# I don't know who needs to read this, but...



## Budda (May 29, 2007)

...

Your guitar could probably use fresh strings. Your pick may have lost its point in 2020. Condition your fretboard.


----------



## Verne (Dec 29, 2018)

Wait..........you're supposed to change your strings?!? WHOA!!!


----------



## tdotrob (Feb 24, 2019)

Don’t condition fret board. Keep humidified.


----------



## Grainslayer (Sep 26, 2016)

Verne said:


> Wait..........you're supposed to change your strings?!? WHOA!!!


Only when they break


----------



## Wardo (Feb 5, 2010)

That reminds me, I need to order a filter for the humidifier.


----------



## Rick31797 (Apr 20, 2007)

We ordered a pizza last night and on the side of the box in big black letters it said “ open box before eating pizza..


----------



## Grab n Go (May 1, 2013)

I tend to leave a pick in every guitar. They don't get worn down all that much and I don't have to go find one when I want to play.


----------



## Budda (May 29, 2007)

tdotrob said:


> Don’t condition fret board. Keep humidified.


Do both.


----------



## Jalexander (Dec 31, 2020)

Grainslayer said:


> Only when they break


I’m assuming you’re joking, but this is pretty much my philosophy. I like the sound of old strings. I think some of my guitars are approaching ten years on the strings.


----------



## Grainslayer (Sep 26, 2016)

Jalexander said:


> I’m assuming you’re joking, but this is pretty much my philosophy. I like the sound of old strings. I think some of my guitars are approaching ten years on the strings.


Yes and no..I have an old mexican strat that is my "outdoors" guitar.It spends alot of time at the beach and up the mountain camping.The frets are shot on it so I neglect the strings but not 10 years.They do get pretty rusty and crusty.hahaha
I keep the strings in good shape on my newer Strat.


----------



## Lola (Nov 16, 2014)

Funny. Last night as I was practicing and I got a glimpse of underneath the strings. Omg the finger guck. Got out my string conditioner and cleaned them. Haven’t changed them in a couple months. I will wait until 1 breaks. I think it’s going to be the high E once again. I have been insulting that particular string pretty heavily lately.


----------



## Budda (May 29, 2007)

My strings are dead and gunked long before one breaks. I have no idea how you guys do it.


----------



## Grainslayer (Sep 26, 2016)

Budda said:


> My strings are dead and gunked long before one breaks. I have no idea how you guys do it.


Ive always used d'addarios and honestly cant remember the last time I broke one.Ive been pretty disgusted at how rusty they get.lol


----------



## Budda (May 29, 2007)

Grainslayer said:


> Ive always used d'addarios and honestly cant remember the last time I broke one.Ive been pretty disgusted at how rusty they get.lol


Fellow D'addario user here. Change them before they rust


----------



## Robert1950 (Jan 21, 2006)

I find it hard to see how a Dunlop Jazz III XL can lose its point,... if you can call it a point


----------



## BGood (Feb 20, 2015)

I've noticed that when I star to have a hard time keeping my guitars in tune, it's often because strings are too old (yes, some might reach a year). I replace them and problem disappears. So yes, I might suggest it to someone has tuning problems and says his strings are old.


----------



## Grainslayer (Sep 26, 2016)

BGood said:


> I've noticed that when I star to have a hard time keeping my guitars in tune, it's often because strings are too old (yes, some might reach a year). I replace them and problem disappears. So yes, I might suggest it to someone has tuning problems and says his strings are old.


Intonation can be an issue with old strings for sure.


----------



## Budda (May 29, 2007)

Robert1950 said:


> I find it hard to see how a Dunlop Jazz III XL can lose its point,... if you can call it a point


Pick hard. I've worn the tip off a jazz iii 2.0mm.


----------



## bw66 (Dec 17, 2009)

Grainslayer said:


> Intonation can be an issue with old strings for sure.


Sadly, that is often what prompts a string change for me.


----------



## Lola (Nov 16, 2014)

BGood said:


> I've noticed that when I star to have a hard time keeping my guitars in tune, it's often because strings are too old (yes, some might reach a year). I replace them and problem disappears. So yes, I might suggest it to someone has tuning problems and says his strings are old.


That would be my SG. Can’t remember when I replaced the strings. I have to retune it almost every time I pick it up.


----------



## JivRey (Jul 2, 2016)

When your hands start smelling like pennies after playing, then you should start considering changing your strings..


