When to change strings?

[psy]

It's a total newbie question I know, but how do you know when it's time to change your strings? I know it's time to change steel strung guitar strings when they start sounding dull & 'feel' old. With ukulele strings being nylon I'm not sure what the signs are.

 

[JamieFromOntario]

Feel the under side of the strings. If you can feel indentations from where the frets touch the string, then it's time to change.

 

[Mason671]

Feel the under side of the strings. If you can feel indentations from where the frets touch the string, then it's time to change.

Aloha psy!
I agree with Jamie, especially if you are using wound strings (they tend to wear faster than the unwound strings).

Mason671

 

[bornagainjeeper]

you'll also notice the very same things to do you with guitar strings....they will sound dull and lose their ring. I tend to order a whole bunch of strings at once and always just have some on hand. my 8 string, which i play by far the most often, gets changed maybe every 6 months.... they others might go more like 9.... and that probably isn't often enough...Also if i've got a big gig coming up i change them about a week prior to allow them to stretch

 

[PoiDog]

Aloha, Psy -

The others already gave you some pretty good tips regarding worn strings or if they just sound dull. That said, you can also change the strings if you want to try another set for grins and giggles, or if you're looking for a different sound. For instance, moving from Aquilas to a set of Worth Browns may provide a bit more warmth and breadth to your sound. Or, you could move from a re-entrant to a linear set to give yourself more bottom. Perhaps you want prefer the feel of fluoros to nylon ...

One of the cool things about this is you can change whenever you get the itch.

Enjoy the process.

 

[psy]

Thanks for all the info the points to look out for & it's interesting to know the useful lifespan of the strings is much longer than that of guitar strings.