Guitar strings need to be changed when they get dirty. The wound strings collect dirt, oils and dead skin in the windings. People with sweaty hands need to change strings more often than players with dry hands. The acid in sweat can make strings rust. Dirty strings sound dead compared to new strings. They rob your guitar of tone. For the record, "tone" is the Holy Grail to experienced guitar player. They are on a constant quest for the "perfect tone". We will get deep into tone in later updates, but for now just know that dirty strings make your guitar sound bad. They can also make your frets wear out quicker. The dirt and grime create a rough, sand paper like texture that will put grooves in your frets.
The good news is that you can extend the life of your strings by washing your hands before you play and wiping down your strings after you finish playing. You can clean your guitar strings with products like Fast Fret, Tone Gear Guitar String Cleaner, Dunlop Ultra Glide 65 and Planet Waves XLR8 String Lubricant & Cleaner. Even if you keep your strings squeaky clean you will need to change them over time due to metal fatigue. Metal fatigue occurs from the stress created by the constant tension on the strings and the vibration from playing. This process breaks down the metal which can lead to broken strings and will making tuning nearly impossible. Here is a great article about metal fatigue from Graph Tech: Why Guitar Strings Break.
On average, most people should change their strings every 3-6 weeks if you play several times a week or every 6-8 weeks if you only play once or twice per week. People with sweaty hands will need to change strings more often. Coated strings last twice as long but are more expensive. They also feel a little different. I have friends that love them and friends that hate them.
Buying strings can be confusing. There are many different brands, numerous string gages, multiple alloy combinations, different core shapes and a host of other factors to consider. Thankfully, Strings and Beyond has an excellent string buying guide on their website called: What Guitar Strings Do I Need?. They go into detail on string types and give you a list of the most popular brands. Make sure you check it out before you buy your next set of strings. I recommend buying strings from them as well. They are the best.
Changing strings is a very simple process. All you need is a new set of strings and a pair of wire cutters. A string winder makes the job a little easier. You can find them at any guitar store. The inexpensive models start around $1.50. I have a tool by Planet Waves called the Pro-Winder Cutter. It is a combination wire cutter and string winder. It's a very inexpensive ($8.00), yet effective tool. I highly recommend it. They also make electric string winders and winder attachments you can use on a power screw driver or on a drill motor. You will see them used in high volume guitar repair shops and in guitar production plants. With that said, you can get buy without a string winder.
If a picture is worth a thousand words, a good video is worth much more. Here is a video from Martin Guitars that takes you through the process of changing guitar strings on an acoustic guitar:
The process is slightly different on an electric guitar. Electric guitars don't have bridge pins. The strings run through individual holes in the bridge and are held in place by the ball ends of the strings. There are many different bridge designs but the concept is the same for the most part. The strings are installed on the tuning posts the same way as they are on an acoustic guitar.
My favorite strings are D'Addario EXL110 (.010-.046) on my electric guitars and D'Addario EXP 16 (.012-.053) on my acoustic guitars.
Feel free to send me an email if you need advice, want to give me advice or if you have a guitar topic or concept you would like to see me cover in the blog: megaguitar316@yahoo.com
Thanks for stopping by!
MG316
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