When To Change Guitar Strings

When To Change Guitar Strings
by Michael Bell

When To Change Guitar Strings
One of the most recurring question that I always hear is "when do I know to change my guitar strings?" My answer is always the same, there is no set time on the life of the guitar string but several factors lead to a string becoming "dead" (without brilliance or clarity of tone). One of the determining factors is how much you play your instrument another is where you store your instrument. If your a lite player and you keep your instrument in it's case away from high humidity environments and you wipe your strings clean after every use then yes you will extend the life of the strings. but if your just the opposite and your guitar just sits in it's stand next to your favorite chair then yes even if you don't play, the string are exposed to the environment and they will naturally start to lose their brilliance. This doesn't mean they've gone bad, just not fresh.
There are actual tale tell signs that you can look for to know when to change your strings. Look for:
Discoloration: Look at the head stock of your guitar and notice the color of the strings there then look at the color of the strings on your neck, If you play your guitar regularly you'll see your "HOTSPOT", the area of your neck that you play in most often. When this area becomes noticeably darker then the area at the headstock then change the strings.

Pitting, Corrosion: Look for area's on the string that may start to pit or develop a light reddish coloration. This is oxidation and can be caused by high moisture content environments, ex: your shower is adjoining your bedroom where your guitar religiously sit on it's stand and collects this moisture.Take a light colored cotton cloth and rub it up and down your strings several times, if the cloth has residue on it from wiping your strings then change them.

Fret Wear: Where your string actually touches the fret can become worn and grooved on the back side of the string. Put your finger between the fret and the string (bottom part of your finger pointing up) and run your finger up and down the string several times. If you feel little grooves on the underside of the string then change them.

String Defect: The thicker strings on a guitar are double wired meaning they have an inner core wire and then an external wire wrapping. Sometimes the wrap will start to break. Periodically give your strings a visual inspection and make sure you don't see any area's of the string winding becoming "unraveled" if any of them are then replace the strings. In the instance of coated strings, the outer coating will develop nicks and grooves on them. My personal opinion is that these strings are better suited for finger style playing rather then pick playing.

When you get your strings new (factory fresh) they are free from any surface defects, this allows the vibration of the string to travel the length of the string unimpeded. For electric guitars this allows for the strongest possible signal to get to your pickups. Every nick, pit, body salt deposit, groove or any other defect impedes this signal flow resulting in a loss of clarity and brilliance, a dead string.
I should mention that the body salts are produced when you play your guitar (sweating) and left deposited on your guitar thru finger contact. Salt is a highly corrosive materials which results in the pitting of your strings. This is why it is good practice to wipe down your strings after playing. You won't remove all of these oils but what you do remove will help to extend the life of your strings.

Well there you have it. Now you know what to look for so that You can determine when your strings should be changed. Knowing when to change your strings is not a matter of time but a matter of condition, just ask, what condition are my string in and then do a visual check to see what the answer is. If you don't note any of the above mention blemishes then your good to go, but if you do, then change the strings.
For me there is nothing that you can do for your instrument to make it sound at it's very best then to pay attention to your string conditions. You can have the hottest pickups on your guitar with dead strings and you'll have a dead sound but put new strings on that same instrument and it will come to life with tonal clarity and brilliance. So be sure to pay attention to your strings.