When to Change Strings

[jshane]

[QUOTE=Paul Busman;1448174]
2) Why should intonation change with old strings? The scale length and bridge positions don't change so all components are still in the same relation to each other.

My understanding is that the deformation on the strings, regardless of wound/flat/solid, caused by contact with the frets, changes the vibration pattern of the string. This alters intonation.

Regardless of cause, after about 3 weeks, on any brand of string, my A string intonation drives me crazy. I have to change the strings. MD-11's seem to give me an extra week.

[Doc Ivory]

I always change them when the volume or tone seems to be rolling off.
You'll hear the bass end drop off first. When that happens just change 'em all out

[journeybear]

My standard response for years was, "I change them every three months, whether they need it or not." This was meant to be a mils inside joke, particularly to poke fun at some guitarists I've known, who changed their strings every week, sometimes before every gig. I think that's excessive, even obsessive. And in the case of one duo partner, with whom I was busking at the time, unnecessarily aggressive as well as overly expensive!

I'm with those who prefer the sound of strings after the newness wears off a bit. I find new strings a bit too brash, especially the bronze wound strings. So every three months is fine, AFAIC. I generally time this to coincide with my birthday, which is easy enough to remember. It's fun to note that this scheme also includes the birthday of Stevie Wonder, one of my all-time faves, the birthday of the young lady who has the most beautiful eyes I've ever seen (also my half-birthday), and one of my college buddies' mail box number (somehow that number is imbedded in my memory). This does mean I'm supposed to change my strings today ... but since I have a gig tonight, and don't like fussing with tuning all night (preferring to change them the night before so they stretch overnight), that will wait till tomorrow. Or Sunday. Oh, did I mention procrastination plays a big part in all this? Guess I put off saying that ...

BTW, much of this went out the window while playing in my last band. We played so much, and so loudly (competing with each other), that I broke strings pretty often. I hit five strings in one gig twice! Since it was usually the E and A strings, I bought spares in bulk and kept a supply of them with me. I eventually bought a second mandolin so I could swap out mid-set rather than take the time to replace a string.

[Ivan Kelsall]

Tobin has it right - Despite steel being what we think of as maybe 'un-changing',it does indeed age & with ageing comes change.
''Nothing'' stays the same including strings. As the strings vibrate,they ''work harden'' to a degree & become harder/more brittle & prone to breaking,the hardening also changes they way in which the strings vibrate. Although these changes are at the microscopic level,so are the properties which give the strings their strength & tone in the first place. Change those properties & the strings just aren't the same any more.
The strings will oxidise, 'rust', as well - the oxidisation on the G & D strings i removed from my Ellis this morning were full testament to that fact - i should have posted a pic. - they were black !. The G & D strings were also showing some oxidisation from the 7th fret down. The A & E strings were pretty tarnished (oxidised) as well. If you change any single factor on a set of strings,it will affect the tone in 'some' way,even wiping them over with a string cleaning fluid. Some of that fluid will remain between the windings & alter the way the strings vibrate,maybe on a microscopic level,but the change will be there. Over time,the strings get a build up of skin particles & grease from our fingers,they will oxidise & work harden & change tonally = time for new strings & to start over !,
Ivan

[journeybear]

I forgot to mention that I keep the old strings I've just replaced in the case/gig bag. Depending on the age and condition of the next string that breaks, one of these may make a more compatible replacement than a new string.

I was thinking, since I haven't been playing so often, perhaps it's time to relax my changing frequency by a month. Then I would be changing them, apart from my birthday, on those of one of my favorite local characters and my current heart throb. Then again, he's been dead a few years, and she isn't exactly much of a live one either. Hmmm ... maybe I'll just stick with the plan as is.

I must say, I'm often puzzled when I see a vintage mandolin being offered for sale and the seller mentions in the description that it still has the original strings on it - as if that were a valuable selling point! The first thing I would do if I bought such an instrument would be to put some new strings on! Strings that old are valuable only if the instrument belonged to Bill Monroe or someone similarly famous - and even then, only as keepsakes, not useful for playing.

