How often do you change strings on a non-pedal steel guitar?

Gerard Ventura · From: Texas, USA

I don't play it as often as I should (just learning). Probably 2 years since I strung them (D8 Stringmaster clone, Elva West), no rust, grime or spilt beer, and they sound good as best I can tell. Thanks!

Noah Miller · From: Rocky Hill, CT

Certainly a lot less often than the strings on a Spanish guitar.

Tim Whitlock · From: Colorado, USA

Maybe every 6 months avg per instrument? I love the sound of fresh strings but I can live with the old ones, especially considering the cost of changing 88 strings over 6 steel guitars.

Dom Franco · From: Beaverton, OR, 97007

They seem to last forever! I use the heaviest gauge string possible for each pitch and they just never break. I do change them every year or so because I don't want one to eventually fail during a gig. I play hundreds of gigs each year, and I'm practicing or recording several days a week.

When I was playing Pedal steel the high G# would break often due to bending. So I would change it often to avoid failure during a gig.

For the last 12 years or so, playing non-pedal steel constantly I have never broken a string!

Dom Very Happy

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Lee Holliday · From: United Kingdom

Not very often, I have also started using Daddario chromes and they seem to last a long time also reduce the noise of the slide/steel

John Larson · From: Pennsyltucky, USA

You can get more life out of them with this stuff as well.

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Rich Arnold · From: Tennessee, USA

It all depends.
My Fender seems to need a change often. But I have an old Magnatone that sounds great with dull strings.

David Ball · From: North Carolina High Country

Doug Taylor · From: Shelbyville, Kentucky, USA

For those using chromes what set would you recommend using? I tune c6 and e13. 6 string

David Ball · From: North Carolina High Country

I'm using them on an 8 string Clinesmith with a horseshoe pickup and bought singles to match a standard C6 8 string set. Can't recall the exact gauges, but I didn't find a pre packaged set that suited me. The tone of the chromes is a little less bright than round wounds, but with the Clinesmith it sounds great. Plus the decreased bar noise is a plus.

Dave

Doug Taylor · From: Shelbyville, Kentucky, USA

Thank you Dave, I was not aware you could get custom sets, I assumed you were using electric guitar sets. I need to do some looking!

Nic Neufeld · From: Kansas City, Missouri

As far as I know you won't be able to find a string set that fits common tunings for lap steel in a flatwound set. It is possible though you could get lucky with a flatwound set that some of the strings worked fine with your tuning (maybe augmented with others). This won't be as cheap...but you can buy single strings for a custom set here:

https://juststrings.com/electric-guitar-chromes-single-strings-1.html

Plain strings can be any other brand. They have Thomastik flats too but boy those can be expensive! Love them on my bass though (albeit for reasons I wouldn't like them on a steel with...light tension, among other things)
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Tim Whitlock · From: Colorado, USA

Nic Neufeld · From: Kansas City, Missouri

I stand corrected, I forgot about the SIT semi-flats. I even had some of those on a guitar, I think. If I recall they are groundwound or similar...more of a roundwound but with the outer surface ground to partially flat. It's kind of an in-between of a true tape / flatwound and a roundwound, but that may be a good thing as most steel players like the tone of roundwounds, but this would give a smoother feel. Since I've been using Basil's bars I don't get a lot of string noise so I haven't worried about it too much. But that's a great suggestion! I think being partially roundwound, they still might be subject to going dull...but for that matter, it isn't that flatwounds don't go dull, they just start out that way! Smile

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Jack Hanson · From: San Luis Valley, USA

When one breaks (seldom), I'll change 'em all. Or if I want to change tunings on a particular instrument and the gauges are wrong, I'll change 'em. I have several lap steels with strings that have been on there for over a decade, and they still sound great.

David Ball · From: North Carolina High Country

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