Musician Forum - Band Discussion Board - BandMix

I just changed strings on my PARIS SWING Gypsy Jazz gtr. Long overdue.

It never ceases to amaze how changing strings after they've been on for a while almost produces a completely different instr!

It all depends on how often you play your instrument, if you wipe the strings down when you are done (I never remember).
Bass strings can last a couple of years. Guitar strings - coated strings will last a long time if unplayed, a couple of months at most if played regularly. Uncoated strings will rust away when not played.
Back in the days when I gigged weekly, I'd change my telecaster strings every week - but Fender bullets were about $2.50 a set back then, too!

ah, there are no hard and fast rules re string changing chronology. as mike said, it depends on how often you play the instrument....but a really big factor is your DNA.

.... i.e. your PH levels and the kind of "chemicals" your body produces. back in the day i had a gtr playing buddy who'd pick up a gtr, play it for 30 min... and i swear the strings would start to tarnish! and he wasn't even a smoker. well, not cigarettes.

another factor is the quality of the fret work on your axe. frets that are properly leveled and crowned are much kinder to the strings. and even better...a fretless bass w no frets to chew up strings.

then you have flatwounds vs roundwound strings......flats last A LOT longer. i've got flats on both my fretted and fretless P basses and they must be on there for close to ten yrs now! They still play and intonate perfectly.
....no frets tearing up the strings on the fretless and small/low "old style" fret wire on the fretted w zero indents or pits anywhere.

i also have the same set of THOMASTIK flats on my GUILD Starfire (gtr) for around 2 yrs now. these strings go for around $30!!!! but they last a looooooong time and NOTHING sounds or feels like them!

every now and then i think i ought to change 'em....but then i'm playing that gtr on a gig and it's just perfect.

the thing about those pics you keep posting, kerry......

at least they're better to look at than the lame music fliers you used to spam us with for your FILTHY TONE DEAF ANIMALS band!

i bet you were that weird kid down the street with no friends who used to sit on the sidewalk burning ants w a magnifying glass. (in H.S.)

That is really impressive behavior. For a five year old.

Talbot

I've got some OLD strings goin on with my axes of evil. The Tele Deluxe just got new strings in Nov with the new pickup/ setup. Previous set was there for about 5 years.

Fretless bass - 3 years since I bought it.
Epi SG- 3 years?
Acoustic bass - 2 years?
Steel string - 2 years?
Classical- 2 years?

Don't really care, either.

Every 12 months I replace the strings on my one guitar with these. They look great however, when you play them a few times the gold starts to flake off.

i didn't know those strings were still around. pretty high dollar, no?

i tried 'em yrs ago (bass strings) and though they were pretty nice.....the high price didn't warrant the payoff for me.

Planetguy wrote:i didn't know those strings were still around. pretty high dollar, no?

i tried 'em yrs ago (bass strings) and though they were pretty nice.....the high price didn't warrant the payoff for me.

They cost me $32.95 a set.
Compared to other strings they have a mellower sound.
The gold flaking off is kind of a PITA but they sure do sparkle.

yeah...that's about what i pay for THOMASTIKs.

flatwounds?