----------



## Sneaky (Feb 14, 2006)

Budda said:


> ...
> 
> Your guitar could probably use fresh strings. Your pick may have lost its point in 2020. Condition your fretboard.


I pulled out my Ted Thompson acoustic a couple weeks ago and put a fresh set of NOS Newtone stings on it. I think it’s been about 8-10 years since the last time.
Guilty as charged.


----------



## Lola (Nov 16, 2014)

I admit that at times I am lazy. Like I will do it tomorrow. Even when string breaks I will just sometimes replace that one. Not good.


----------



## Sneaky (Feb 14, 2006)

Lola said:


> I admit that at times I am lazy. Like I will do it tomorrow. Even when string breaks I will just sometimes replace that one. Not good.


I remember in my teens tying knots in broken strings to save a dollar. As long as the knot was above the nut or below the bridge I could milk a few more months outta that sucker.


----------



## Grab n Go (May 1, 2013)

Sometimes, strings come pre-corroded. Especially if they don't have sealed packaging.


----------



## tomee2 (Feb 27, 2017)

Budda said:


> Fellow D'addario user here. Change them before they rust


I've wondered if rusty strings contribute to worn frets. Iron oxide is a pretty hard material. Nickle is soft but the strings have a coating of nickle only. ??


----------



## Grainslayer (Sep 26, 2016)

tomee2 said:


> I've wondered if rusty strings contribute to worn frets. Iron oxide is a pretty hard material. Nickle is soft but the strings have a coating of nickle only. ??


I think so.I feel thats part of the reason ive worn mine so bad. Im trying to be alot more diligent with my new guitar.I wipe the strings after playing and change them when I start to feel corrosion on them.


----------



## Acoustic Tom (Apr 6, 2020)

I used to boil my strings when they got a little older. As I've gotten older,I just buy 3 or 4 sets of acoustic strings to have on hand. I probably change them every 6 weeks now. There is nothing like fresh strings on a well maintained guitar.


----------



## Budda (May 29, 2007)

tomee2 said:


> I've wondered if rusty strings contribute to worn frets. Iron oxide is a pretty hard material. Nickle is soft but the strings have a coating of nickle only. ??


I would say yes - rust makes the string like a scouring pad.


----------



## KapnKrunch (Jul 13, 2016)

I am sure I posted this before:

EBay description:

"This guitar has STRONG STRINGS... they have been on the guitar for YEARS!"

--------------------

My neighbour's wife never changed her strings. We enjoyed jamming old country songs, so I thought I would buy her a new set as a gift and put them on. I thought: "Just get the heaviest ones because she'll never change them."

Hey! She made an album for her family last year. I asked about the strings. Yup. Same ones.

Let me cypher this... I'm powerful good at cypherin'.

1980 to 2020... that's, uh... that's, uh... forty years, I think.


----------



## Wardo (Feb 5, 2010)

I like changing strings; have a hand crank winder and change them fairly often but before the 19 I was playing more so changed them quite a bit. Depends on the strings; uncoated ph/br acoustics are done in a couple of weeks maybe 3 even if you hardly use the guitar and a week or 10 days if you do use it. I notice the intonation going away faster on the electrics and it doesn't take no year either - about a couple of months depending on use but I usually change them well before that. Depends which guitars are in rotation too - right now there's six in my living room and 2 of them are used every day the others when I feel like it. The strings get little dents in them from the frets and if you play all over the neck then that's a lot dents cant do them much good. Started keeping one acoustic on a stand tuned down to D which is where a lot of my vocal range is; bass baritone not like them castrati cherubs in rock bands they seem to be mostly tenors ... lol


----------



## player99 (Sep 5, 2019)

Every time Wayne Ronstadt plays a gig he has new strings put on his acoustic guitar. Every gig.


----------



## Wardo (Feb 5, 2010)

Acoustic guitars sound like shit if they have old strings ... lol


----------



## Budda (May 29, 2007)

Wardo said:


> Acoustic guitars sound like shit if they have old strings ... lol


So do electrics lol


----------



## Mooh (Mar 7, 2007)

Changed a couple of sets today. My body chemistry is easy on them, but I hate the slightest sound of aging strings, so they get changed often. At the beginning of the summer I loaned a mandolin to a family member for the summer and when I got it back the strings were shot, corroded, ready to break, and wouldn‘t be intonated/tuned. The same amount of my own playing wouldn’t likely show wear at all.

