|
|
Joined:
August 2011
Posts: 887
Location: Always beautiful canyon country of Utah | A question for those who know more than I and there are many such folks on here. We all know that new strings have better resonance, tone, etc. than old strings. But what causes this loss of quality? Is it the playing time the strings accumulate? Or is it simply being stretched and on the guitar for a certain period of time? If I put new strings on a guitar and don't play it for a year will they still sound like new strings after that time?? Or will they have deteriorated? Hoping for some expert opinions! |
|
| |
|
Joined:
December 2015
Posts: 287
Location: Katmandu | No idea what happens if you leave new (uncoated) strings on your guitar for a year... The main culprit wearing down uncoated strings is in my view simply human DNA (sweat, dirt, etc). Especially the wound bass strings seem to be affected and corrode relatively quickly; the treble strings have a longer life time but can become noticably dull sounding over time. |
|
| |
|
Joined:
November 2011
Posts: 741
Location: Fort Worth, TX | Try some John Pearse nickel acoustic strings. I finally took a set off after 6 months because, well, it was TIME. The thing is the 80/20s I replaced them with didn't have as smooth a sound as the nickels. Recently discovered D'Addario Nickel Bronze strings. Fabulous long lasting tone that takes a few days to settle in but doesn't change after a long time. |
|
| |
|
Joined:
January 2002
Posts: 14127
Location: 6 String Ranch | what kills strings
1. sweat, dirt, gets between the wraps and muffles the sound
2. over time the stretch causes the core and winds to become just a bit looser and the string works against itself. more so if you are constantly going between std tuning and open tunings
3. If you play a lot the strings get bent from the frets, especially the unwound. This causes them to vibrate differently and not in a good way |
|
| |
|
Joined:
February 2016
Posts: 1802
Location: When?? | I'm with Leonard and Beal on the DNA thing. If even with freshly washed hands just one light touch on a surface is enough to leave a fingerprint that can be lifted with dust and tape, all the touching of guitar strings is bound to accumulate skin oils quite rapidly and dull the sound.. especially the wound strings. We've probably all be amazed how much gunk is seen on a white cloth after wiping down strings that aren't really very old. I remember how impressed I was the first time I used coated strings (D'ad EXP16s) and saw how much better they clean up and how much more they bounce back in sound after a clean wiping than non-coated do. Oxidation is bound to play a role, too, as I have found that placing new strings on a guitar that have sat in their package for an extended period before use always seem to go dull much faster than newly bought ones, so I am guessing (just guessing) that your question about having non-played strings on a guitar for a long time would probably be answered with no, they will not sound like new strings because of oxidation. Of course, this is all just pure speculation since I have not majored in science since the 7th grade (and I slept through most of that).
Edited by Love O Fair 2017-07-06 8:32 AM
|
|
| |
|
Joined:
January 2009
Posts: 4535
Location: Flahdaw | Beal - 2017-07-06 9:18 AM
what kills strings
1. sweat, dirt, gets between the wraps and muffles the sound
I notice that the same thing happens to my bed sheets if I don't change them every 6 months or so.
Curiously, I get dents ONLY in my 3rd string (the lightest wound string, of course), and only at the first 5 frets. I know it's due to that string being the most "delicate" and I bend a lot of notes, but the interesting thing is that it doesn't seem to effect the sustain of that string versus any of the other strings that don't show any damage. Rings true and long. Seems odd... |
|
| |
|
Joined:
August 2011
Posts: 887
Location: Always beautiful canyon country of Utah | Thanking you all for your contributions to this thread. I found it interesting and informative!! |
|
| |
String deterioration
