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Topic: String Life |
Billy Murdoch
From:
Glasgow, Scotland, U.K.
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Posted 5 May 2007 1:44 am |
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I believe there have been previous discussions on this subject but I do'nt any of them have given reasons for length of playing time per string or set of strings.
I usually change my strings monthly and have had no brekages during a gig.A month of playing is about 50 hours of playing.
I got a new Zum at Dallas this year and have been playing it a lot and would guess it has already had somewhwere like 150 hours with the same strings.
I really have been expecting the third string to pop anytime,
I am not saying it is a worlds record but do you think it is because the changer is new.
My Quandry is do I wait for a string to break or do I change now,I really do not hear a tone loss as the strings have got older.
Best regards
Billy |
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basilh
From:
United Kingdom
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Posted 5 May 2007 2:35 am
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The GRADUAL change in the sound of a string is not very noticeable, but, if you put on new strings you WILL then hear the difference. Usually quite dramatic.
The cheapest way of improving the sound of any guitar is to put new strings on it. I do after 12-15 hours of playing or if I don't play for a couple of weeks I change them anyway.
Baz
_________________
Steelies do it without fretting
CLICK THIS to view my tone bars and buy——> |
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A. J. Schobert
From:
Cincinnati, Ohio,
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Posted 5 May 2007 5:34 am
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| I like to change my e9th strings every 2-3 weeks, if I bust a string I change them all. Now my c6th I change them when mold starts to grow on the strings. |
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Stan Paxton
From:
1/2 & 1/2 Florida and Tenn, USA (old Missouri boy gone South)
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Posted 5 May 2007 6:44 am
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The mold on C6 reminds me of a player I know who plays probably 3 nights a week or more. He has said for years he never changes a set of strings, only when he breaks 1 or when 1 gets so dead he can't tune it anymore.  I don't play enough to be any judge of what to do, I change the set when it seems the right thing to do.  |
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A. J. Schobert
From:
Cincinnati, Ohio,
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Posted 5 May 2007 7:44 am
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| E9th and c6th strings are a big differance, you can get more life out of c6th strings, the mold I mention is from a bad habbit of using the c6th neck as a wrist pad! |
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Dave Diehl
From:
Mechanicsville, MD, USA
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Posted 5 May 2007 2:26 pm
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| I have heard people say they have played with the same strings for months..... Well, first of all, I wouldn't want to sacrafice my tone by doing that but, my experience is... that the guitar makes no difference. I have Emmons, Zums, MSAs, ShoBud.... they all will break the 3rd or 5th after about 12 hours of playing and once one breaks, the other is not far behind. |
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Billy Murdoch
From:
Glasgow, Scotland, U.K.
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Posted 6 May 2007 1:54 pm
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I decided to change my strings last night and as I was doing so the brand new third broke as I brought it to pitch.Sods Law I guess.
I did,however have a good tone at the gig though.
best regards
Billy |
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Dennis Wallis
From:
Arkansas
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Posted 6 May 2007 3:23 pm
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| I have a keyless GFI SD-10 that I have been playing every weekend for about a year. Have only broken the top string (.036) once. The rest are still good. I'm trying to see just how long this guitar will go without breaking strings. Longest I've ever seen. I hate dead strings but these don't seem to be too dead yet. |
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Paddy Long
From:
Christchurch, New Zealand
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Posted 6 May 2007 3:46 pm
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| Billy I have left the Jagwires on my practice Zum for as long as possible, just to see how long the 3rd would last and I have managed to get about 5 months out of 1 set before I had a break - in fact they were getting so dull I changed them anyway! ... I change the strings on my regular working Zum (E9th) probably once a week, or 2 weeks at the longest. C6th I probably change out once a month. I always put on a new set if I have a session to do. |
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Ernest Cawby
From:
Lake City, Florida, USA, R.I.P.
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Posted 9 May 2007 9:03 am When
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I change when I hear a sound or sustain change, only 1 string break in 1 1/2 yrs, a 5th broke on my Sho bud when frist installed, a bad string????
ernie |
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Ray Minich
From:
Bradford, Pa. Frozen Tundra
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Posted 9 May 2007 9:32 am
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One time, long ago, on a cold winter night, upstairs, in my unheated attic, all bundled up with my Emmons SD-10, I broke a 3rd string. Over the next 30 minutes I put 4 different .011 strings on alley 3, and they all broke once almost to pitch.
I guess 40 degrees F was too cold for 'em....... |
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Ron Randall
From:
Dallas, Texas, USA
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Posted 9 May 2007 7:03 pm
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I have been changing every 3 to 4 weeks. When the wound strings lose the crisp snap, and when the plain strings are hard to keep in tune.
