How often do I change my guitar strings?

It really depends but generally, the more often you play, the faster you'll need to replace your strings. As strings age, the accumulated oil/grease means that they begin to sound more "dead" or "dark". Some people actually like that dead sound (that's more common with bass players), but elsewise when you begin to hear that you'll want to change your strings. Also, if your strings start coming out of tune more frequently than they used to it's time to change your strings. The rule I learned for tennis strings that I now use for guitar strings is that you change them as many times per year as you play per week. So if you're really playing 7 days a week, you'll want to change them 7 times per year, or about every 2 months. But again, your mileage may vary depending on how well you take care of your guitar, how much you play, and what sound you're going for. Nick

It's a preference thing for sure. On my acoustic, I like them to be crisp and new. On my electric, I don't care as much and change them when I notice that the high e and B string are accumulating that blackish/greenish grime under the bottom of the string. Or when I'm near a guitar store and it reminds me to change them. Or, when I notice that grime is getting on the fretboard, and I'll use lemon oil to give the fretboard a quick cleaning and put on new strings after. For my Fender strat, I like new strings. I don't play it too often, so maybe every 2-3 months. I like the brighter tone when I use it for clean, bluesy guitar. For my Schecters, which are for my band, I change them every 3-4 months or longer... depending on if a string breaks. For my band, I like the darker feel I get when I add gain to the mix. We're a hard rock/metal/punk band. Also, I do like that new string feel, so when you're starting out, you may like to change your strings every month or two. 45 minutes to 2 hours a day should be devote practice time... no farting around, no sitting and watching t.v. while you strum away aimlessly. I did that and it got me nowhere the first 10 years of my playing. These last 5 years have been hell, trying to get out of bad habits. I would say 1 hour should be minimum strict practice routine, and 30 minutes should be to learning (i.e. new chords, theory, scales, etc.) and the last 30 minutes should be spent working on a song that you are trying to learn to play.

nicks rt, it does depend on how often u play. i went 7 months w/o changing string on my electric because back when i started i sucked so i spent less time strumming and more time tryin to get me fingers under to play. now days i hafta change em every 2-3 months, my nylon acoustic bout 4 months, and steel string around 3-4 months (but i fingerpick alot more than i use a pick, less wear cause of it) since ur not doin too much, u'll b good for another 3-5 months unless u pop em. use phosper bronze for ur acoustic steel stringed guitar, it has a brighter and more rich tone, i use......i think they are Martin's (ive only changed the strings once since i bout it like four months ago, but i play it now bout 2-4 hrs a day, 6 on a good day)

I have let some of my guitars go without a string change for years, but I don't play them everyday. My primary guitar is my HD-35 Martin and I average a change every 30 days. Should I have a scheduled gig I will change the strings two days before the event. Consider changing your strings when the instrument has to be tuned frequently or you see crud build up on the strings and fretboard. I have used many different brands on my guitars, but favor the phosphor bronze Martin 550 mediums.

Its a personal preferance. Some 'artistes' change strings after every performance! Some keep them on til a string breaks & then replace the whole set. Some just keep them on & let sweat & grime accumulate on 'em b/c, to their ears, the tone is worth the dirt. In the end, it all comes down to when you figure its time. For me, personally, if my hand can't easily slide down the strings b/c of the grime, its time to spring for a new set.

If you're just learning to play then you could probably go as much as 6 months without changing them, but you will notice they'll start to sound kind of dead, as the others have said. New strings have a nice bright tone. If you start playing in public, you'll probably want to change them every month or two because you'll want the nice bright tone. I like the Martin SP's on my acoustics, but the D'Addarios are good too (I use D'Addario XL's on my electric guitars). I usually buy a 10pack when they're on sale and change them every couple months. I play in church every Sunday and play at home maybe an hour a day at most (hard to find time with 3 kids!). Before I started playing in church though, I'd only change them every 6 months or so. It's a good idea to keep track of when you last changed them. I usually put the old ones in the package the new ones came from and write the date I changed them on the package. That way you know when you last changed strings and you have the old ones in case you break one of the new ones. Luckily guitar strings are cheap, I've spent hundreds of dollars for strings for my daughters' cello, viola, and violins!

Playing like you describe, at that rate of use, not less than 30 days. They will likely hold up much longer, but the sound and touch characteristics will change and alter your mechanics somewhat. Not that it is a BIG deal, but it helps. Cleaning them after every use (even just wiping them down) will prolong them somewhat, sometimes twice as long. More like 1.5 times as long. They'll last much longer than that, but if you wait much longer, you will see that every time you change strings, you will play and it will feel like "aahhhh" and sound like "woah!" If that is the case, you are waiting too long. Now that is purely if you want to keep that 'cherry' feeling all the time. As I think guitarpicker said, most touring guys like to have a set schedule with their strings in their 'sweet spot' as the musician decides, and that's usually rather fresh. Of course, if you don't play often and store the instrument well, strings can last effectively forever, but at your rate and type of play, you should strongly consider every 30 days as a general rule, give or take. If you're one of those people with corrosive body chemistry, halve that.

well that really depends on your preference. strings don't "really" need to be changed until they break. However, they will start sounding like sh*t. i would say to maintain a good sound, every 2-3 months