Classical guitars use strings made of Nylon to produce a warm, mellow sound. These strings tend to be more durable due to their plastic nature, but how often should you change them?
You should change classical guitar strings every three months or 100 hours of play, on average. You may have to change them more or less often, depending on if you are a serious or amateur player.
As a classical guitar player, you may be wondering why you need to change your strings so often or how to make them last longer. Luckily for you, we have the answers to all your string changing questions.
Determining Frequency of String Change
There are different levels of guitar players. The level you fall into determines how often you should change your strings. The different levels in order are:
- Play now and then
- Change annually or every 200 hours
- Amateur
- Change every six months or 200 hours
- Learners
- Change every three months or 100 hours
- Serious players
- Change monthly or every 100 hours
- Keen players and professional
- Change weekly or every 50 hours
- Touring professionals
- Change daily or every 10 hours
If you fall into the “play now and then” category, then you likely do not care about changing your strings regularly. Whereas if you fall into the “touring professional” level, you probably care deeply about keeping your strings in perfect condition.
These change frequencies are just general rules of thumb for you to consider. Everyone has their own preference about how often they change their strings. However, sometimes there are signs that it is time to change your strings.
Bass Strings Wear Out Quickly
Bass strings tend to wear out more quickly than treble strings. As a result, many people will change their bass strings twice as frequently as they will their treble.
However, changing your bass strings more often is just a recommendation for people who are very serious about the sound of their guitar.
How to Know When It’s Time to Change Your Strings
Some people do not see the point in changing their strings if they are still good. If they are still performing well, why change them every three months? For those people, here are a few signs your strings are starting to struggle.
Change your strings if they begin to:
- Become difficult to tune
- Begin to unravel
- Feel dirty
- Kink
- Sound off
Most often, the tell-tale sign that your strings need changing is when they begin to sound off, and you cannot seem to tune them.
Since nylon strings are made of plastic, you do not need to worry about corrosion. However, they are still capable of breaking. This is why you need to watch out for kinks, which could eventually lead to breaks.
Will Your String Break?
Your classical guitar’s strings are capable of breaking. The most common reasons the strings will break are:
- Mechanical wear
- Overtightening the knot at the bridge
A string will only break if something is wrong or the string is very worn out. It does not just happen randomly. To prevent this from happening, make sure you change your strings when needed and make sure you have replaced them correctly.
How to Change Classical Guitar Strings
Changing classical guitar strings takes patience and care. If you are not careful, you can damage your guitar while changing the strings. For this reason, it is important to take your time and do it right.
Use A String Bib
When changing guitar strings, the first thing you should do is place a String Bib shield in front of and directly behind the bridge to protect the guitar’s soundboard.
Consider melting a small ball at the bridge end of each treble string you intend to place on the guitar for further protection. Then run the melted end under cool water to harden the nylon ball before placing it on your guitar.
Replace Strings in Sequence
Each string you remove needs to be replaced before moving onto the next string. If you remove all the strings at once, the doming of the guitar’s soundboard will relax. This is because the guitar’s soundboard is normally under high tension from the strings.
If the guitar’s soundboard relaxes, it can take hours of full string tension before the guitar will return to its best possible sound.
Tying A New String
Most people will start with the 6th string when switching them. You need to untie the string first. Consider using a string-winder to make this process easier.
Next, you need to take the end of the new string with the thinner wrap and put it through the bridge’s hole.
Now you bring the tail up and around the main length of the string and tuck it under the loop you just created.
For the 6th and 5th strings, you will need to tuck the string under only once. For the rest of the strings, you will have to wrap it twice.
Seat the Knot
Seating the knot gives it its strength. To do this, simply ensure the string’s tail crosses under the knot over the lip of the bridge.
Attaching to The Tuning Key
Now thread the string through the hole in the middle of the post in the tuning key.
Then grab the string and hold it about a finger’s length above the 12th fret to determine your slack. Make a crease at the turning key to mark the spot.
Next, wrap the string tail around the length of the string two to three times firmly.
Now simply use your string winder to tighten the string while guiding the tightening string to the middle of the headstock.
Trim Excess String
This step is optional but makes your guitar look better. You can do this by using a pair of nail clippers.
Trim the tail where it meets the next string on the bridge and the tails at the turning keys about the bridge’s length.
How to Properly Care for Your Strings
Properly caring for your classical guitar’s nylon strings can greatly extend their life. There are two main ways to keep your strings at their best.
- Loosen them if you are not going to be playing for an extended amount of time
- Wipe them down regularly
If you do not plan to play your guitar within the next three weeks, consider turning the tuning keys a few times to loosen the strings. This will relieve the immense tension your strings are under, making them last longer.
It will also prevent the back of the bridge from swelling or even lifting from the guitar.
Regularly Wiping Your Guitar Is Important
The most important thing you should consider doing is wiping your strings down every time you play them.
Your fingers will leave sweat and oil behind on your strings. To avoid having these oils build-up, make it a habit to wipe your strings down after every use.
To do this, you can use a slightly dampened cloth or special guitar string cleaners.
Change Your Strings When They Need It
How often you play your guitar and your level of investment will greatly impact the frequency at which you need to change your strings.
People who don’t care a lot about their guitar sounds and are just playing for fun don’t really need to change their strings until they notice signs of wear.
However, if you want your guitar to sound its best, we highly recommend properly caring for your strings as well as changing them at least every three months.
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