When is the best time to change strings?

[7string Anguish]

I have only been playing guitar for about a year and half. About 2 months ago, i got a new seven-string ibanez ax. i know that your supposed to change the stings every once and a while (since they become hard to tune and loose tone), but im still getting used to hearing a note or string and knowing if its right. If i play bout an hour a day, how often should i replace my strings? (i use Ernie ball 7-string regular slinky strings)....thanx in advance

 

[ex3.8]

Well

I wipe them with a rag after every use. And change them once a month or so..

 

[The Big BassMan]

Just change them when they sound generaly ****, at go out of tune too easily. That would be roughly once a month if you play 1h a day.

 

[patvh1]

It also has alot to do with the brand of strings your using. Ive been playing for almost 15 years now, and have tried alot of different brands, and I've had the most luck with D' Addarrio 9's. They seem too have a little longer life then most other's, but it's really what you prefer. Some people like 8's and other's like 10's.
I remeber reading an article years ago about Eddie Van Halen boiling his strings in hot water, and then drying them in the sun. I dought he still does that, but it goes to show ya what people will do to get more life out of a pack of strings!

 

[Psychicpet]

Beware.. sarcasm coming...
As a bassist I find it hard to hear guitarists not changing their strings more often, your big brothers&sisters of the bass world have to shell out in upwards of $55 for a quality 5string set of bass strings not to mention the $125 for the cheap upright bass string set.... SO.... if I was able to buy bass strings for the price of guitar strings I'd have a new set every week..no.. every day...NO... after every SLAP Solo!!!!!!!!!!!!

in all seriousness it really does come down to what everyone has already said, when they start sounding dead(roughly a month or 3weeks) then change them but keep the old ones and either boil them for about 5-10 mins then dry them off or wipe them down with rubbing alcohol and save them for spares.The afore mentioned should also add an extra week of life to your strings at the end of their residency on your axe.

cheers!

 

[The Big BassMan]

Yeah A nice set of ernie ball for my bass costs me 41€ (that's just under 500€ a year if changing every month), when a set of ernie ball for for a guitar cost 9€! I'd change my strings every week if they were that price for bass! But I don't always have 41€ to spend, like right now I'm on my 2nd boil of this set and there already dead again. I dunno how prices compair for strings in the USA but the price difference guitar/bass strings must be about the same as here (Belgium) I reckon. I just wish I was sponsored by Ernie for free strings!

 

[punkin]

I replace mine when they get a little rust build up on them...at about the time when you slide your fingers down the neck and they cut you and you think...maybe I need a tetanus shot...that the time to replace them.

 

[Simple Gav]

im a fussy bugger when it comes to strings...i think its cos i work in a music store so i get a pack of bass strings for like £7. i just play em until they feel/sound bad. feel is a big thing for i think

 

[Estin]

i change my strings every two months or so because i'm not a big fan of the "new string" sound. i start to like them after they become a few weeks to month old. they feel better and sound less bright. but thats just me and maybe i'm weird.

 

[Estin]

oh yeah i pay roughly $4 a set for my D addarrio's so changing every two months its pretty cheap. as far as cost difference with bass strings......well thats where we guitar players just luck out!

 

[zabba]

When I am working several hours a night, and playing hard,
I replace strings after 2-3 sessions.

It sux to have one break.

Nothing is more embarresing then chasing down a flipped pick ,

I hsave considered drilling a hole in one and tying it to my wrist or a finger, Glue helps but you gotta be careful about what you touch with a sticky finger
The best is just to carry a bunch, but everyone always wants to borrow one when they know you have them.

 

[dan ratcliffe]

Zabba, i know what you mean, i dropped my pick last night. black pick, black carpet. took me ages, damnit! lucky it was a rehearsal...

i too, like Estin, prefer that old string sound. i tend to leave mine on for a month if i've not got any gigs on, otherwise i tend to change strings every 2 gigs. i don't find it embarrassing to break a string during a gig (i figure that if Eddie Van Halen does it, its alright for me to do it too!), but i've experimented with how much tolerance strings have to lasting under gig conditions compared to just playing/practising/writing, and that seems to work fine.

if its an hour a day, for shame! you should be playing at least 3 hours a day! and double that at the weekend! you'll find your own tolerance to string life but its always worth having a couple of spare sets lying around...

 

[peter71]

Here are two good ways to save on pics:

1) Find phospherous paint and add some to your pick. It will make it glow in the darkm and will also add some difference in color, so you don't run into the black on black problem,

2) Use pics no one else you know wants. I have a huge box of stubby's at home, the big fat ones, and no one I know plays with them, so they stay relatively "un-borrowed". Seeing as how many of you may be in situations where lots of people use that kind of pic, then I reccomend finding the weirdest pic you can find (think Rick Neilson weird) and play with it a ton until you like it. Then you will be safe.

Of course both of these are not very practical, but I am at work waiting for my computer to be fixed, so what the heck.

 

[zabba]

You are right about an hour a day not being enough practice.

It takes me about half an hour to warm up, whick is running scales and working on independent finger action,, picking , the spider etc/

The warm-up is for techniques that improve overall play, finger strength , control , speed, and that mental ,- digital connection.

Then it is off to learning some new techniques, which is frustrat8ng at first,
It is difficult for me to learn new things , in the beginnig, I feel like a klutz
but once it starts to come together the results are impressive .

Not to me, because I still see the need for my improvement,
but to the listener it seems like magic.

It is the magic of much practice, attention to detail, and stepping into the unkown,

Miost things in my life have been easy to achieve, Music is a formidable challenge.
I assume there are those who find music naturally easy to pick up, I am a bit jealous of such talent,
it is a trait I admire , and maybe one day I too can develop enough savvy .

 

[SGMan88]

Pretty much going with the crowd on this one, if you only play an hour a day then probably change every 3-4 weeks

 

[RocketRobin]

On bass I find my strings usually get filled with skin and finger oil after about 3 hours of play. Since I like tone and hate finger crap, I yank 'em off and boil 'em.
I have at least three sets of strings for each of my basses at all times, so I'm never short of fresh strings.
After around 60 - 80 hours my strings start to get notches were they wear on the frets. This causes intonation problems that makes me sound like a Pepto Bismol ad, so that's when they get hurled

Rocket in my pocket, finger in the socket.