How To Play Guitar
How Long Since You Changed Your Guitar Strings?
It always amazes me how new guitarists neglect the importance of changing guitar strings.
So many players will play indefinitely until eventually one of their strings break while they are tuning it, or, they are strumming a bit hard when the high E suddenly pings out from the fret board (barely missing your eye and giving you the fright of your life)
With rusty, discolored or loose strings the best instrument in the world will not sound good.
What’s Wrong With Old Strings?
The metal of the first and second string on your guitar will corrode over time dulling the sound and making even the sprightliest guitar sound dead.
The bottom 4 strings are bronze wound. Over time they will fray leading to buzzing noises and messing up the pitch.
Number 1 Rule of Changing Guitar Strings
So the number one rule of guitar strings is don’t wait until they break. Unless you are extremely clumsy or you hit the strings very hard, you will find that strings don’t break very often.
Number 2 Rule of Changing Guitar Strings
The number two rule is never replace only one string on the guitar. Always replace the entire set. Strings of different makes will vary. Even strings with the same gauge will have different tones. Introducing a different string brand, or a string that is not the same ‘age’ as the others, can upset the sound balance on your guitar.
How Often Should You Change Your Strings?
When you change your strings depends on how often you play and the climate where you live. As a good rule of thumb change the full string set at least every couple of months. However if you see strings rusting it is time to replace.
A useful tip is to wipe down your strings with a dry cloth after playing to slow down the rusting process
October 19, 2008 at 12:34 pm | Learn Acoustic Guitar | 1 comment
To me, I felt that if the strings are able to be in tune even though it is rusty, beginners can still keep it. Coz changing a set of strings every few weeks or monthly can be quite expensive. I felt that beginners should focus more on playing rather than small matters such as this. Once they have progressed, then they can think more about maintaining their guitar etc. Just my 2 cents.