I'm a string junky

[Lillis]

I can't stop trying different strings on my guitars. Even when I find a set I love I don't leave them on more than two weeks before I feel the need to move on to the next,possibly better,set. Often I find I should have left the previous set on until they were dying out. Anyone else hopelessly changing strings prematurely? I just can't help myself!

[vanceen]

Originally Posted by Lillis

I can't stop trying different strings on my guitars. Even when I find a set I love I don't leave them on more than two weeks before I feel the need to move on to the next,possibly better,set. Often I find I should have left the previous set on until they were dying out. Anyone else hopelessly changing strings prematurely? I just can't help myself!

Yes, I'm on that quest. These days, I'm really loving Thomastik-Infeld Spectrum bronze strings. They sound better than anything on my main acoustic, a Breedlove FS Concert (redwood top, Brazilian rosewood back & sides). Only problem is, they don't seem to last very long and once I had a dead low E string after only a week or so. And at over $20 a set it's pretty expensive to change them often. But I will.

On the other hand, I put Martin Retro monel strings on my other four acoustics. Sounds great, and they last forever.

[UncleJesse]

2 weeks for uncoated and about 3-4 weeks for coated. I'm unsure if that's premature but I think they've lost some of that new string sound which is something I like. So I change them then.

[ChrisE]

I was the same way for a while.

I'd want to experiment and try the next new thing. I write down and keep track of when I changed and have to keep myself from changing prematurely. For coated strings when I'm just playing around the house, I should be able to keep them on for at least 3 or 4 months.

I also just bought a whole bunch of Daddario EXP so I don't think I'll be experimenting with new strings for a while.

[beatcomber]

You're just a tweaker.

I see this tendency in a lot of hobbies. For example, a lot of hifi enthusiasts use turntables with removable headshells, so that they can quickly swap cartridges after every LP side.
(I prefer to just set and forget. Less anxiety that way.)

[Peepaw]

I change out strings about every two months, sometimes sooner.
Always go back to the same thing I have used for years.
I see no reason to change.

[jaymarsch]

I think that I sometimes change strings just to shake up my ear - give myself a little bit of difference in tone - a bit more brightness or a bit more warmth. I have pretty much found the brands and types that I like best on each guitar. I do enjoy sampling what is offered out there if for nothing else but curiosity.

Best,
Jayne

[Ncbandit]

I use uncoated strings and I found 2 to 3 weeks is the max anyway. But until then I will try different strings and switch them between guitars with the same scale length until they are shot.

[rokdog49]

I have found my “go to” strings on certain of my guitars. Those are the ones I like best. I still try various types and brands for fun. As a for instance, I really like Gibson Masterbuilt 80-20’s on my J45, but I just stuck some Newtone Round Core PB’s on it for fun. They sound good.
As far as longevity goes, it varies. I usually go about a month or so.

[stringjunky]

Originally Posted by Lillis

I can't stop trying different strings on my guitars. Even when I find a set I love I don't leave them on more than two weeks before I feel the need to move on to the next,possibly better,set. Often I find I should have left the previous set on until they were dying out. Anyone else hopelessly changing strings prematurely? I just can't help myself!

That's where my username came from as a friend called me it. I eventually settled on Ernie Ball Earthwoods after a few years. If you are on a string hunt you are doing the right thing changing them out early, so their best sound is still in your memory as opposed to the sound of them dead.

[cliff_the_stiff]

I do this, though not as frequently.
I have landed on 2 brands, Thomastik Plectrums on my 12 string, and I’m seriously considering light plectrums on a short scale 6 string.
On my other 6 string 14 fret acoustics- I go mid tension Santa Cruz Parabolics.
I’ve been sticking with flat wound strings on my electric and bass guitars...
Trying some thomastiks on those as well-
good times.

[WildBill82]

+1 for Thomastik Infields on a 12-string. I put them on my D-12-28 to reign in the twang a little bit and what I got is a very balanced sound with sublime harmonics and sustain for days. I've had it tuned to open Bb for awhile and it sounds like a church organ with these strings.

I also want to rave about the John Pearse New Mediums some more. I was looking for different strings for my D-35 when I gave these a shot and they are unquestionably the perfect strings for this guitar. True to the nature of a D-35, mine has an enormously boomy low end, a scooped midrange, and the sweetest highs (if you've got the right strings on it). With New Mediums, the A D & G strings are lights, which really serves to reign in the boominess of mediums. The trebles are mediums, which really fill out the highs and give them more presence while eliminating the thin shrillness of lights. And they're barely any harder to bend than lights. All of them combine to make my D-35 sound huge and balanced, while the Pearse 80/20 alloy gives it more midrange "hair" on the lows and mids than any other string I tested.

I've been running EJ17 PB mediums on my Clarence White but I'm going to try the New Mediums on it. I also just ordered a set for my Country Western, on which I run lights but the highs are kind of thin with them. I'm putting PB's on those two.

[beatcomber]

Originally Posted by cliff_the_stiff

I’ve been sticking with flat wound strings on my electric and bass guitars...
Trying some thomastiks on those as well-

TI Jazz Swing Series flatwounds are spectacularly good!