Hindsight is 20/20.
Right after you break a string in the middle of a show, you say to yourself, I knew I should have changed my strings! But how can you tell when it’s time for a change, before it’s too late?
As always, the answer lies in paying closer attention to your guitar, and listening to what it has to tell you. If you think it’s time to change your strings, you’re probably right.
Pay special attention to these 5 signs, as they may give you an early clue your strings are close to breaking—and mean the difference between playing a great show, and being embarrassed mid-set.
1. Your guitar strings won’t stay in tune
Most of the time, tuning problems with guitar strings occur either with brand new strings, or old ones. When you first put on new strings you can fight the tuning problems by stretching the strings out a bit the first few times you play them. But once that period has passed, your guitar strings should stay in tune—until they don’t.
If you’ve had the same strings on your guitar for more than a week or two, and you start to notice they don’t hold tune as well as they did a few days beforehand, it might be time to change your strings.
2. Your guitar’s tone is dull
Regardless of your preference, your strings should never sound dull or flat, the way that really old strings can. If you’re diming your amp’s treble knob and you still sound like Wes Montgomery, it’s time to change your guitar strings.
3. Your guitar strings are discolored
When we play guitar, the oils from our fingers build up on the strings over time, leaving them more prone to corrosion, and eventually breakage.
An early sign that your strings are on their last legs is their color. As nickel and steel guitar strings age they lose their luster, turning a sort of dull gray color. Bronze acoustic strings lose their copper-colored sheen and turn a darker brown color. As soon as you start to see discoloration on your guitar strings, it’s a good idea to slap on a new set.
4. Your guitar strings feel stiff
Your guitar strings should always feel flexible and bendable (unless of course you’re playing extra heavy strings without drop-tuning). Once they start to feel stiff, it means the metal is begin the process of corrosion.
Now this doesn’t necessarily mean that your strings are going to break that day, but it does mean that your guitar isn’t playing or sounding its best. At the very least, early signs of corrosion in your guitar strings should be a signal that it’s time to order a spare set to keep around, just in case.
5. Your guitar strings feel dirty
Obviously this ties in with reason #3, but sometimes it’s easier to feel your guitar strings’ age than it is to see it. When you slide your fingers along your strings, they should feel smooth, almost slippery. If there’s any friction between your fingers and the strings, it’s likely a sign of dirt getting in the way.
Dirty strings not only sound duller than fresh strings, they also hamper your ability to move around the fretboard, making it less likely that you’re playing your best.
If you’re passionate about your playing and your tone, it’s worth the extra couple of bucks a month to keep your guitar playing and sounding its best, and one of the easiest ways to do that is to stay on top of changing your guitar strings.
10 Responses
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Twang on the high E…what’s the deal?
It could be any number of things, but mostly likely a setup issue. What you’re typically hearing is something obstructing the string’s vibrations, leading to a “twang” sound.
The one where they feel stiff, in time I came to know that when this is the case a good hard bend was likely going to lead to a break. I don’t change my strings often enough but I do keep my guitars in order. That means that every string change comes with an inspection of the saddles, particularly where the strings sit, and the nut. Also a look at the frets for any rough spots developing. A set of fine files and light sand paper will help keep your frets and saddles smooth. Afterwords everything is cleaned before the strings go on. After they’re on I like to pull them upwards one at a time near the neck joint while holding them down up the neck for a good stretch. Tune and then stretch again and then retune. This usually gives me strings that don’t require much, if any, tuning until the next change.
Thank you yes, good insight…i’m going to need more work in order to buy strings as often as, you suggest I should. “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, lean not on your own understanding, but in all your ways acknowledge Him and he shall make your way straight… (strings last).” Amen!
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