Your guitar strings should be changed when they get rusty, start to break, or lose their tone. There are many factors that affect the life of a guitar string from climate to the amount of time you play them to the type of string. Guitar string generally last between 3 to 6 sets.

When changing strings leave enough slack to ensure that there is going to be 3 – 5 turns of string around the tuning head. Make sure you gently but firmly stretch the strings when they are new. While connected to your tuner keep pulling and stretching the string and re-tune as necessary. Remember to stretch your nylon strings so they stay in tune.

There are many good products out there that lock the string into the guitar head and require no turns or wraps. Make sure to do your research but two good ones are Spertzel or Grover locking machines.

Especially good on electric guitars with tremelo bridges or ‘tune o matic’ bridges is to change the strings individually. This stops the tremolo becoming unadjusted or from falling off the guitar and losing the whole set up.

Always keep your new strings as clean as possible by wiping them down after each playing and using string life products such as Fast Fret or Finger Ease before and after each playing session. It makes a HUGE difference on the life of your strings and length of a good string tone. You can greatly extend string life by also using strings brands such as Elixir strings, which add about 8 times to the life of strings. However, they are about 3 times more expensive than normal strings.

By following the tips above you will be able to have your strings last longer. Moreover, you don’t have to worry about popping a string during a set, which would be an embarrassing disaster. Change and clean your strings well. Buy quality guitar strings. Don’t got cheap- you will regret it.

Strings should be changed whenever they start to look or feel rusty, start breaking, lose their tone and sound, or look dull. It is difficult to know how long strings will last as factors such as climate, how often (or not) you play your guitar, whether you are working in a band or just playing at home, all effect the longevity of your strings. Generally, when playing a full night with a band, strings will usually only last 3 – 6 gigs. After that, you risk the embarrassment of snapping a string during one of your glorious solos.

When changing strings leave enough slack to ensure that there is going to be 3 – 5 turns of string around the tuning head. Do no not use too many turns or wraps as this leads to tuning instability and constant string stretching. Make sure you gently but firmly stretch the strings when they are new. While connected to your tuner keep pulling and stretching the string and re-tune as necessary. Remember that nylon strings will always take a great deal of stretching to remain in tune.

There are a lot of products that can help you with this process. Many require no turns or wrap because they lock right into place over the machine head.

Another good idea is to use a tune o matic bridge to change the strings one at a time. This prevents the tremolo from going out of adjustment and from falling off the guitar. This way you don’t ruin the whole guitar set up. This is especially good on electric guitars.

Always keep your new strings as clean as possible by wiping them down after each playing and using string life products such as Fast Fret or Finger Ease before and after each playing session. It makes a HUGE difference on the life of your strings and length of a good string tone. You can greatly extend string life by also using strings brands such as Elixir strings, which add about 8 times to the life of strings. However, they are about 3 times more expensive than normal strings.

By following the tips above you will be able to have your strings last longer. Moreover, you don’t have to worry about popping a string during a set, which would be an embarrassing disaster. Change and clean your strings well. Buy quality guitar strings. Don’t got cheap- you will regret it.