I actually enjoy the process of changing strings and doing minor upkeep/setup.


----------



## Grab n Go (May 1, 2013)

Then there's nylon strings. Where you get them to the point where the tuning is stable and then... ping! A string breaks.


----------



## Wardo (Feb 5, 2010)

And then there's that knot on the bridge that you have to get right on classical guitars .. lol


----------



## starjag (Jan 30, 2008)

Change strings?!?! Lol. I'm a bassist


----------



## Mooh (Mar 7, 2007)

Ukulele rather than classical guitar, but it shows how I do nylon string tie-blocks. No string ends to poke me. (Aquila Red strings.)


----------



## Wardo (Feb 5, 2010)

Budda said:


> So do electrics lol


Agreed. 

I left out electrics because I was trying to be diplomatic rather than my usual " fuck this, fuck that, too bad we didn't " approach to life ... lol


----------



## DavidP (Mar 7, 2006)

...it is claimed that the late/great Roy Buchanan only changed his strings "when they break".
So... if you want to emulate his legendary Tele tone, leave well enough alone, eh!


----------



## Kerry Brown (Mar 31, 2014)

Suddenly today every guitar I picked up the strings were crap and needed changing. Thanks a lot.


----------



## Budda (May 29, 2007)

Kerry Brown said:


> Suddenly today every guitar I picked up the strings were crap and needed changing. Thanks a lot.


If it makes you feel any better, I had the same experience haha.


----------



## MarkM (May 23, 2019)

Grab n Go said:


> I tend to leave a pick in every guitar. They don't get worn down all that much and I don't have to go find one when I want to play.
> 
> View attachment 381964


I do the same thing except it's a fender tear drop heavy. I bought a gaggle thru Cosmo when they were discontinued?


----------



## MarkM (May 23, 2019)

Sneaky said:


> I remember in my teens tying knots in broken strings to save a dollar. As long as the knot was above the nut or below the bridge I could milk a few more months outta that sucker.


My grampa did that on his Harmony!


----------



## Wardo (Feb 5, 2010)

Black Diamond strings.
Are as good as it gets.
You can play all year long.
On two or three sets.


----------



## MarkM (May 23, 2019)

Ernie Ball Slinky's nines
Diaddoros (spelling ?)


----------



## Guncho (Jun 16, 2015)

I honestly don't see the point of changing strings unless someone other than me is going to hear it. The when I do change strings it sounds bizarre to me.


----------



## Grab n Go (May 1, 2013)

MarkM said:


> I do the same thing except it's a fender tear drop heavy. I bought a gaggle thru Cosmo when they were discontinued?


Yeah, I stock up on stuff like that too. 

I also buy strings in bulk. I got hooked on a set that isn't readily available and I'm reluctant to change strings unless I really need to. Plus, my hands don't sweat that much, so my strings don't really corrode (unless they show up that way.)

When I was gigging and rehearsing, that was different. I went through strings and picks a lot faster.


----------



## GuitarT (Nov 23, 2010)

Drives me nuts when guys show up at jams with old dead strings especially on acoustics. They waste so much time dicking around with their tuning between songs wondering why they can't get their guitar in tune and they sound like sh#t. 
My body chemistry is not hard one strings but I still change them every six to eight weeks on my daily players.


----------



## Latole (Aug 11, 2020)

Grab n Go said:


> I tend to leave a pick in every guitar. They don't get worn down all that much and I don't have to go find one when I want to play.
> 
> View attachment 381964



This kind of fret board need lemon oil base conditionner


----------



## zztomato (Nov 19, 2010)

I haven't played a gig or even had band practice since November 2019. My two main gigging guitars- 335 and tele- still have strings on them from before that time. The tele is sounding a bit dull and is harder to tune but the 335 is fine. 
We are actually getting together for an evening this week to see if we all remember how to play. Now, should I change my strings?


----------



## loudtubeamps (Feb 2, 2012)

Thanks @Budda .... @Wardo
you just reminded me to check the hepa filter in the suv.


----------



## Grab n Go (May 1, 2013)

Latole said:


> This kind of fret board need lemon oil base conditionner
> View attachment 382079


Roasted maple? I thought it was usually rosewood.


----------



## Budda (May 29, 2007)

loudtubeamps said:


> Thanks @Budda .... @Wardo
> you just reminded me to check the hepa filter in the suv.


