Do Guitar Strings Lose Their Tone? Many guitarists consider their guitar to be the most delicate and fragile instrument. A lot of them were reluctant in tuning and changing their strings but one of the crucial things to consider is to know when you have to change the strings to properly maintain your instrument.
A Must-Read: How Do I Stop My Guitar Picks From Dropping?
Old guitars age well but old strings get worse. Strings gradually deteriorate until you break them or produce some dreary sounds. It will eventually sound dull and lifeless and they lose their capability to hold tension and become more brittle. As a result, it makes the strings feel stiffer and harder to play, and because the strings no longer have the capability to stretch, they get even tighter resulting in sharpness.
Here are some of the things to check if you need to change your strings and some helpful tips that will help you prolong the life of your guitar strings.
Corrosion
Look at your guitar storage environment, the moisture in the air rusts them very quickly. This happens to guitar strings, the process is deteriorated by frequent contact from your fingers which also produced moisture that was left there after you play. This moisture will attack the strings causing them to corrode and kill the tone.
Kinks
Eventually, small kinks will start to form in the length of the strings throughout your guitar journey. These dents are particularly caused by the friction of the fret wire which itself is made by metal. These affect the tone and feel of the strings and make the strings more fragile causing it to break.
Loose Windings
Guitar’s treble strings are made from wires and bass strings are made from a thin wire core. Over time, the windings can become loose, making the string very unpredictable and totally out of control. When this happens, strings normally fall apart, sometimes on nylon strings, it will begin to pull off without even breaking the core.
Protecting Your Strings
Applying hygiene first, wiping down your strings is one of the best ways to fully protect your guitar strings. With the use of a thick cloth, it can help remove the corrosion-causing substance that is present on the strings after playing. This will help to prolong the life of the strings and quite surprisingly, a few guitar players do this regularly. One handy tool to use for this is the ToneGear String Cleaner, it has microfiber materials for better cleaning.
Conditioning Your Strings
Cleaning and conditioning your strings is important, several useful tools can help you achieve it. These products are tested and it works by putting a layer of oil over the strings that will prevent them from harmful corrosive matter.
Products like Dunlop String Cleaner and Fast Fret are good recommended tools that will make sure your guitar strings are protected.
Conclusion
Overall, regardless if you have an old guitar or not, you need to take into consideration not just the body but also the strings. It is a good idea to change your strings before 3 months or 100 hours of use when passed. And also it’s a good investment if you use coated strings as this will give you more time and insurance.
