. I often and currently have more, but I make an effort not to have too many more. At some point they just become a burden.

[toomanycats]

I change strings when:

1) They're visibly rusty.
2) The unwound strings have "kinks" from the frets.
3) The wound strings are visibly damaged with chunks missing.

Other than that, I generally don't like changing strings. I gig frequently, and in my experience a new set of strings is a greater risk than an old set of strings because they won't stay in tune as well, and there's always the possibly that an untested high E or B will unwind off the ball end.

As far as unplayed guitars, I don't find that the strings age out in terms of tone. To the extent that they do age, it would only be because the guitar was put away without wiping the strings and they subsequently discolor and tarnish, and this is just a cosmetic thing as far as I can tell.

[andrewsrea]

"D" string breakage is common on nylon string guitars.
Pull one out of its case after ignoring it for a few months & you will usually find a broken "D"
Or it will break when you tune the guitar.

I replace "G" "B" & "E" every other time I replace "E" "A" & "D".

Good to know!

I've never had a classical guitar and only played a few. I could never figure out where to plug them in.

I did put nylon strings on my 60's Harmony H1214 archtop. It sounded great, but the cheap tuners would not keep the nylon strings in tune for long.

[BatUtilityBelt]

@BatUtilityBelt "oily" - is that the same as crud buildup?

Seems like it. Some have described it as oils from their fingers corroding strings and I think that includes some sort of buildup on them. I've seen some of the cruddy strings and agree it's an issue, but for whatever reason it doesn't happen on my strings.

[mickey]

All my nylon string guitars plug in.

[andrewsrea]

^ well played pun and well played nylon guitar!

[nomadh]

I have about 30 guitars and 20 of them probably still have the original strings. Now that I bought a pack of .009s I may never change a whole set again
I used to rarely break but in the last few months 1 broke 3 high e strings. I do replace them when I get big divots and the intonation goes to hell but with so many guitars now it can take years.
I'm lucky that my natural sweat is some type of string conditioner. I have friends that can wreck a set of strings in 1 eve play. I can feel the rust and corrosion but if I play it within a day I can actually save the strings and they are back to new.
I'll be marketing my new sweaty string conditioner through gibson

[DonM]

I remember five or so years ago there was a guy on here who had a sizable number of guitars, at least in double figures, who said he changed his strings on all of them something like every week. Seemed like that’s about all he would have had time to do and no time left to play them. Anyone remember that?

[RockYoWorld]

Just think, if you only played bass, you'd never have to worry about changing strings!

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[Sinster]

I changed my strings when I feel like it is time. I have a spreadsheet as well to keep track of string changes. Some guitars go years before string changes or months.. just depends.