Do we all change strings more than "back in the day"?

[Mbroady]

Back in the day, prior to Elixir coated strings I would change strings every other day. Granted I was busking several hours a day and gigged at least twice a week. so the strings were getting some heavy play.

These days I play often but can go 2-3 months without a string change. Gotta love modern technology.

[leew3]

Wade wrote
"Part of the reason I broke so many guitar strings in particular was that I didn't have a pickup on my Mossman guitar. The acoustic guitar pickups available then, in the late 70's and early 80's, sounded more like demented dental tools to my ears than an accurate representation of the guitar's sound, so I just played the Mossman hard into a Shure SM57 instrument mic."

I had the good fortune of having some of the early Barcus Berry hot dots in my guitar. They came with the aluminum cased preamp that helped reduce the 'demented dental tools' sound Wade refers to above. In all honesty, I did not begin my sobriety until the late 80's so Wade's assessment of guitar pickups could be right on the money and I was just too wasted to notice! If so, my belated apologies to all of my audiences in the past!

[Jim Owen]

I recall being broke most of the time, so rarely did I have new strings. I changed strings when they broke.

I wiped strings down after each practice and gig in hopes of getting a bit more life out of em.

[ctvolfan]

I change strings more often today because I play more and I have more money to afford to buy strings more often than I used to. And I care more about the way my guitar sounds these days.

[Marley]

I change my electrics once a year, maybe twice and my acoustics about once every two years

[Glennwillow]

Do we all change strings more than "back in the day"?

I think so. I didn't have any money back in the day. And standards have changed. Back in the day people didn't seem to even notice when someone was playing with dead strings, which seemed to be the norm. The norm today is pretty much the sound of new strings.

- Glenn

[ChrisE]

Before the internet nobody knew you had to change strings or have 10 different guitars before anyone would take you seriously. We just played.

[Red_Label]

I have a drawer stuffed full of various string sets and picks. Hundreds of $$$ worth. Back when I was a young player, I could only afford one set at time and would make do with those plastic bread bag thingies for picks when I had to [shudder]. Buying a couple of new picks was a luxury. Now I ditch a pick as soon as the point starts to wear. We are spoiled for choices and bargains these days.

[4-string]

I change strings much more frequently than I did back in the day. Now I can afford it, also availability is on a different level these days of course.

[tippy5]

I have been lazy the last few years. Some of my changes now take an hour with compounds, tools and X2.5 welder magnification visor under bright light.

I used to do the electric string change most every gig. Nothing like slinky feel for R & B guitar music. I could do it in 5-10 minutes.

But these acoustics. I tend to get super fussy about a reset of parts and surfaces. Especially my top 4 heavy hitters. That means I put off the monthly changes. Plus I put off playing them entirely quite often in the last 3 years of lessening gigs. I can always have dirty fun with my elixir J 45, or my PRS Se.

I sure do like the reset though. Fresh is good.

Back in the black diamond 60's I didn't have the money to appropriate to string changes. Yes I was one of those broke kids that played 5 strings or tried to reuse strings and put a G string on a D slot, etc...

Seems like the $3 pack of strings in 60's terms (possibly an hour and a half of work?), in today's dollars, have strings being a bargain now.

[jseth]

In the 70's, 80's and 90's, I would change strings every other week with my 6 string acoustic and every month or so on my 12 string... during that time, I was working far more than I do now, playing gigs 3 or 4 nights a week.

Nowadays? I don't change the Elixir strings on my 6 string but every 4-6 months, and well over a year before I change the Elixirs on my 12 string...

So, I change strings FAR LESS FREQUENTLY now than I did "back in the day"... I've always been very finicky about the strings on my acoustic guitars and I am no less finicky now!

[dwasifar]

Originally Posted by KYDeadhead

“you break one you change one,that’s as good as it gets,play all year long on two or three sets “
Guy Clark

Guess Jim beat me to it lol

If you sing that song on a video and include their website URL, Black Diamond will send you free strings.

[Tannin]

We do indeed all change strings more often than in the days of old. Well, naturally. Otherwise, what on earth would we talk about on the forum?

[Robin, Wales]

Originally Posted by Tannin

We do indeed all change strings more often than in the days of old. Well, naturally. Otherwise, what on earth would we talk about on the forum?

Love it

WHM said:

Those few dulcimer string sets I'd come across were far too wispy and thin for my purposes: .014 for the double unisons, .017 for the middle strings, and .026 for the bass string.

Yep - I pump up my dulcimer string gauges too. When gigging or playing sessions it is the only way to be heard!

On my last guitar I changed the strings to monels and just left them on for about 2 years I think and then sold the guitar (face to face at a festival) with them still on it.

On my present guitar I use 80/20s and they become annoying dull and noticeably damaged after 3 weeks.



I can't decide if I should change them today, or hang on for another few days or order monels and give them a try again. The set that's on are Ernie Ball Earthwoods - loved them new and for a couple of weeks. I kill Martin SPs in about the same time. Not tried coated yet, but expect they will be a disappointment. I may have a chat to Neil at Newtone strings to see what he has (back in the day I was buying and fitting 600 strings a year in tubes from Malcolm at Newtone).

When I was gigging playing dobro in a bluegrass band I would change the wound 3rd during the mid break in a gig because I would have killed it stone dead. Eventually I switched to nickel strings and Dunlop plastic finger picks and got longer life, better tone and lots more volume!!! So perhaps I should grit my teeth and fit monels and just suffer a rough ride until my ears and hands get used to the 'new normal' !!!

EDIT: Those bloody Ernie Ball 80/20 Earthwood mediums have come back to life again this morning - and so saved themselves for another day at least.

[Ludere]

I think the infrequency of string changes had more to do with being broke than anything else ... of course, I don't ever remember any conversations about tone back then either ... I do remember that money was scarce enough that strings were definitely NOT high on the list ...

I mean, we used to go in the music store and memorize chord progressions rather than buy the sheet music ... how much could sheet music have cost back then ... 35 cents?

Now that's broke brother ... that's 70s teenager broke ...

~ Paul