When Should You Change Guitar Strings?

When should you change your guitar strings?  The answer, like for so many guitar-related questions, is different for everyone.

The material, gauge, and brand of strings, along with how you take care of them, will determine their life and when to change them. Some guitarists keep strings for a specific length of time, while others keep an eye on by tone, look, or feel to help them figure it out. A few pros prefer to have fresh strings for every performance.

Close up on guitar strings around tuning pegs.

Change Your Strings When They Feel, Look, or Sound Weird

If you don’t play a predictable number of hours every week/month, it's better to analyze your strings color, tone, and overall playability. This is, of course, because without predictable wear and tear, you won't know when it's time to change your strings.

If you haven't changed your strings in a while, but you also haven't played that often, and they still sound nice, then you should wait longer before changing them. Conversely, if you've been playing a lot, how old the strings are doesn't much matter, if they no longer sound decent, feel dirty, or look corroded.

Change Strings When You Want a New Sound

String changes can be fun—really! It gives you a chance to try new gauges (sizes) and alloys, which will give you different sounds and feels. It’s totally acceptable to change strings just for testing purposes.

Change Strings When You’re Gigging A Lot

If you have a lot of gigs lined up, but your strings are still in decent condition, you might still want to change them before your next one. You don’t have to take it as far as some pros do i.e. changing strings every performance. But if you might not have a chance to change strings in between your gigs, it's a good idea to get ahead of it and change your strings early, even if it might not quite be time yet.

No matter of when you change strings, you should have an extra set on hand, in the unlikely but highly unsettling even that you break a string. While older strings are more prone to breaking, sometimes strings can surprise you. You'll want to be ready if and when that does happen. So always keep an extra set on hand.