How often do you change your strings?

Mivo

Well-known member
Joined
Feb 25, 2013
Messages
2,526
Reaction score
72
Location
Germany
It seems that everyone has their own rules and preferences when it comes to changing their ukulele strings.

What are your guidelines? Do you wait until they peel, snap, or go out of tune every five minutes? Or do you replace them every two months, regardless of how much you've played? Half a year?

This is just about regular string changes, not the experimental (looking for nicer sounding strings) or addictive (can't afford a new uke, but strings are cheap and stop the itch!) changing. :)

Personally, with my first ukes I waited a long time, because I was intimidated by the prospect of changing strings. There was the "Ugh, what if I mess it up and can't play?" fear in the picture. I haven't run into peeling or snapping or de-tuning with strings, so changes only happened when I was curious about what other strings sound like. (I'm not very experimental and seem to stick to the same brand/material that worked on a uke, which is usually what it came with.)
 
Yeah, um . . . I don't change strings. Scares the begeebers out of me . . .

Not that my strings get much wear. I am hoping to change that now that I have graduated from seminary and have some free time again.
 
I generally change then when tone starts to go downhill or six moths. That is , unless I'm trying to the "string" for a particular ukulele, then it might be two weeks or a month. I have my "go to" I always try on a new ukulele and if I don't like tone or feel on any string set, I just change it.

Key is to change string a lot when you first start to get the technique down and then you feel confident doing so. Lots of good video's on the net but getting hands on is KEY.
 
Yeah, um . . . I don't change strings. Scares the begeebers out of me . . .

I can absolutely relate! Still haven't tackled the uke that has a pin bridge, or the one that has friction tuners (but it's just two weeks old). The slotted and tied bridges turned out to be pretty easy, after much fretting about! What provided courage was this lengthy video by HMS. I also bought one of those string winders (manual one, just a couple euros).
 
I change them when either I nick a string or when it starts to sound off.
Time seems to be a less reliable gauge, because not all strings wear as well.
For me, worth sound great new, but wear fast, especially the trebles.
Nylguts on the other hand seem to last really long on both wear and tone, if you like that tone.
 
I change strings only when I feel like the tone is going downhill, or if I'm looking for a change in sound and want to try different strings.
 
Me, change strings? Feh. That's the servants' job. I say, Jake, have you finished restringing them all yet? Well, hop to it!
 
I have a uke on ebay right now. 11 months old and I never changed them. Fact is...

I'm fine with changing guitar strings, but my ukuleles all have tie bridges and I cant make them neat so I'll leave it to a shop to do.

2 weeks and a change? that's a week of settling in. :p Never had a broken string or a loss of tone. Mainly Aquila's or Martin M600's.
 
I change them after they get those little grooves on the underside of them where they rub on the frets. I say "after", because I'm lazy, and sometimes I check and find those grooves, and don't get around to changing them for a month or more. But my indicator is the grooves. I might add, that I do not hear the tone deteriorating until I change them. The change in tone is so gradual, that my ear just doesn't notice it. But then I change the strings and I think, "wow, I should have done that a long time ago."
 
I change strings when I'm looking for a better sound. I rarely do it otherwise. I've been playing my pono hard with southcoast strings since I got it. I've replaced one that broke and I think it still sounds superb after maybe near a year. I play it most days.

After reading the above post above mine I think I'll change the strings and see if they are correct. However I have several others to compare it to and it still blows them all away with their newer strings. One exception is my Opio which sounds every bit as good but different. It has new strings.
 
Last edited:
Ledward Kaapana has played one of my ukes for about three years. It goes on tour with him and it gets a lot of use. He came by my shop last week to pick up a new case from me. When I asked him if he wanted me to put new strings on he replied: "No need". When I asked him when he changed strings last he replied he never has! OTOH, I have a customer who changes string every week. I think it's highly a matter of personal preference and based on the type of string used and technique in playing. I think OCD works in there somewhere too. :)
 
I think it's highly a matter of personal preference and based on the type of string used and technique in playing. I think OCD works in there somewhere too. :)

Probably very true on all counts, including the OCD :)

I don't play amplified, and I notice that after a couple months' worth of constant play, my strings start losing volume, so that's one reason I know it's time for a change. I also begin noticing intonation issues, particularly on the thinner strings, and since I don't have a lot of patience - nor the ear for - tuning on the fly, for me it's easier to just take five minutes and change the strings. If I were a professional the tuning bit would probably be less of a hassle, and volume wouldn't be an issue since there would be amplification.

I've always been a little puzzled by those who avoid string changes because they think it's too hard, or who pay their local shop to change their strings. I've never found it difficult - my dad taught me when I was little and I can say from experience that it's so easy a seven year old can do it! As for the problem of settling in - maybe it's more of an issue with certain types of strings, but with the Martin fluoros I use it's maybe a problem for a day at most.
 
Every few months for me. Or, when I want to change the sound by changing strings.

I used to change the g string form low to high or high to low depending on mood. Now I have more than one uke so don't have that issue. Good reason to have more than one uke.

Also, I find that stretching my strings by hand helps shorten the break in period. I do this by gently pulling out on the string after it is installed.
 
I don't think I've ever "needed" to change an unwound nylon string on guitar or ukulele. When a wound string finally fails I'll change the whole set if I don't have a suitable single replacement. I suspect I have the action on my instruments suitable low so I don't need a "death grip" to fret the strings, consequently there's no noticeable wear from the frets on the strings.

Inevitably ... YMMV ;)
 
Every 4 to 4 months. But I only play one ukulele so it gets a workout.
 
Top Bottom