String Win and Lesson

Small Wins

String Win and Lesson

Posted by darcelle on January 9, 2022 at 2:21 pm
After putting it off for way too long, I finally decided today was the day to change strings on at least one of the guitars. I don’t know why, but I am always convinced I will lose an eye when I do it. I almost went out to the shop to get my full face shield just to put the jitters at ease, but I proceeded without it and can still see. That’s my small string win.

String lesson, there is no point in buying strings just to collect them. For me, it is the Santa Cruz Parabolic strings that I had a subscription for. Every three months a new set arrived in the mail. I have enough guitars to switch strings on at least one guitar every three months, regardless of how much I have played it. But to the lesson, strings DO NOT last forever, even if kept under the best conditions possible. I had a B string that came out of the package with corrosion. Opened up another package and the same thing, but not nearly as bad, so I used it. The guitar does sound better with new strings, but I will be watching that B string closely and might be changing strings again soon because I don’t want to have to worry about it breaking on me. Lesson learned!
- This discussion was modified 4 years, 2 months ago by darcelle.
darcelle replied 4 years, 2 months ago 6 Members · 11 Replies
11 Replies

jumpinjeff

Member
January 9, 2022 at 2:30 pm

I am liking that win @darcelle . I use a dry sponge on the scour side to dress my strings followed by a good wipe with a soft cloth (rub until the color does not change on the cloth) to extend life a bit. May work for your corroded Bstring. Wonder if Santa Cruz would send you new if you told them about your “new” corroded B string?
GraceX

Member
January 9, 2022 at 4:32 pm

HA! I thought it was only me that was scared of the strings pinging and putting my eye out. I actually had a string break when changing it and it cut my hand – them things are dangerous! I have weekly in person lessons in an instrument shop and free string change is part of the the service they offer for students thank God.

I asked my teacher and he said really for me I’d only need to change strings once a year or so – more for him as he is a professional artist who performs regularly and records.
- darcelle
  
  Member
  January 15, 2022 at 6:15 am
  
  👍
Loraine

Member
January 9, 2022 at 5:21 pm

Great win – facing your trepidation and just doing it. I agree with @jumpinjeff about contacting Santa Cruz to see if they’d replace the 2 sets of strings.
- darcelle
  
  Member
  January 10, 2022 at 4:08 am
  @Loraine & @jumpinjeff — After I noticed the corrosion on the B string, a quick internet research taught me that new strings have a “shelf-life” of 3-7 years because they are made of metal, time and humidity can get to them. The strings I used yesterday I received in 2018. I take the blame for their condition because I didn’t use them in a timely manner. If there is one thing I would have to say about the packaging though, it would be that I wish Santa Cruz used a sealed package like some other manufacturers, since that might help preserve the strings longer.
  
  Moving forward I am just going to make it a point to change the strings more often. I won’t be as nervous about it, and the guitars will sound better!
  - This reply was modified 4 years, 2 months ago by darcelle.
  - jumpinjeff
    
    Member
    January 10, 2022 at 7:26 am
    
    I like how you operate @darcelle Win, win, win, win.
  - darcelle
    
    Member
    January 15, 2022 at 6:14 am
    
    Thanks, @jumpinjeff !
albert_d

Member
January 10, 2022 at 8:31 am

Thanks for bringing string change up with this win Darcelle and thanks to others for your experience with keeping strings fresh. A new thing for the To Do List.
- darcelle
  
  Member
  January 15, 2022 at 6:15 am
  
  👍
Ron49

Member
January 10, 2022 at 11:42 am

Like a lot of things in life, guitars have all sorts of things that seem hard or scary until we do them once.

Always slack all strings way off before you start so there’s no tension effect. If acoustic, pull all pins with strings slack, remove the ball head from the bridge hole, hold all strings as a bundle with one hand while unwrapping each string one at a time from the post with the other hand staying a few inches away from the end. You can then just coil up the whole bundle and trash. Very little risk of injury.
- darcelle
  
  Member
  January 15, 2022 at 6:23 am
  
  Thanks for the tips, @Ron49. My hesitation isn’t in the unstringing, it’s in the ‘retuning’. I had a string break once while tuning new strings, and that has stuck with me. Now I have convinced myself that new strings are more likely to break, or in my case with the ‘old/new’ set I put on that they are inherently weak because they are not 100% perfect to start. 😁

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