That said, when I got my Molly, my 1917 Gibson A, she sounded so good right out of the box, even with the old strings on her, so much better than the A-00 I'd been playing, that I literally walked her over to the gig from the music store she'd been shipped to and put her right to work. But that's an exception.

[J Mangio]

I change a string when it breaks or the wound strings are worn through.

[Willie Poole]

Changing a string only when it breaks will cause a problem since both strings have been stretched a lot and one breaks you replace only one and it will not intonate the same as the one that was not broken, that is, according to the engineers on hear that say strings stretch and the intonation points change and I have found that to be true when I have broken a string which was so long ago that it hazy in my mind....

Willie

[jaycat]

Well, this is a bit off-topic, but I went to check out a guitar for sale on Wednesday. When the guy showed up it turned out that the strings on this guitar were just about dead, plus, he had it de-tuned to what he called "some weird tuning" and I had to tune it on the fly without an electronic tuner or any other point of reference.

So I guess that would be another time to put on new strings, when you're trying to make a sale.

[David L]

One thing to do with old strings which might have a little life left in them: There is a movement called "Second String", which sends used strings to third world musicians with NO strings. I don't know how to contact them , but give them my old ones once a year at the Winfield festival.

[J Mangio]

According to my ear and Snark tuner, my old seasoned strings sound just fine,
even the singles I had to replace along the way, the intonation is spot on.
I don't have a chemical touch, so i'll save my time and money.

[Timbofood]

I used to have a terribly caustic body chemistry, it seems that has changed to a caustic personality and fairly benign finger oils.
I rotted the plating off a tailpiece in a year. For whatever reason, that does not seem to be an issue anymore. I don't see the need to change strings anywhere near as much as I used to but, see my earlier post with regard to picking frequency.
Ooh, bad pun.
Jaycat, maybe I need some beans!

[JeffD]

I change my strings about four usually three times a year. My rule of thumb is if I am not sure if perhaps they need changing, I change them.

The exception is the Thomastic Infelds. They last a long long time.

[slk]

I have a question also. My new Gibson was made in July of this year. I have had it about 3 weeks now and do not play any gigs with it but do play it everyday for about 30 min. It will be 4 months old soon. Do you think it is a good idea to change my strings out??

Steve

[Barry Wilson]

I like to remove all the strings before a change. a little painter's masking tape to mark the location of the bridge on the body and I can clean everything. sometimes even lemon oil the bridge. I loosen them off some and cut the strings with side cutters.

I prefer the sound of new strings to old and dead and change fairly often. the elixers last way longer than non coated. I just don't see them in stock for mandolin and grab j74s usually (last 2 packs they called them EJ74's), but I use Elixers on my acoustic guitar exclusively and they outlast non coated almost 4x. I play acoustic guitar more than all the other instruments combined.

[journeybear]

I have a question also. My new Gibson was made in July of this year. I have had it about 3 weeks now and do not play any gigs with it but do play it everyday for about 30 min. It will be 4 months old soon. Do you think it is a good idea to change my strings out??

Basically, if you think your strings could sound better, they probably need to be changed. That's a different way of saying what JeffD said, more or less. It sounds like you're new at this, so you don't have a frame of reference yet. The more you play, the more you'll notice various aspects of the mandolin. In this case, if its safe to assume your instrument wasn't played before you got it, the strings probably have a couple of months more to go (according to my tastes, anyway). When you change them, you'll notice the difference between old and new strings that you're probably unable to perceive as they gradually age. After you've gone through this process a few times you'll get better at noticing the changes.

[Bertram Henze]

When you change them, you'll notice the difference between old and new strings that you're probably unable to perceive as they gradually age. After you've gone through this process a few times you'll get better at noticing the changes.

This. With experience, memory becomes your guide, and sound becomes your calendar.

