General Music Chat

I seem to be going through strings about every 2 to 3 weeks, I knowI am bad about cleaning them plus I seem to have svettty hands lol ,I play mostly accoustic electrics, ovations, taks ,martins ,taylors I use a 12 gauge string most of the time and have tried lots of brands, so far martin s are my choice,what do you all think ,thx for your input

When I was playing professionally, maybe every month or two. Some touring bands in the big leagues have their guitar techs change them daily and break them in.

Realistically, if you are not a superstar and you feel the need to change your strings too often, you might look at your other gear and check the harmonics on your guitar.

cheers
Talbot

ps - I'm often the bass guy and that's another story.

again thx for the imput ,it sounds like im tough on strings

Have you tried coated strings? Some people have acidic sweat which corrodes strings very quickly.

I use Martin Lifespan (coated) strings, they last me about 4-6 weeks - it really depends on the amount of playing time.
I just replaced the strings on my campfire guitar - first time in about 4 years! It only gets played a couple of times year.

I believe your right about the acidic sweat, I will try those strings , ps do you think strings have shelf life at the stores , places like guitar center buy in such bulk makes me wonder

To save money, strings are packaged these days in paper envelopes, and may or may not have a plasticized paper outer package. A couple of years ago I bought a whole bunch of Martin Lifespan strings when on sale (really cheap) at Guitar Center. For sure they were 'NOS' (new old stock) - I was breaking strings (even an A one time!) constantly. So I sent an email to Martin with the info on the strings, and they sent me a box of replacements!
So, yes, strings can age in the package.

I had the same problem with the diadarrios ( not sure of the spelling lol ) except I didnt call the manufacturer, I just stopped using them . smart move on your part, I do think they get old, I will have to check if they have manufacturing dates on them ,bad enough I gotta watch my food now my strings too, ugh , at least they have born on dates 4 beer

again alot of great input thx I like hearing what other people think, I have talked to some people at the music stores ,some say not uncommon to chg ervery 2 tyo 3 wks if your playing alot others 6 to 8 ,so quite a variance ,really the biggest problem ive been having isnt so much breaking or rusting ,more to do with just sounding dead,I do play alot and gig quite a bit , Im using 3 different accoustic electrics and do alot of alternative tunings ,I did check out the videos , it was cool to see all the strings pretty much broke at A ,I just wish he would have done 12 gauge instead ,not that it matters but i would have liked to see if they broke at A and he didnt do any martins I guess I will just break my own

'Dead sound' sounds more like a dirt/sweat issue. I would definitely try some coated strings first to see if you like the sound and it makes a difference. My Taylor came with Elixers, I didn't like the initial sound, but thought the strings might be old, so put another set on, and I didn't like them either. I tried D'Addario coasted strings ('EXP', I think) and didn't like them.
I like Cleartone coated strings, but they're too expensive for me - they were Ok when I didn't play that much and only changed them every 3-6 months. So I've gone back to the Martin Lifespans. I don't think they're as good as when Cleartone did their coating, but the price is good when you buy 3-packs.

Note that most of these brands have both 92/8 and 80/20 phosphor bronze styles, figure out which you like best.

another thing i believe relevant is whether you store your gtr(s) in cases or leave them out in stands or hanging on the wall (more) exposed to humidity and dust build up.

there are so many variables to consider...climate, how often you gig, smokey or non smoking venues, personal DNA (acidity), are YOU a smoker, etc.

i'm lucky, i have DNA that doesn't tear thru gtr strings and tho i gig pretty often, i spread around which "date" i bring to the dance.

i use several different brands w a few caveats.... round wound strings on my electrics are ALWAYS pure nickel (warmer sounding and easier on frets. on bass i like FENDER.

i have several gtrs that i use flat wounds on. besides giving me the tone i need for old school straight ahead jazz....they have very long life.

about 5 yrs ago i bought an early 80's Precision Lyte from a student and it still has the same flatwounds on it (not sure of the brand) and they intonate perfectly and still sound great.

i have two old P basses, fretted and fretless....same flats on them for a good 15 yrs now!

if you're not so lucky re. your PH....you probably should be a little more persnickety about wiping down your strings.

yrs ago i got turned onto spraying WD 40 onto a terry cloth rag to wipe down strings. it works very well...but just be sure not to douse your p/u's w it! i've been doing that for a good 20 yrs w no problems.

i also recently started using Deoxit D5 contact cleaner (sprayed onto a terry cloth rag) on my strings....works wondeful and after a wipe down the strings feel new(er) and sound great...like they've been given CPR!

thanx again 4 everyones responses , it is appreciated , I know I should clean my strings after playing , they say the road to recovery is admitting you have a problem , so here it is I am an axe abuser . ugh lol, later rock on everyone