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Chapter 16
Changing Strings
In This Chapter
Knowing when and how to change your strings
Shopping for the correct strings
Changing out the old strings for the new
Stocking your toolkit
Playing the blues can be a sweaty, muscular, gritty activity — if you’re
doing it correctly, that is. And while your guitar can handle pretty much
any abuse you deliver (within reason), your strings aren’t so hardy. Through
repeated contact with human hands and fingers, strings lose their tone and
won’t play in tune; they also wear out and eventually may break. Because of
the repetitive use, you eventually have to change them. So do it regularly —
just like changing the oil in your car, it’s almost impossible to overdo it. And
changing strings is less messy and a lot cheaper.
In this chapter, I break down the ins and outs of string-changing into the two
most common types of guitars (electric and acoustic) you encounter when
playing the blues.
Change Is Good, But When?
You may need to change the strings of your guitar in many different situations:
A string breaks, providing a jolting reminder that all the strings may
need changing
The strings sound dull and lifeless; they may even look dull
The strings no longer play in tune, exhibiting evidence they’ve lost their
flexibility
If you break a string while playing, you need to replace at least one of the
strings (the broken one, naturally) immediately. But you should also change
all your strings (the entire set of six) every two to three months to keep the
strings fresh — that is, in tune and able to produce a bright, lively tone.
TEAM LinG