How Often Should You Change Your Strings?

Join me as i restring a bunch of my guitars and open up the conversation on restringing. Things i like to do, how often should you change your strings and all sorts!

Lemme know your hacks in the Comments!

00:00 - Intro
00:38 - How Often I Change Strings
01:23 - What Tools and Strat Strings
03:50 - Strat Playing
05:05 - Slapping Strings Into Life
05:56 - Baritone Strings
08:32 - Baritone Playings
10:04 - Saving Special Strings
11:12 - Relic
11:56 - Mayones Strings
13:49 - Mayones Playing
16:10 - Summary


Video edited by John Hollingworth
#rabeaafro #restringing #PITA
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[scottyknows]

Dude! I have that same D'addario string winder and I had no idea i could use it to stretch strings! Thanks for the tip!!

[jannik]

Made it a habit to thoroughly clean my guitars every time I change the strings. Fretboards can get pretty nasty over time when not cleaned regularly.

[jremi]

I find the clean arpeggiated chords Rabea does on his baritone so inspiring (around the 9 min point in this video). Baritone guitar can do a lot more than just heavy riffs.

[mckeithenmccormick]

As a novice player, videos like this are a great resource. Thanks for putting this out!

[maekong]

I'm a recent subscriber. Tucked away in the middle of no-man's land, I just want to say it is a pleasure to hang out with you. I learn some stuff, but I mainly just feel good for having done it. You're solid. Keep up the great work.

[joeshmoe]

I have very dry hands, so no re-stringing every gig!

I have guitars with strings 3-4 years old, mostly my around the house beaters.

Guitars to gig with (mostly acoustic) I change more often but still stretch it out quite awhile. Sound does suffer a little but amped and through a PA I can live with it. I am way too lazy to re-string as much as most people.

I now make the habit of only changing the wound strings, and leave the B, E. This leaves me with more spares of the ones I break the most. I change more often, once I have a personal guitar tech...LOL

[MartyDadRiffs]

I had been noodling around on guitars for 30+ years until I started using Fast Fret. It is now part of my process. I hasn't improved my playing, but it sure has given me something new to obsess over. I have you and Uncle Ben to thank for that.

[RandomPlateu]

Bro I've had that same restringing tool for 12 yeaars and never have I known that you can stretch the strings with it as well! Absolutley blew my mind!

[BeknDignum]

Other than your original songs, I think these are my favourite videos of yours, mate. Love hearing you chat about guitars and your personal approach to things!

[justcantshred]

Love the NYXL 11-56 set for anything Drop C on my PRS Guitars. 10-52 for Drop D. I have six guitars and will typically restring every two months, all of them in a afternoon. I enjoy the process and use it as an opportunity to tighten anything that needs an adjustment, give them a deep clean, etc. That first Drop C power chord with fresh strings is always glorious.

[StortHast]

This video came out right as I broke a string on my strat, which I've actually never replaced the strings on before so impeccable timing

[PNDA]

Ive had one of those old planet wave string winders for year. Had NO idea it had a string stretcher built in. Totally blew my mind.

[brandonlesko]

I have six electrics and two acoustics. If I constantly rotate my guitars the strings last a long time. Before using TUSQ nuts & lubricating the saddles I would break strings a lot. Reducing the friction points will greatly extend the string life. I also apply some lubrication to the saddles before I tune. All of this means I don't have to change strings very often.

[thedutchdjentleman]

The trick of slapping the strings against the fretboard is something I use whenever I want to record but my strings are old. It works a charm.

For any guitars that don’t have locking tuners (which is all of mine sadly) I measure the length as one tuning peg further than what tuner you’re putting the string through.

Massively important for me is giving my guitar a good clean when I restring it.

[LucasMastropasqua]

I also have that string winder and I didn’t know about the built in stretcher! So thanks for that! I have been using finger ease which is a spray on string coating and lubricant, for about 25 years and it also get sprayed on the back of the neck and it can be messy so I might give the fast fret a try.

[TheGhostGuitars]

My restringing intervals are mostly in line with what ye do. Leisure/self-only gets changed only when absolutely needed (basically when they break, LOL). Display guitars gets changed when strings goes visibly rusty. Recording/tracking guitars gets changed occasionally as needed (on order of quarter annually @ ~2-3 months). Guitars that I reach for often gets changed about 3-4 weeks. Gigging guitars gets changed every gig... it's too much of a pain having a string fail mid gig (Murphy's law: it usually breaks on the 2nd piece right at the beginning). Not to mention embarrassing. 😉😁

[kevinteo]

As someone living in Singapore, uncoated strings really don't last more than a week due to the humidity (and my sweaty hands HAHA). So I use Elixir Optiwebs, but man they're expensive. I have 4 electrics and I can't play all of them, so I usually leave some of them to rust while I play the restringed ones. I know, bad practice. I find that I play about 2 guitars for 3 months before I get bored anyway lol. Also saves cost. Anyway thanks for doing what you do bea, your demos have inspired me to record and mix my own songs. Cheers from Singapore :D

[KeithShelley]

7:34 when I started tuning my Telecaster to baritone, I used the Ernie Ball Mammoth Slinky set (12-62) and I grew to really like the wound G. It makes it feel like a different instrument, almost.

[acoustrip]

I stretch my strings with only my hand. I also use the "2 tuning machines for cutting length". Changing strings depends on if you sweat, what you do, etc.... But if you give your guitars to a Luthier (which I am. ;) )it's better to change often strings to preserve the work of the set-up. Because of the initial tension. Go and discus with guitar/bass makers to get the best gauge for each of you guitars.

[pvdguitars]

I have 17 guitars, so strings need to live a long time. I cook the strings in vinegar. Cleans them up really well. Cleaning the unwound strings with metal polish will make em shine again. Not that they will sound new, but it takes a lot of the dullness away. Believe it or not, I have a strat with 40 years old strings, and they still look and sound ‘decent’ !