The Steel Guitar Forum

This poll is for E9th only, on your main guitar. If you change them when they start to sound bad, estimate how long that takes, on average.

If I'm doing a show (7+ shows a week), then it's every two weeks. If I'm off work and just noodling at home then they don't get changed until I'm ready to go out on the road again. Last year I changed the E9 strings about twenty-five times.

C6th? Four times a year ('though I know you didn't ask!) I hate changing strings!!!!!!

If I am playing regular, meaning at least 6 gigs a month, I change the entire set probably every 12 weeks but I change 3 and 5 every week.

I generally do not wait for them to go dead, generally one string ( 4 usually ) will start oscillating with strange overtones about that time anyway. Plus when I am in the mode I do a lot of personal "tracking" in between gigs and fresh strings are a must.


I am mostly on the 6 string now and I change the strings every other week. A Telecaster with dead strings or "old" strings is just not a guitar I can deal with !

It also depends upon whether you suffer from 'sweaty hands syndrome'. There are some players that I won't let anywhere near my Tele or pedal steel. They can kill the sound of my strings in 5 minutes flat!!

When a string breaks, I change the whole set. And it's not always the 3rd string that breaks.

That'd be me, Ken.....

We're supposed to change them?

If I changed them when they started to sound bad I would have to change them every time I try to play. Dale

After about 24 hours of playing that includes practice time. Sometimes I put a string on and it sounds bad right away a weird harmonic or a zing... so i trash it and put another on.

I hate to break a string on stage!

I play out several times every week. I change after 8 or 10 gigs. I replace the 3rd string every other week.

Doug

I change the whole set every other week.I like to have a clean and good set with the necessary sustain.

Sometimes I pop one and have to change that one before the whole set get's replaced.

Ron

I change the 3rd, 4th & 5th after about 12 hours of use.
I replace the entire set after about 40 hours of use.
Obviously, if a string breaks before that time, I change it and might even change others also, if it's close to the time I would normally change them anyway.
I will change the whole set before a recording session, regardless of how many hours of usage, and then I'll spend about 20 minutes practicing getting them perfectly ready.

Marc

It really depends on how much I'm playing. I voted 6 mos. for the entire set. I like the wound strings better after they've been on there for awhile. Some of the plain strings, particularly 3 and 5 get generally get changed after about 1/2 doz. or so outings.

Events that put me in the spotlight, as in steel shows or sessions call for careful evaluation, but generally I'd say 6 mos. or thereabouts in my normal circumstances.

this brings up an interesting question. im a rookie at this but ive noticed that after a month or two? ill get some funky (in a bad way) chiming or overtones at the twelfth fret. is this a fairly common phenomenon? i suppose that's a good clue to change the strings!

I checked once a month as that's usually what I do (and I change both necks at the same time). But, when I'm doing "road" work with shows every night or almost every night I change them after about 8 to 10 shows.

I usually change them for a recording session too.

I don't play out as often as I used to so I use the timetable of about 12 hours for my 3rd string and will change it and sometimes 3 thru 6.
I change the complete set on average about every two to three months. I play both my steels about the same amount so it's a judgement call at times.

I've tried to change them but a Psychologist told me they have to want to change.

It appears that very few of us go through more than 2 sets per month. A safe assumption?

I change mine every 2-4 weeks depending on how much I play. Paying gigs and church gigs will force it more. Knock on wood, I haven't broken a string at a gig in over three years.

Next year I'm gonna take a trip back to Nashville and get my strings tuned again!

Naw! Strobe tuners everywhere, and new strings on my U-12 every couple weeks at worst to keep the best tone and tuning.

Started using Ernie Balls, back in the day, and changed them approx every two to three weeks.

Now why weren't Jag's around then. Those strings don't seem to ever give up their initial sound.

Regardless of usage, a string dies, just as quick by simply being tuned to pitch after a few weeks, all by itself.

But Jags, sure are the way to go, for staying in great condition. For me at least.... Don

When I used the same guitar all the time, it would be once a month for the whole set. I would generally change 3, 4, and 5 halfway between. Back when there was much more work I changed string 3 every week.

Now I rotate among several guitars, so it's hard to say! (I don't keep track of actual playing hours.)

I see a quattro-modal pattern shaping up: 1 mo., 2 mos., 6 mos., rarely.

I must say Jagwires have made me very lazy about this.

I use Jagwires nowadays. I can get around 60 hours of actual play time out of a single E9 set, without any breakage or significant tone loss, but only with a little help from the GHS Corporation.

GHS String Cleaning Cloths really do extend the life of your strings if you use them regularly and properly. Not to mention the non greasy lubrication decreases bar drag and noise quite a bit.


JW