How Often Should You Change Guitar Strings?

It’s common knowledge that guitar strings don’t come with a lifetime guarantee. The more you use them, you’ll notice how they start to degrade. Their brightness will begin to fade and the tone will slowly change into a dull and lifeless sound. 

It can be pretty hard to decide when to actually change your guitar strings, but it’s not as simple as changing them after X amount of time. Here’s a quick guide on when you should consider swapping out your strings. 

How Often Should You Change Guitar Strings (How Long Do Guitar Strings Last?)

General Advice

The general rule of thumb for beginners is that you should change your strings every 100 hours or 3 months – whichever comes first. By this logic, you should change your strings around 3-4 times a year. 

However, there are a few flaws to this rule. There isn’t a black and white answer as to when you should change your strings. There are three distinct factors which all contribute to when/why you should make the change: what strings you use, how often you play and what tone you like. 

Varying Opinions 

There is a wide debate about when you should change your strings. Some say to change them after every 50 hours, others say 100 hours. Others go against the grain and rarely change their strings as the dullness adds to the genre of music they’re playing. 

No matter what type of music you’re playing, keeping old, rusty strings on your guitar is never a good option. 

Changing guitar strings is a boring task, but it’s a necessary task if you want to play guitar. We’re going to look at some of the main reasons why you need to change your strings often.

Old Strings Sound Awful 

The more you use your guitar, the more the strings start to deteriorate over time. Build up of dirt, grease and dead skin transfer from your fingers, which is why you’ll notice your strings start to tarnish.

Combined with the moisture in the air, your strings will sound duller as they age. 

Old Strings Feel Awful

Steel guitar strings contain iron which naturally rusts (oxidises) over time when exposed to oxygen.

When combined with the build up of dirt from your fingers, the oxidation process is accelerated. As the strings age they feel rougher and are harder to play. 

Old Strings Go Out of Tune More 

Another tricky job of being a guitar owner is getting your guitar in tune. As guitar strings age, they lose their flexibility which makes it harder for your guitar to stay in tune.

To save yourself the trouble of constantly tuning your guitar, switch out the old strings for a new set. 

Old Strings Break Easily 

Guitar strings take quite a hammering. Between the strumming, bending and shredding, they’re under constant stress. As they age, the strings stiffen so they lose their flexibility.

At this point they’re prone to breaking quite easily, so you’re better off replacing the strings before one of them snaps. 

Factors Which Influence When You Should Change Your Strings 

To find an answer that applies more to your own play-style, ask yourself the following questions. 

How Often Do You Play Guitar?

One of the biggest factors that affects when you should change strings is how much you actually play the guitar.

If you’re not playing gigs and only pick up your guitar a couple of times a week at home, then you should be okay with sticking to the once every 3-5 months rule. However, if you’re a performer, your strings will be under a lot more stress, so you should consider swapping them out every 1-3 months. This does depend on how often you are playing and the string type you are using. 

If you play shows or record on a daily/weekly basis, you need to reduce the recommended time spans considerably. 

Common Mistake:

People often think that if they barely touch their guitar and only play it for a few minutes a week that they can leave their strings for months, or even years.

However, this is a common misconception as the strings will begin to degrade as soon as they come in contact with your fingers. That is why you will often see brand new guitars in music shops with strings that look old. 

What Strings Do You Use?

The type of strings you use are the second biggest contributing factor as to when you should change them. In addition to string material, there’s also a difference as to when you should change acoustic strings to electric strings, as electric strings take less time to break-in. 

What Tone Do You Like?

Changing strings also depends on what tone you like to hear. Some people absolutely despise the sound of fresh, new strings as they find it sounds too harsh. These people work quickly to break them in. Others, however, are fans of the “crisp” sound that new strings provide. 

Most guitar players find that newer strings sound too bright and older strings sound too dull. The sweet spot for tone usually occurs after about a week of playing (depending on how long/often you play for). 

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I prolong the lifespan of my guitar strings?

It’s only natural that guitar strings will start to deteriorate, but there are some ways that you can make them last longer. 

  1. Wash your hand thoroughly before playing
  2. Clean your strings regularly with a string cleaner kit
  3. Purchase coated strings instead – they can have over 3x more lifespan 

How do I know my strings need to be changed?

There are some tell-tale signs that you need to swap your strings out.

  1. They sound dull when you play
  2. The stings look darker in color 
  3. Your guitar needs tuning more often 
  4. They feel brittle under your fingers 
  5. You haven’t changed them in more than 4 months 

More to Consider

For a lot of people, it’s not financially viable to change your strings all the time. So don’t pay attention to the person bragging they change their strings on a weekly basis.

Firstly, there’s no need to change them that often. Secondly, the costs can add up quickly, so consider how much you’re willing to spend on guitar strings. 

Last Updated: September 2, 2024By

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