I think my cabin filter needs replacing lol.


----------



## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

In my opinion, a fresh set of strings is the most impactful improvement you can make on any guitar once the existing strings are more than a couple of weeks old. It's like a fresh set of tires or a new engine on/in a car.


----------



## Guncho (Jun 16, 2015)

Milkman said:


> In my opinion, a fresh set of strings is the most impactful improvement you can make on any guitar once the existing strings are more than a couple of weeks old. It's like a fresh set of tires or a new engine on/in a car.


How often should I get my engine replaced?


----------



## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

Guncho said:


> How often should I get my engine replaced?


When it starts sounding like a month old set of strings?


----------



## SWLABR (Nov 7, 2017)

I'm bad for changing strings. I certainly do not have a scheduled routine of _"It has been x number of weeks/months, I need to get that guitar on the table_". It's usually just feel and sound. But that is mostly related to how often I play it. I have guitars (in cases) that have been years since I changed them... But, I barely play that guitar, so going back to the "schedule" thing. Nope, it's just sound and feel. 
When it is time, the guitar gets a full spa treatment.


----------



## greco (Jul 15, 2007)

zztomato said:


> We are actually getting together for an evening this week to see if we all remember how to play. Now, should I change my strings?


Only if you remember how to play.


----------



## DeeTee (Apr 16, 2018)

Joke's on you, I lose all my picks before they have the chance to lose their points.


----------



## cheezyridr (Jun 8, 2009)

i change my strings when they need changing. they rarely get to the point where you can feel the wear, but when they start to tune funny or not intonate right, it's time to go. 

picks? i have jazzIIIs that are 10 yrs old. if you wear out the point you can make a new one by rubbin 'em on the carpet.

conditioning your fretboard? now i'm gonna call bullshit. some of you might have a dining room table. like me, some of you might have a dining room table that is made of wood. ever had to condition that table? mine is from the depression. i barely clean it, let alone condition it. guess what? it's fine. just like the fretboards i have that i never condition either. 
in case some of you don't know this, i will tell you a little secret:
guess what all the major manufacturers do with a piece of wood before they make a fretboard out of it?
they dry it out. yep... some of them even do this with a low-temp kiln. if you're conditioning your fretboard, you drank the kool-aid. you bought snake oil. i've owned literally hundreds of guitars in the 38 years i've been playing. i have never once conditioned a fretboard. i have had zero issues because of it. i have $20 that says *not one* of you can produce a picture of YOUR guitar with a cracked fretboard due to being dried out.


----------



## Budda (May 29, 2007)

Things im not gonna do: let a guitar dry out.

I bet your 100yo table has a finish on it .


----------



## JBFairthorne (Oct 11, 2014)

I have a Strat that was extremely dry when I bought it used. A fret or two was lifting a little and the fret ends were ever so slightly poking out. I conditioned the fretboard a few times and tapped the loose frets down once the wood swelled a bit. Magically the fret sprout vanished and the guitar was my number one for quite some time.


----------



## tomee2 (Feb 27, 2017)

Guncho said:


> How often should I get my engine replaced?






Watch a few of this guy's videos...you'll change your oil more often then your strings!


----------



## Fuzzy dagger (Jun 3, 2016)

I’ve never oiled a fretboard.


----------



## wraub (May 21, 2021)

Don't oil a rosewood fingerboard. 

Change strings as often as needed.

Before you play a guitar, wash your hands, and afterwards do the same. The first because the guitar deserves it, and the second because metal smell on hands...plus, nickel.


----------



## greco (Jul 15, 2007)

wraub said:


> Don't oil a rosewood fingerboard.


That is a very frequently debated topic!


----------



## Mikev7305 (Jan 6, 2020)

Man my acoustic has had the same strings on it for 10-12 years. They're elixirs though so that's like 2 weeks for ernie balls. I don't play it much, just the odd bonfire. There's blood all over the sound hole, strings, and pickguard because when you drop a pick in the dark you may as well have thrown it right in the fire. That thing is gone. A few songs later your nail beds look like they just came out of a blender. It's crazy that it still sounds pretty good actually. 

