How do you change your strings?

[colgraff]

Do you change your strings all at the same time?
If so do you do it regularly, or when they go lumpy and a funny colour?
Do you just change one when it breaks and leave the others?

Personally, I change my entire set at the same time and give my bass a good clean and polish when the strings are off, too. This happens every month or two these days, but when I wasn't gigging very often it would only happen before a recording or every six months, whichever was sooner.

I also auditioned with a band whose guitarist was proud of having never changed the low E on his guitar which he had had since he was at school (some 15 years previously.) I didn't take the job!

[discreet]

Don't change 'em very often. Especially flats. I like rounds when they're a bit worn in, too. I don't really break strings, so I'll change them as a set. Don't see the point in doing otherwise. I read somewhere you're supposed to change one string at a time to keep tension on the neck, but I've also taken a set off completely before putting the new strings on and it didn't seem to make a great deal of difference.

When I get a new bass, or another bass, I'll immediately change the strings to one of my brands before playing it - you can't really tell what a bass sounds like with unidentified strings on it, regardless of their age.

Edited October 16, 2015 by discreet

[Number6]

Only if they break or if i cannot get the intonation on a string correct. I tend to use Roto 66 nickels on everything.

Edited October 16, 2015 by Number6

[Twigman]

The whole set, one at a time but infrequently.
I have some flats that have been on my JV for about 15 years.
The half rounds on my main bass get changed maybe once or twice a year.

[KevB]

All at same time, give the less accessible places a wipe down while I'm at it. Change every 6 months or so with reasonable use but I'm only paying about £6 per set.

[TrevorR]

All off at once, clean-oil-polish the fingerboard, relubricate all the bits the strings pass over and then restring from E up to G. Usually every 6 months or so - but then I'm not playing as much as I used to, don't punish the strings too much with my playing and have pretty dry hands when I'm playing so strings have always lasted pretty well for me. Been using Picato stainless steel rounds 45-105 recently which seem like very nice strings.

[Roland Rock]

I change the entire set around once a year

[Norris]

Take the old ones off, clean the fretboard a bit, put the new ones on.

[discreet]

[quote name='KevB' timestamp='1444995652' post='2887964']
...give the less accessible places a wipe down while I'm at it.
[/quote]

Pics, please.

[JTUK]

6 weeks and when they feel off.

Who on earth would change 1 string?

[Slipperydick]

When they start to sound dead, which with Roto's doesn't take as long as it used to.

All of em, one at a time and tune them before I move on to the next one. Then stretch em and retune the lot.

[Geek99]

about once a year I change them; the whole set, but one at a time to keep tension.
I don't clean my bass much as I want it to relic and I like to keep those nice abrasive particles where they can grind away at the finish. Quick wipe down with a cloth is enough.

Jamerson said that dirt kept the funk in and I guess he'd know...

[Number6]

[quote name='JTUK' timestamp='1445001365' post='2888063']
6 weeks and when they feel off.

Who on earth would change 1 string?
[/quote]

6 weeks.....really! Wow! I know it's an individual thing but that is frequent.

[Coilte]

I change mine all at the same time. However, I loosen the old strings gently and gradually, so the neck can adjust easily. Changing all together makes it easier to give the fret board a quick clean.

[Lozz196]

Entire set changed all at the same time, fretboard given a clean, graphite into the nut. Only change the strings when they no longer hold their tuning, for me, with a set of Rotosound steel rounds that`s about 6 months usually, though my last set only lasted 3 months.

[RockfordStone]

all at once for me, and i clean the neck polish the bass etc.
i probably change my main bass every 3 months as i don't like the bright sound but don't like it when they sound dead. other basses maybe every 6 months if they need it.

[LiamPodmore]

I change them individually, but the whole set at a time, never just 1 string. Change 'em every 6 months or so at the moment because they're Elixir strings and don't get much use. When i was gigging it was 2-3 months with Elixirs or 3-4 weeks with anything uncoated, sometimes less.

Liam

Edited October 16, 2015 by LiamPodmore

[CHW]

On Bass- very infrequently. but the whole set.
On guitar I used to change one at a time, but noticed how much less opportunity there is to give everything a good clean, so I've gone back to all off.

Is the whole change one string at a time thing an urban myth, I've never heard anyone report problems with a stringed instrument having regularly taken all of the strings off??

[JTUK]

[quote name='Number6' timestamp='1445004403' post='2888101']
6 weeks.....really! Wow! I know it's an individual thing but that is frequent.
[/quote]


It is more the feel of them all gunked up that is the biggest driver... but the sound is important of course.

I'll clean the strings and re-use so it is not like it is a brand new pack..altho I do have 3 brand new sets
waiting to be used.

[brensabre79]

All strings, one at a time. Unless the fretboard is looking grubby, then I'll take them all off and give it a good clean - I usually combine this with a service and setup though so it needs a bit of time. I change them when they start to feel a bit like rubber bands (they seem to go quite dead and lose all their life).

When I was playing for a living (many years ago now) I used Elites and changed them once a week - they wouldn't last me 2 weeks. Occasionally, if I could get them, I'd use Thomastik roundwounds, they would last me a month and sounded sweet, but were twice the price and nobody stocked them.

These days I've changed my string provider and I don't do 4-5 gigs a week either, so changes are more like every 6 months.

[JellyKnees]

[quote name='Number6' timestamp='1445004403' post='2888101']
6 weeks.....really! Wow! I know it's an individual thing but that is frequent.
[/quote]

Entirely depends how much action they get. Back in the 80/90s when I was giging and rehearsing loads I had to change strings every 3-4 weeks or sometimes even less!

These days it's probably 3-4 months on my Dingwall and whenever I feel like a change on my Tune Maniac fretless, which currently has TIs on it. I don't break strings so I just change the whole set, one ast a time. I usually give the fingerboard a bit of a wipe while I'm at it.

[el borracho]

I change about every 6 months unless they have gone too dead.

For some long forgotten reason I change the E first then from G down to A. Been doing it like that for 30 years and I'm not sure why!

[gazhowe]

Depends on how much I'm gigging. I like the sound of new strings so I may change any time between every 4-8 gigs.

[rogerstodge]

[quote name='KevB' timestamp='1444995652' post='2887964']
All at same time, give the less accessible places a wipe down while I'm at it. Change every 6 months or so with reasonable use but I'm only paying about £6 per set.
[/quote]6 squid a set, get me some mate,

[Gottastopbuyinggear]

[quote name='CHW' timestamp='1445008063' post='2888149']
Is the whole change one string at a time thing an urban myth, I've never heard anyone report problems with a stringed instrument having regularly taken all of the strings off??
[/quote]

I can't believe it could really be a problem - necks don't get made or have their frets levelled under tension, and if your truss rod adjustment is at the heel then you often have to slacken the strings right off to shift or remove the neck to adjust it. Perhaps snipping all the strings off from full tension might be a bit of a shock for an old instrument, but in general I'd suggest it's nonsense.

But what do I know? Perhaps someone more knowledgable will be along shortly to put me right!