Do You Enjoy Dead Strings?

[Mr. Jelly]

I love old strings! I can't stand that zingy sound. Plus, I have guitars that naturally have mids and highs and I don't need the strings to make it up for the guitar. I watched a video recently where Mark Stutman of Folkways Music mentions that he likes old strings also. That lets me feel vindicated.

[KevinH]

Nope, except on one guitar. I've been using my 00-18V for David Hamburger's Fingerstyle Five Blues course. Lots of palm muting and string dampening. The 2-1/2 yr old Martin Monels on it work great. Not sure I'll ever change them.

[Glennwillow]

Do You Enjoy Dead Strings?

I can't say I enjoy dead strings, but I will put up with less than new strings for a month or two. I do very much prefer new strings.

- Glenn

[FrankHudson]

I guess some would say I like dead strings, even if I think it's more that I like them on the less zingy side on many guitars and for many compositions. One of the reasons I like Monel and Elixir strings is that their middle age interval seems broader than some other strings.

[llew]

At the rate I've been changing mine I'm beginning to think I must?

[p^h]

I don't like dead strings but I put up with them longer than I should coz I'm lazy

Paul

[Gryf]

I abhor the sound of new strings. I almost equally abhor the sound of really dead strings, too. The good news is that there is a long sweet spot in the middle where the strings have lost that shrill and obnoxious brand new sound, but haven't yet reached the thud zone of a truly dead string.

[Silly Moustache]

Originally Posted by Scatcat

I likes old strong in my Martin OM15, old strings (3/4 month), no dead strings.

Scatcat raises a very good point - there is a difference between "old" and "dead".

I have seen guitars with totally dead strings but never mine.

My previous remarks should have referred to old and not totally dead.

(at 75 I should have noted the difference!)

[Bluenose]

If you do enjoy dead strings I have a box full of enjoyment for you that I'd be glad to send you free but you need to pay the shipping up front.

[maxed]

I'll only use dead strings,

to beat a dead horse

[Bob from Brooklyn]

I keep my Martin 15 a little muddy to use for certain applications.

[000Guy]

I find that for some songs the tone of dead strings can be a good fit. But those songs are few and when strings are truly dead, they usually intonate poorly, too. Not worthwhile to keep playing them.

[zuzu]

Originally Posted by Gryf

I abhor the sound of new strings. I almost equally abhor the sound of really dead strings, too. The good news is that there is a long sweet spot in the middle where the strings have lost that shrill and obnoxious brand new sound, but haven't yet reached the thud zone of a truly dead string.

This. I don't prefer new strings on any instrument, I crave that "sweet spot"

[Rosewood99]

For whatever reason my J45 seems to like dead strings.

[Mr. Jelly]

Originally Posted by mr. beaumont

Dead to me implies there's going to be tuning issues, intonation issues, so no.

I play old strings as a rule and by the time they have the issues you mention the winding is worn off the low strings. It takes a lot of playing and a lot of time to do that. Even then it's not a given.