Also, my bassist just changed his strings for the first time in around 10 years. Honestly I liked the tone before the change more. Having no tone on a bass has its place. Especially in a 2 guitar band


----------



## cheezyridr (Jun 8, 2009)

wraub said:


> Before you play a guitar, wash your hands, and afterwards do the same.


this i always do, because clean hands mean the strings last longer (for me, because my hands aren't very acidic) and also because it means less work later when i clean the guitar during the next string change. i wash them after because i don't want residue from the strings to end up in my mouth when i eat something, or on my face when i have an itch


----------



## player99 (Sep 5, 2019)

I use Dunlop cleaner then oil.


----------



## Lola (Nov 16, 2014)

Fuzzy dagger said:


> I’ve never oiled a fretboard.


Me neither! My SG is 16 years old and has never been conditioned. I asked the previous owner what he had done to maintain the fretboard and he said absolutely nothing.


----------



## Budda (May 29, 2007)

Mikev7305 said:


> Man my acoustic has had the same strings on it for 10-12 years. They're elixirs though so that's like 2 weeks for ernie balls. I don't play it much, just the odd bonfire. There's blood all over the sound hole, strings, and pickguard because when you drop a pick in the dark you may as well have thrown it right in the fire. That thing is gone. A few songs later your nail beds look like they just came out of a blender. It's crazy that it still sounds pretty good actually.
> 
> Also, my bassist just changed his strings for the first time in around 10 years. Honestly I liked the tone before the change more. Having no tone on a bass has its place. Especially in a 2 guitar band


Wait til your ears adjust to the fresh string sound, it'll happen.


----------



## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

Fuzzy dagger said:


> I’ve never oiled a fretboard.


I've never oiled a snake either.

I have oiled one or two necks but never consistantly. If one is really grubby I may clean it and then apply a little lemon oil. I've heard clarinet bore oil is better as it's finer and leaves no residue.

I don't think it's necessary.


----------



## Budda (May 29, 2007)

Milkman said:


> I've never oiled a snake either.
> 
> I have oiled one or two necks but never consistantly. If one is really grubby I may clean it and then apply a little lemon oil. I've heard clarinet bore oil is better as it's finer and leaves no residue.
> 
> I don't think it's necessary.


If it isnt dried out then it wouldn't require conditioning. I can swing by a music store and post some very dried out fretboards though. You'll also be less likely to have a dry board if your guitars live in cases. Mine do not.


----------



## GuitarT (Nov 23, 2010)

Fuzzy dagger said:


> I’ve never oiled a fretboard.


Nor have I but I imagine there are situations where it's a good idea. I have two guitars, both with rosewood boards, that I've owned for 40 plus years, neither has ever been oiled, neither is any worse for the wear for it. Having said that my house has central humidification so drying out is not really a concern. I never play guitar with dirty hands and my hands really don't sweat much so dirty fingerboards are not an issue with me. 
Rosewood contains a lot of natural oil which is why it doesn't need to be finished in the first place. If anything I'd say there's more of a danger with over oiling than under oiling.


----------



## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

Budda said:


> If it isnt dried out then it wouldn't require conditioning. I can swing by a music store and post some very dried out fretboards though. You'll also be less likely to have a dry board if your guitars live in cases. Mine do not.


Neither do mine. I never worried about humidity until a few years ago. No damage (as far as I know), but then again I don't own pre-war Martins.


----------



## troyhead (May 23, 2014)

starjag said:


> Change strings?!?! Lol. I'm a bassist


Indeed! The deader the better.  

Unfortunately, that thinking also seems to carry over to my guitars. I know they are really dead when I hit them a little hard and they go out of tune for a moment. And then I just play lighter.


----------



## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

Although bass strings do last much longer than guitar strings (good thing I guess) they still sound like shite to me after awhile and I think they are subject to the same diminished sustain and poor intonation.


----------



## King Loudness (May 3, 2010)

I've been slowly going through my collection and re-stringing them or getting work done where needed. It's amazing how these simple things can bring a guitar back to life.

W.


----------



## 2N1305 (Nov 2, 2009)

While I've experienced a "dead" string before, I've rarely had issues with strings getting old. Maybe when I was younger and would sweat on the strings, they'd wear out in 1 year, but since the past twenty years, I change strings when they break. The bass I built in 1996 has had the same Dean Markley strings on it since. And they're clean, and have a more "mellow" sound. My les Paul copy has one re-balled string on it that I re-attached with a woodscrew as a new "ball" because it was late that night and couldn't wait til the next day. That was 2008... Now it's become that guitar's lucky charm.
Potato, Pota(h)to.


----------

