We're Not Stringing You Along

The strings on your guitar are where the sound begins. It's important to keep them clean, in tune and undamaged. They can be affected whether they're in use or just hanging on your guitar not being touched. So, it's important to regularly check the condition of your strings and change or give them the necessary attention needed.

Several factors affect the condition and performance of your guitar strings, such as moisture or corrosion, damage or even normal wear.

Moisture can occur from your hands and fingers. Be sure to wipe the strings off after each use with a soft cloth and cleaner, which will lessen the chances of corrosion on the wires. Also, if your stringed instrument is stored in a highly humid environment this will affect your strings and guitar. It's best to keep your instrument in a controlled environment.

Damage to your strings can be caused by pick use and constantly being pressed against the frets. This is normal wear but can cause change in sound and feel and increase chance of breakage. Wrapped/wound strings, also, break down with normal use. The windings loosen over time and affects performance.

Tuning the strings on your guitar is key to producing the proper sound. However, in time you'll find that it gets more and more difficult to find that sweet sound. At that point it's time for a new set of strings and once they are properly placed, you'll wonder why you waited so long.

Which brings me to 'how often should strings be replaced?'

Keeping all of these factors in mind the hours of usage that your guitar receives plays a big part in when to replace your strings. Generally, it is said that 100 hours or three months of use is a comfortable rule of thumb (and fingers). Of course, if you are a more serious player/performer you may want to have new strings placed every month/100 hours or weekly/50 hours.

The care you put into your guitar or bass will be reflected in the sound and vibes your instrument produces for you and your audiences.

Saline Guitar Factory is available for care, maintenance and fixes but if there is one thing that we suggest that you do on a regular basis, it's to clean your strings after each significant use, by using a very lightly dampened microfiber towel (no chemicals and not much water on the towel). Otherwise,.....