Hot answers tagged strings
26
Depends on two factors:
What are the strings (what are they made of)
How much do you play
Some strings, like "bright bronze", can lose their sound qualities after a few hours of playing. Others, like "silk and steel", can be played for 100 or more hours. The correct answer is: when you feel that sound isn't bright as it used to be, it is time to change ...
24
The answer is that electric strings are generally too light a gauge to properly "drive" the guitar. You need a heavy gauge string to provide the force needed from the vibrations to get the proper action out of the top to produce good volume and resonance.
Unlike an electric, where the vibration is picked up directly from the string passing over a magnet, an ...
15
The Second Strings Project
I think this is exactly what you are looking for.
From the site:
...a campaign to collect and distribute used guitar strings to needy musicians throughout the world. This effort will help keep musical creativity alive...Many touring artists use a set of guitar strings for a few gigs and then change them, and throw them away. ...
13
I can definitely attest to the fact that they last longer. I have very sweaty hands and I used to decimate acoustic guitar strings--we're talking a new set about every week and a half. Once I used coated strings I cut the change time to about a month. As to their tonal difference, I personally like darker sounding acoustics so it was a non-issue for me.
As ...
13
It depends on how you keep the guitar; the higher the humidity the more likely the strings are get get rusty and tarnish; in fact the whole guitar needs extra care in those conditions; good rule of thumb is if the guitar is not to be used keep it in a dry place at room temperature in a case if possible.
If you keep the guitar in good conditions the strings ...
13
IMO frequently broken strings indicate a mechanical problem. I never break strings and I haven'tt broken one for maybe 30 years.
Causes include:
Too-sharp edge on nut or saddle.
burr or sharp edge on a tuning post, or the hole though same.
Nut slots cut too wide (or maybe you installed lighter strings) allowing the string too much side-to-side movement.
...
11
Disclaimer: I'm not an expert in this, yet try to make an attempt to summarize what I know on this subject.
What does Grease consist of?
Grease consists mainly of dirt, dust and sweat.
Dirt and dust consist of human skin cells, plant pollen, human and animal hairs, textile fibers, paper fibers, minerals from outdoor soil, and many other materials which ...
11
It's a trick that's been around for ages, with many variations - I've even heard that the use of certain bodily fluids gives good results, but it isn't something I'm about to try.
The main reason to do this is to save money, but you should ask yourself whether the savings are worth it. It's generally a better idea to keep your strings in good shape - wiping ...
11
Roundwound strings are brighter, due to a higher presence of upper-order harmonics, while flatwounds are less bright. This occurs because roundwounds are more flexible than flatwounds.
Imagine a string threaded with tightly packed beads. If the beads are spheres, then you'll be able to bend the string relatively freely; if, however, the beads are cubes, ...
11
First, I agree with the question, when talking about nylon-stringed guitars - in nearly a half-century of playing classical and flamenco instruments, I find that the D string, the poor thing, breaking more frequently than any the others (other answers and comments are probably based on steel-stringed experience). I've asked luthiers, and even one of the ...
10
I would certainly not leave the capo on my fretboard when not in use. I cannot say it visibly hurts the neck for sure but it does wear out the strings. Here is a wonderful piece of advice from Lee Griffith in his article, A Capo is a Wonderful Thing:
One caution is important to mention. Do not leave the capo on the
instrument when not playing it. The ...
10
Sure, of course you can. But getting it to playable condition won't be quite so simple. You'll have to re-adjust the bridge to account for the fact that the thickest string is now located where the thinnest string was, and vice-versa. If you don't feel comfortable doing this yourself (although it's pretty easy), any competent guitar tech will do it for ...
10
If you would like to get scientific about it, the D'Addario company has a chart discussing string tension and tuning and string gauges for alternate tuning schemes.
http://daddario.com/DAstringtensionguide.Page?ActiveID=2681
You can also download this PDF which explains the recommended tuning, pitches and tensions for every type and gauge of individual ...
10
With a top E, there are a number of things which could do this, but the most likely if this is your first time stringing the instrument is that you damaged the string on installing it - for example if it slipped at all when you were tightening the tuning pegs you may have the part of the string that was on the edge of the peg now between the peg and nut - ...
9
There are a couple of things you can do; raise the action of the strings; this might not be ideal for you. So the better option is to lower the height of your pickups; most pickups are height adjustable using the screws on either side of them.
Ensure you have identified the correct screws before attempting this, and go slow don't try and force the screws.
...
9
Usually when you restring an acoustic guitar, it will feel, and play, slightly different for a while. New strings that are fresh on the guitar tend to feel a little firmer and heavier to the fingers, but as time goes by they will start to feel a little less tense as they begin to stretch.
Are you absolutely sure that they are the same gauge strings? The ...
9
I change my strings when they start to sound stale, about every 4-6 months. As a gauge, I play about 5 hours a week in my church, plus an additional hour or two of practice on top of that. When I used DR coated strings, they would last a bit longer than that, but even with the extra life I had a hard time justifying the extra cost.
8
Before putting a string trough a hole, bend it, so it would have an angle a bit more then 90 degrees. Then, when string is inside, start making circles around.
In this video Andrew shows how to do it and why you do it on an acoustic guitar: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_G74aXiVUKI
8
I don't have the reputation to comment on DRL's answer (but I can and have upvoted it), but it describes exactly the method I've used for almost 40 years with no problem on electric and acoustic guitars. On my classical guitar, I don't pull the strings; I just retune several times until the strings stretch themselves out. No tools required.
8
Thicker gauge strings do require more tension in order to maintain the proper pitch associated with standard tuning on a guitar--but it's nothing that your guitar isn't already designed to handle. Over a very, very long period of time the tension of those thicker strings could cause some damage, but it's likely that you will have retired the guitar before ...
8
Tapewound strings are similar in construction to other wound bass strings; the difference is that they have a length (or 'tape') of nylon wrapped around a metal core.
This makes them feel less tough on fingers, and the tone they produce does not quickly degrade in time, as standard round/flatwound strings will.
The Sound they produce is different as well. ...
8
The simple answer is to leave it to the experts. Strings are sold in packs, with a sensibly chosen set of gauges, for most common instrument configurations, whether you have a 4 or 5 string bass guitar, a 6 or 12 string guitar, a mandolin, or whatever.
Even if you don't want to buy a full set, you can look at the gauges supplied in a set, and buy an ...
7
Steel strings are under higher tension than nylon, so, whether they are round-wound, flat-wound or taped, they will still require greater pressure to fret and pick.
You can go to a lighter gauge, which will reduce the pressure needed, but your sound will become brighter, and the bass response of the guitar will be reduced; you're moving less metal, which ...
7
I used to do this with bass strings, and it does make a difference. They'll brighten up and sound like new, but not for as long as they did right out of the package. It's a bit of a pain, though, because of course to remove the strings, you have to fully unwind them rather than simply cut them, so it takes longer.
I wouldn't try this with guitar strings, ...
7
The thicker the string, the more tension it needs, to produce the same note.
Sound
Thicker, tighter strings, have a more "focussed" sound. They reach their resonant frequency more quickly, because the extra tension leaves them less scope to flap around.
Thicker, tighter strings, plucked the same distance, are louder, because they contain more energy. ...
7
From this and your other questions, it seems you're confused about pitch, tension, string gauge and tone.
Pitch is a function of:
the gauge of the string (thinner = higher pitch)
the tension of the string (more tension = higher pitch)
the length of the string (shorter = higher pitch)
Let's assume the length of your instrument is fixed and not something ...
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