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ChristopherSchlegel
Guitar Tricks Instructor
Joined: 08/09/05
Posts: 8,328
ChristopherSchlegel
Guitar Tricks Instructor
Joined: 08/09/05
Posts: 8,328
02/28/2021 4:39 pm
Originally Posted by: lee05503And the last 7 or 8 days I've been spending between 8-12 hrs[/quote]

Wow, that's a lot of practicing! You are much more likely to wear out and, or break strings with that much use.

Originally Posted by: lee05503So any advice?[/quote]

Snojones offered great advice: clean your strings between sessions. And if you going to play for long stretches it will help to wipe them down every so often. I have several old hand towel laying around the studio for this purpose. I keep at least one cleaned one in every guitar case that's ready to leave the house.

How long strings last depends on use, but also by individual body chemistry. Some people have more acidic sweat, naturally oily skin, more dead skin cells shedded on whatever they contact. Those can definitely have a corrosive effect on strings. That's where wiping your strings down with a hand towel will help. Also, wash your hands & keep the guitar clean.

Originally Posted by: lee05503I read somewhere online that a string will need to be changed every 100 hrs of play? But if that is the case am I gonna be running through strings quickly?

I don't know of any scientifically confirmed study on the subject. But, in general, the more you play the quicker you are going to go through strings.

[quote=lee05503]I'm curretly using Ernie Ball super slinky "9s in pink package".

Those are also my string of choice. And I find that the Ernie Ball Paradigm strings last much longer than the regular ones. But they are more expensive. So, I still use both models. I try to keep a set of Paradigms on my most used work Strats & keep them ultra clean.

You might experiment with some other brands. I've noticed that some brands last shorter or longer for me. That's why I use Ernie Ball. Best solution for my body chemistry & playing style.

[quote=lee05503]How often do you guys go through strings?

For the last decade I play between 2-4 hours a day, 7 days a week, depending on what project I'm working on. Occasionally more, sometimes less.

I break at least 1 or 2 high E strings & a D string once a week, the thinnest of the unwound & wound strings! Sometimes another string depending on the task. Bending a lot? Break a B string or two. Doing a lot of low rhythm work, break an E or A string. I replace individual strings then. I buy packs of high E strings. Occasionally a pack of D strings.

Every 2-3 weeks I change all the strings on a guitar that gets used a lot. After a couple of weeks of use the strings lose their brightness & sound too dull for me. And they gradually lose their tuning stability. I try to rotate guitars so they last longer. I use different guitars for different projects. and because it's fun to play different guitars. Or at least different Strats around here. :)

And back in my regular performing days one night of a 4 hours gig totally ruins a set of strings. I almost always put on a new set before each gig.

[br]Hope that helps!


Christopher Schlegel
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