Often I get asked the question, “When should I change my strings?” Here are a few indications.

Does the guitar not play in tune?

Try the following: Play the twelfth fret harmonic, and then play the twelfth fret normally. Are the pitches different? If yes, chances are good that you need to change your strings (Either that or your neck is curved).

Do certain strings have nicks or cuts in them? Then change them.

Is your 4th string turning green?

Sounds silly, but I see it all the time! If your strings are changing color, change them!

Is the sound dull or the sustain less? Then change them.

One last tip for classical guitarists, change your bass strings more often than your trebles. This cuts down on expense and the new string tuning blues. The wound bass strings tend to collect dirt faster then the trebles.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, January 8th, 2008 at 1:24 pm and is filed under Guitar Care. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.

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