New Guitar, New Strings

Ugly Dougling · #1 12-04-2020, 07:18 PM

Got a sweet new instrument a few weeks ago. Put new strings on as soon as I got it home. Played it endlessly for days until those started to go dead. Switched on a new brand to me (which one is not the point). Pretty disappointed right after the change, hated them the next day, love them after the third! Go figure.

What I'm asking is: is it nuts to be entertaining thoughts of changing strings once a week or so until I find the right "fit" for this instrument and my ears? Should I wait until one set is "played out" before moving on, or satisfy my curiosity right away? Should I do this with every new guitar I bring home?

Strings are pretty cheap when you get down to it (less than a fast food meal), and the time it takes to change is minimal, so my only concern is whether or not such an approach is simply foolish.

Bob from Brooklyn · #2 12-04-2020, 07:39 PM

it's not crazy to experiment with strings but I think you should give each set more than a week.

LakewoodM32Fan · #3 12-04-2020, 08:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brooklyn Bob

it's not crazy to experiment with strings but I think you should give each set more than a week.

Plus one. Definitely experiment as different guitars pair better with different strings. Test out brands, materials, gauges (within the tolerance of the manufacturer’s recommendation). But as Bob said give them time to break in. Some strings don’t hit their stride until a week or more.

Mostsmarterest · #4 12-04-2020, 08:21 PM

I personally hate new strings on my acoustic 00.

After a few days that dissipates and I can enjoy playing it again, but i will leave strings on my daily driver for months and still love the way it sounds and plays.

dwasifar · #5 12-04-2020, 08:56 PM

In my Giant String Test I tried to leave them on for at least a week, but if I liked them I'd leave them on longer.

I have noticed that Martin SP in particular seem to break in differently than most of the others. For me, at least, they have that zingy new sound for about two days, which I kind of like. Then they tend to go through a slump, where they're not zingy anymore, but still have a lot of what I guess you might call harmonic noise; the remaining "new string sound" makes them sound buzzy and undifferentiated, so that it's hard to pick out individual strings through the noise floor of the newness. That lasts a few days and then they settle in and they're fine for quite a while.

I bought a bunch of them, because when you buy them in bulk they're cheaper than anything else except for Webstrings, and they last longer than Webstrings, making them a better deal. So I like them fine, but there is that sophomore slump that they go through in the first week. If I hadn't tested them for at least a week, I wouldn't have known that.

Rev Roy · #6 12-04-2020, 09:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brooklyn Bob

it's not crazy to experiment with strings but I think you should give each set more than a week.

Yep. I’m with Bob on this one.

Aspiring · #7 12-04-2020, 09:46 PM

Thay said I have been trying to change them before they are dead if I am testing them against new ones so I'm not comparing dead strings brand a vs new string brand b.

And as I narrow down i try to retest my favorites later down the road again as the guitar breaks in and get a fresher comparison.

LakewoodM32Fan · #8 12-04-2020, 09:50 PM

Definitely not advocating you keep dead strings on a guitar. But I tend to have pretty acidic finger/hand oils that eat through strings (hence I tend to stick with Martin Lifespans and D'addario EXPs) but even I don't kill uncoated strings in a week!

Lillis · #9 12-04-2020, 09:59 PM

When I get a new guitar I like to try a lot of different types of strings. I give most 10-20 days until I zero in on one or two I stick with.

Ugly Dougling · #10 12-05-2020, 03:55 AM

I remember reading an interview with Bruce Cockburn years ago. When asked how long he plays a set of strings before changing, he replied "about eight hours". I was dumbfounded, but then I got to thinking. He's probably tried every string combination imaginable, and having hit on what works for him he now knows EXACTLY how his instrument will sound every time he picks it up. Plus it's simply the "cost of doing business" for him (again, less than a fast food meal), and he probably buys them by the case.

Kerbie · #11 12-05-2020, 04:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brooklyn Bob

it's not crazy to experiment with strings but I think you should give each set more than a week.

Add me to the group agreeing with Bob. I'd give them at least a couple weeks if not more. Congratulations on the sweet, new guitar!

generalliamsayn · #12 12-05-2020, 05:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kerbie

I'd give them at least a couple weeks if not more.

I’ve found this particularly true with monel strings; to me, it takes up to 10 days for them to sound right - but then they seem to last and last and last.

EZYPIKINS · #13 12-05-2020, 07:33 AM

To compare, you should change new strings for new strings. A new set swapped for a dead set, will always sound better. Or, to could take the advice of people who have been playing their whole life, as a starting point. Everybody is different. Everybody has a different ear. Different expectations.
(dwasifar) did a pretty in depth study on this, this year. A kind of experiment that took me 25 years or better. Read the post on Giant String Experiment. He is kind of stuck at this point. But has tried allot of different ones. Explains what he hears, and feels with each set.
With the advent of the internet. You are not held down to the limited string selection at your local store. (many of which are made by the same company).
Everybody has their own preference. Myself included
You need to decide what works best for you. My advice is do you research.
I started long before internet. And wondered for a long time. All these brands, And really not much (if any) difference. Why? Branding. I shop strings at Strings and Beyond. They carry a wide variety. Also one of the few places I can get (my preference) anymore.

Wrighty · #14 12-05-2020, 07:38 AM

With any new guitar I try lots of different strings and leave them on for a week - I want them changed while still fresh so that the next set is given a fair comparison. If you leave the first set on until the tone has faded then the next set always sound better and you don't get a decent comparison.

Dru Edwards · #15 12-05-2020, 08:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wrighty

With any new guitar I try lots of different strings and leave them on for a week - I want them changed while still fresh so that the next set is given a fair comparison. If you leave the first set on until the tone has faded then the next set always sound better and you don't get a decent comparison.

+1, my thoughts too. If you leave strings on too long then your mind remembers the way the old set sounded which will rarely sound as good as your new strings (unless you like the tone of old strings).