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How often should you change guitar strings? – There are a few things to consider!
Introduction
I feel this is a popular question that a lot of beginner guitar players ask. How often should I change guitar strings? This sounds like a super simple question that you might answer with “when they need changing”; however, that just throws up the question, “how do you know”? So in this article, I hope to break it down and explain why I change guitar strings and my logic behind it!
While writing this article, I discovered that this isn’t an easy question to answer because there are two main things that you need to consider when you think about guitar strings. Tone and feel! Each of them is affected when you change guitar strings. So I will break each one down into its own heading, and we can go over it. So to start with, why don’t we talk about the one people think is the biggest reason, tone!
The Tone
This is the one that most people think is the most important reason to change strings (we will talk more about this shortly). Tone! How your guitar sounds! Old strings tend to go dull and ring less! If you start to think that your guitar doesn’t sound or sound as snappy as it did when you first got it then this might be why! Strings get covered in muck and dirt, this weighs them down and stops them ringing out. Causing a kind of muted effect! Replacing them will bring your guitar back to life and give it all that top end and charm that it was missing.
This isn’t to say that it sounds bad! If you want that Lo-fi or jazzy sound this could be lovely! A dull string that doesn’t ring as much gives off a wonderful sound in a certain context! It is a sound that many people chase and want! In fact, a lot of bass players use old strings for the reason! They want a slightly dead and dull note to their playing! It is a natural way to bring some of the high end out of your guitar!
So if you want a snappy, high-end and big sustain sound, then fresh strings will do the trick; however, if you are after a jazzy, laid-back and R&B sound to your guitar, then slightly worn strings will be perfect for this! It all depends on the sound you are going for.
The Feel
This is the reason I actually change my strings! I notice a feel way before I notice a tone difference! As I said above, dirt and muck will build on your strings as well as rust; this makes them feel rough and bumpy under your fingers. This leads to you not being able to move around on the neck as much! Making it much harder to play.
If you want to see how big a difference this is, don’t change your strings for ages, until they are really rusty and grubby, then put a fresh set on (clean your fretboard as well). The strings will feel so silky and smooth under your fingers, it will almost feel like they are wet under your fingers!
This is the reason I change my strings; it has nothing to do with tone! When you are running high gain and several pedals, you won’t notice the tone much! But you will notice the feel! You will notice how the strings feel and how they are slowing you up! Old, rusty strings can have a huge impact on how you play!
If you want to go a bit further than this and see if the strings and brand you use actually matter, I have put out a full article going over a popular set of strings and a budget set and comparing them and seeing if there is any difference at all! Feel free to check out the article (Full Article here) and let me know your thoughts!
Conclusion
Hopefully, this article has helped you and given you some things to think about in the questions of how often you should change guitar strings. You may have noticed that there isn’t a straight answer. It is very much personal preference and up to the player. Depending on what feel and tone they link. The only real way you will know when to change strings is through experience; the more you play and feel strings at different points in their life, the more you will know what you like!
Hope you liked this quick article about when you should change guitar strings. I would love to put out more quick and simple articles like this as I feel they might help a lot of people out! Try to answer the questions some people are too afraid to ask! If you think you have a question like this, then please drop me an email over on our contact page and I might make it into a full article!
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