When Is A Good Time?

Although this is a fairly easy question to answer, you may get different opinions on this depending upon who you pose the question to. One popular band, for example, is said to have their guitar tech change their guitar strings for every show.

In my opinion, if a person is in a situation that might require them to change strings frequently or they have the budget that makes it feasible or a string endorsement deal, then they can restring their guitar as often as they deem necessary, but this is more the exception than the rule.

For the majority of guitarist not gigging on the road with a band day in and day out, changing guitar strings every one to three months makes a lot more sense and is much more budget friendly. Note, weather conditions such as humidity, extreme cold and moisture can affect the quality of life of guitar strings.

It really all comes down to how frequently one plays their guitar and how often they wipe the strings down after playing (Use a dry cloth). A good rule of thumb is to pay attention to whether or not there is oil build up on the strings, because oil from our fingers naturally accumulates over time on the strings as well as the guitar fretboard, and it is at this point that it is a good idea to remove the old set of strings and wipe the guitar down so that you have a clean fretboard to put a new set of strings on.

Selecting Your Strings

Many guitarists who are just starting out may not be sure about what strings to put on their guitar, and of course that all really depends on your particular style of playing. One thing to keep in mind is that the thinner your strings are the more tone quality diminishes.

My recommendations: Light gauge strings for electric and steel string acoustic guitars if your playing style includes any type of string bending, otherwise you could choose thicker strings if you so desired.

When it comes to classical guitar hard tension gauge nylon strings are better than normal tension gauge nylon strings in my opinion based on my own experience as a guitarist.

Due to the nature of the bass and the role that a bass player plays in a band or jam situation string bending is not really a concern even though one could do string bending on a bass guitar if they so chose to. With that said, Light to medium gauge bass strings are recommended, but some players may choose to use thicker strings.

When it comes to buying electric, bass or steel string acoustic guitar strings, I usually opt for Dean Markley, GHS or D'Addario, and for classical guitar, I opt for La Bella or D'Addario.