I have never been sorry I changed strings. |
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Pat Kelly
From:
Wentworthville, New South Wales, Australia
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Posted 10 May 2007 11:27 am
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Dave Said:
| Quote: |
| they all will break the 3rd or 5th after about 12 hours of playing |
man you gotta stop using hack saw blades for picks!  |
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Ron Sodos
From:
San Antonio, Texas USA
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Posted 11 May 2007 2:16 pm
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| I have 3 steels. My Fessenden which I use at gigs never ever breaks strings. I change strings every couple of months. I haven't ever broke a string and I play in a very hot band that plays lots of up tempo stuff. My Zum which I only use at home for practice has the same strings sometimes for almost a year. I practice every day sometimes for 3-4 hours. I broke a 5th string a month ago. That is the only string i have broken in years. I think the way you attack the string with the pick will cause the string to break faster. I am not sure why i don't break strings. I play hard....My old double 12 Sho Bud I used to break strings all the time. But that was years ago when I wasn't the player i am now.... |
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Alan Brookes
From:
Brummy living in Southern California
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Posted 13 May 2007 9:53 am
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It all depends on the environment. If you wipe your strings above and below at the end of each session, and then cover your strings, they're not going to deteriorate as fast as if you leave them in the open for dust to settle on them.
Likewise, if you play in a polluted environment, in a smoke-filled bar-room, in high humidity, it's going to affect the strings.
Here's something I noticed with model railways which I think is relevant. When I lived in Birmingham the air was so polluted that the track got dirty so quickly that the trains wouldn't pick up the current and run properly. Since I've been living in California I hardly ever clean the tracks, and the trains run as soon as I move the controller. The same thing must happen to all metals exposed to the atmosphere.
Baz, I bet now that you've moved from Birmingham to Tamworth you'll notice your strings will last longer... ...unless you take them into a smokey bar-room, that is. |
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Dave Diehl
From:
Mechanicsville, MD, USA
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Posted 13 May 2007 3:25 pm
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| Funny.... since I last posted on here I have broke two 3rds, one on an Emmons and the other on an MSA and they both had only a few hours of playing on them. So I'll stand by my previous statements. Perhaps it's the George L strings? |
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Bill Ford
From:
Graniteville SC Aiken
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Posted 13 May 2007 4:52 pm
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Alan said,
[color=orange](If you wipe your strings above and below at the end of each session, and then cover your strings, they're not going to deteriorate as fast as if you leave them in the open for dust to settle on them.)
[/color]
I've been doing this for a long time,also I have a piece of soft cloth wrapped around a paint stirring stick that I use to clean the underside of the strings, and fretboard. Also bought a bundle of 12"X24"yellow polish rags that I fold one and lay over the strings,then put my cover on it.
Dave..I've been using GeoLs for about seven years now without a problem, tried another brand but went back to GLs
Just my 2%
_________________
Bill Ford S12 CLR, S12 Lamar keyless, Misc amps&toys Sharp Covers
Steeling for Jesus now!!! |
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Wayne Baker
From:
Altus Oklahoma
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Posted 13 May 2007 6:26 pm String Life
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Billy, I change my strings on both necks weekly when I am playing regularly. Since you live in the UK, do you string your steel on the wrong side???
Wayne Baker |
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Alan Brookes
From:
Brummy living in Southern California
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Posted 13 May 2007 7:01 pm Re: String Life
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| Wayne Baker wrote: |
Billy... ...since you live in the UK, do you string your steel on the wrong side???
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I'm English and I live in California, so how should I string my steel ? Maybe I should do like I do in my car, instead of driving on the left or on the right I drive down the middle. |
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Billy Murdoch
From:
Glasgow, Scotland, U.K.
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Posted 13 May 2007 11:06 pm
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Wayne,
We are pretty well informed over here.
I always put my strings on the top of the guitar with the thinnest one nearest my body.
Best regards
Billy |
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basilh
From:
United Kingdom
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Posted 14 May 2007 12:44 am
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Alan said
| Quote: |
| Baz, I bet now that you've moved from Birmingham to Tamworth you'll notice your strings will last longer... ...unless you take them into a smokey bar-room, that is. |
well, from June 1st smoking in ALL PUBLIC places will be illegal, AND punishable by a fine of up to $5,000.
| Quote: |
Where will smoking be banned?
Smoking in all indoor public places will be banned. Many places - such as cinemas and public transport - have rarely permitted smoking in recent years, and so it will be places like pubs, restaurants, nightclubs and private members' clubs that feel the biggest impact of the ban.
Where will you be able to smoke?
You'll still be allowed to light up outdoors, in the home or places considered to be 'homes', such as prisons, care homes and hotels.
Smoking could still be banned at certain outdoor locations that are 'substantially enclosed', such as football grounds and railway platforms. No decision has yet been made on smoking inside cars carrying passengers.
What will happen if I'm caught fag-in-hand?
If you're caught smoking in a banned area you could be fined £50.
But who's really going to care if I light up a sneaky one?
Those in charge of the premises would be fools to let you get away with it, especially considering that they could face a £2,500 fine if they fail to stop you. They could also be charged on-the-spot fines of £200 if they fail to display no-smoking signs, with the penalty increasing to £1,000 if the issue goes to court.
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Slightly relevant to string life I think.
So, we will all be able to get more life out of our strings.
Not relevant to me, I change them all every fortnight and the .011" .015" .017" and the .022" every week.
_________________
Steelies do it without fretting
CLICK THIS to view my tone bars and buy——> |
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basilh
From:
United Kingdom
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Posted 14 May 2007 12:47 am
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I love the ambiguity in the two lines "What will happen if I'm caught fag-in-hand?" and "But who's really going to care if I light up a sneaky one? "
I think the transatlantic syndrome could help to easily misinterpret these statements as they wing their way across the "Ether"!! |
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