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How often should I change my strings?

There's no magic number. Anyone who gives you one is guessing. How often you change strings depends on how much you play, how your sweat treats metal, and what you want your guitar to actually sound like. Forget the calendar. Trust your ears and your fingers.

• Sound dull or dead — noticeably flatter than fresh.
• Look dark, grimy, discolored, or corroded.
• Feel rough or grooved under your fingers.
• Won't hold pitch and keep drifting out of tune.

How long a set actually lasts also depends on whether they're coated or not — see Strings • What's the difference between coated and uncoated strings?.

Daily players who sweat like it's a competitive sport might burn through strings weekly or every couple weeks. Casual players might stretch a month or more. Occasional players can squeeze a couple months out of a set before tone — not breakage — finally forces the issue. These are ranges, not rules. Your hands, your climate, and how often you actually wipe your strings down all move the needle.

Got a session or a big gig coming up? Put on fresh strings the day of, or the day before so they settle. Dead strings are one of the most common, most avoidable reasons a recording sounds worse than it should. For everyday practice, though, chasing new-string sparkle constantly is a waste of money and strings.

Change strings when they sound bad or feel bad, not because a calendar told you to. And if you genuinely can't remember the last time you changed them, that's your answer. Go change them, or Book Now for a Restring & Setup.