anyone change their plain steel high strings faster than wrapped

what the title said.

Admittedly it never occurred to me to do for acoustic guitar, but I've been using coated strings there forever.

For mando, I'm appreciating the settled in sound of the monel strings but the plain steel high strings are same as any other set and they seem to get nasty on me in no time.

alternatively, anybody have a surefire way to keep the top ones clean?

thanks

I hear what your saying and it seems logical, but no. Those wounds are a lot more worn out than you think. Change them all.:mandosmiley:

I change the E string of the Thomastiks. This is the only unwound string!
When the A string loses timbre I sometimes replace it with unwound A strings. I find the wound D and G strings significantly hold their musical properties longer than the wound A strings. Replacing all is expensive but this is an approach one could consider!

I used to change the unwound strings early because my fingers seemed to make them rust or at least get much less smooth within a few weeks. Didn't happen on the wounds as much. Lately my chemistry seems to have changed, so no, I just change them all when the strings don't feel slick any more, or when they sound bad.

I change them all at once, usually when they don't stay in tune as well. Most definitely when I feel dents from the frets as I run my fingernail under the wound strings.

Only if they Break...

Seriously I always change them all because:
The G string seems to be the first to lose good tone.
Single strings are expensive enough that it doesn't save much money.
The G and D strings wouldn't last twice as long anyway.
I would forget which strings I changed when.
Since I'm already changing, I might as well.

Follow up from my previous post!
The Thomastik D and G strings last for a very very long time! They certainly outlast both the wound A and Plain E strings.

I do that with D'addario Nickle Bronze because the G and D strings keep that woof for a long time but the treble side wear out like usual.

thanks guys,

to clarify... for whatever reason, the plain strings are discoloring/griming on me REALLY quickly- like within two weeks of solid playing and it doesn't wipe off easy. Anything you guys use to rejuvenate them?

My thought has always been that wound strings get dirt and oils stuck between the wingdings and thus need to be changed more often. On upright bass strings, which cost a lot more than mandolin strings, it is common to boil the strings to clean and refresh them. Plain strings are wire. I wipe with with a barely damp cloth to clean them. Not much otherwise happens to them.