If you’re a guitar player, then you’re probably very used to having to change your guitar strings. After several weeks of playing, they lose their brightness and the sound quality deteriorates. But why is this?
The reason is that, as you play, dirt and oil from your fingers will transfer to the strings. Even if you wash your hands first, the oil in the skin will still be present and still gets transferred. This means that the parts of the stings that get more oil on them (the parts that are played most regularly) will start to vibrate less than they should. This leads to an uneven ringing along the string (which in turn leads to an uneven tone), and it also dulls the actual note.
How long it takes before you’ll have to change the string is a difficult question to answer, as it’s different for everyone. It depends on numerous factors, including how often you play, for how long you play, how well you care for the stings, what the sting is made of, etc. However, for the play-at-home amateur who perhaps just plays the occasional acoustic guitar cover, about once a month should be more than often enough. Professionals often change their strings at least once a week.
As mentioned above, what the string’s made of also plays a factor. It we take acoustic strings: There are multiple types, with the most common being bronze wound stings and phosphor bronze strings. Wound bronze strings are great because they have a very bright sound initially. However, this bright tone wears off quickly, and the sound becomes dull with just a few days of playing.
The strings I now buy almost exclusivity for my acoustic guitar are phosphor bronze strings. Their tone is much warmer and not as bright as wound bronze strings. And due to the addition of phosphor into the mix, their sound remains warm for a much longer period of time.
If you’re a beginner always try a few brands of string until you settle on one you like.