[Emmett Marshall]

It seems like the OP's question has been comprehensively addressed at this point, so rather than start a new thread, I'd like to ask a related question: Has anyone been able to determine, in a general sense, an anticipated shelf-life for new strings that are stored in their original packaging? I'm thinking "not," but I've sometimes wondered about this. I don't like hunting down replacement strings at the last minute, so I usually purchase 4-6 sets at a time and sometimes they sit around for quite awhile. When I try new brands, and give up on previously tried brands, my older string sets might sit around for years.

[FLATROCK HILL]

Has anyone been able to determine, in a general sense, an anticipated shelf-life for new strings that are stored in their original packaging? I'm thinking "not," but I've sometimes wondered about this.

I've wondered the same thing Emmett. I don't know the answer, but it stands to reason (at least my own) that oxidation is minimized when the strings come packaged in plastic wrap.

I know I've pulled 'new' strings out of the package that were only wrapped in the paper envelopes that showed signs of tarnish/rust/oxidation. So far, I haven't seen that happen with the sealed plastic packaging.

[Emmett Marshall]

Thanks for sharing your experience Clark. I think I'll put a bunch of strings in zip lock bags today. I always wanted one of those vacuum sealer things, the kind used for food, so maybe this is a hint that it's time to start pricing some of those? My friend is an avid pheasant hunter who likes to store his game in my freezer, so now the reasons for getting one are piling up.

[Bob byk]

Emmett you are correct, my question has been answered . I really appreciate all of the feedback. Thanks again

[UsuallyPickin]

String manufacturers are crafty and strings last longer for some of us than others. Polymer coated strings and monel alloy and nickel alloy strings generally last longer than bronze or phosphor bronze alloy strings. Players that have a skin ph closer to 7 cause their strings to corrode less than those with a more variant ph. Some of us play harder with both pick and noting hand and this causes more rapid wear. Any string is going to wear faster the more it is played. High humidity or sweaty hands hasten string wear. Some signs that your strings need replacing ...... fret wear on the wound strings ... after settling in is long past they start to drift out of tune again.... they won't play in tune , intonate, properly from fret to fret and chord to chord ..... tarnish and grunge are obvious on inspection ... when you can't remember when you last changed them ..... R/

[Emmett Marshall]

I just remembered something that might be helpful to those whose fingers tend to corrode strings quickly. I once took a long break from playing due to an injury to my arm. In an effort to expedite the formation of callouses on my left hand finger tips, I put some isopropyl alcohol into an eye dropper bottle and began applying it to finger tips several times a day. It definitely helped. What if, said person did this each time before playing? It's my understanding the PH of isopropyl alcohol is around 7, or neutral? Not only that, but it dries on the finger tips within seconds. This may substantially increase the life of strings for a person with acidic body oils.

[Al Trujillo]

Thanks for this post. I've had my mandolin for almost a year now and this thread prompted a call to a shop up the road to make an appointment for new strings.

Have a nice weekend.

[Tobin]

I just remembered something that might be helpful to those whose fingers tend to corrode strings quickly. I once took a long break from playing due to an injury to my arm. In an effort to expedite the formation of callouses on my left hand finger tips, I put some isopropyl alcohol into an eye dropper bottle and began applying it to finger tips several times a day. It definitely helped. What if, said person did this each time before playing? It's my understanding the PH of isopropyl alcohol is around 7, or neutral? Not only that, but it dries on the finger tips within seconds. This may substantially increase the life of strings for a person with acidic body oils.

As a string-rusting player, I will say that it won't work. My fingers sweat while I'm playing, so any initial cleaning (I always wash my hands before playing and periodically between tunes) will only be short-lived. Stopping the salty sweat from oozing out of my skin would be the only solution.

[Tobin]

Thanks for this post. I've had my mandolin for almost a year now and this thread prompted a call to a shop up the road to make an appointment for new strings.

Have a nice weekend.

If you're going to play the mandolin, you need to learn how to change your own strings. This is not something you need to take to a repair guy.