How often should I change my guitar strings?Change them roughly every 4-8 weeks with regular playing - before they cause problems, not after. Expert rule of thumb MikeM, our Valve Wrangler, changes electrics monthly and acoustics every two months 2. Alan Ratcliffe, our Guitar Doctor, changes as often as every three weeks because he likes high tension and fresh snappiness 3. ezietsman, our Amp Whisperer, reckons a set should never last years - strings three years old breaking is no surprise 7. Watch for these signs Lost tension/snap - Alan's own trigger: strings feel "soft" before tone even dies 4. Tuning and intonation trouble - old strings stretch unevenly and cause odd harmonics and flat spots 1 2. Dull sound or rusty feel - the common fallback: change when they sound dull or look corroded 5. Make them last longer Wipe down strings after every session and wash hands before playing - it stretches string life noticeably 5. Coated strings (Elixir Nanoweb) - Alan gets about three times the life of normal sets, great on acoustic; on electrics they can add hum because the coating insulates you from earth 6. Rarely-played guitars - coated strings are ideal there, lasting ages when playing wear isn't killing them 4. There's no single number - it's how much you play and how fast your sweat kills strings. If in doubt, change them; the difference is immediate 3. From these forum threadsGuitar Maintenance 7 – Strings (2010): Why dirty, old strings wreck tuning and intonationhow long should strings last? (2011): Alan explains how dead strings cause uneven vibrationChanging Strings!!!... (2011): Forum members' real-world string-change schedules comparedWhat makes you change strings? (2014): How the pros judge when strings are doneHow many times did you change strings this year? (2017): How often SA players actually change stringsCoated strings - yay or nay? (2010): Coated vs normal string lifespan testedHELP: changing the strings on an electric (2013): Why three-year-old strings break - and how often to change
