New member, new guitar. New strings?

[dschwartz]

Hello all, just purchased my first guitar a few weeks ago (a Epiphone AJ-100), am working my way through the L&M sessions and have a question:

Do you think the factory strings that came on the new Epiphone are fine or is this something you always replace when you get a new guitar home (i.e. remove the cheap factory strings and replace with something better?)

I'm able to tune it fine and they seem to stay in tune okay - just wondering???

Thanks,

David.

[OldGuitarPlayer]

Congrats and welcome to the forum!

 

Good choice on a first guitar and they are pretty nice considering what they sell for. Did you get the Vintage Sunburst model? Seeing as you are new to playing and taking lessons I would not worry so much about it now but in the future I'd suggest you go and get a set of D'Addario Phosphor Bronze or 80/20 Bronze light gauge (.012-.053) strings and put those on and now you have a fresh start! They are generally the least expensive brand and are generally used by everyone at some point since they seem to be easy to find at most music stores. That gauge is a good starting point too. You can also get lighter or heavier gauges if you decide you'd like to experiment in the future.

 

Best of luck!

[dschwartz]

Thanks OGP - I did purchase a set of Martin 80/20 Bronze Mediums. I've seen some online video instructions on re-stringing - doesn't seem to hard.

what is your thoughts on restringing - all at once or one string at a time to keep tension on neck?

[edit] Oh, and I did not get the sunburst, just the regular light colored face with darker sides, etc.

David.

[OldGuitarPlayer]

It's general practice to change them one at at time unless you want to clean the fretboard and then you'd take them all off. It really doesn't hurt to take all the strings off at once. I think if you feel ok with the factory set I'd just use them for awhile. I think you will like the sound of the new Martin strings though. The 80/20 bronze gives a nice bright loud tone.

[DeepEnd]

If you can play with the stock strings installed, then go ahead and keep them on for now. When it comes time for a change, d'Addario or Martin phosphor bronze is usually a good bet. For a beginner, I'd recommend lights (.012s) or what are sometimes called custom lights (.011s). If you don't want to spend a lot of money, Ernie Ball Earthwoods are a good bet.

[Freeman Keller]

You might also want to listen to the String Test at the Annex (pink thing in my sig, go to the Tech tab). Also, a lot of members music, the Virtual Open Mic and other goodies.

 

The one reason I would suggest restringing it is that strings go "dead" after some time and you really don't know how long they have been hanging on the wall of the store. I have alway thought that a store that changes string pretty often does their customer a favor by making the guitar sound as good as possible when you are trying it out. Some manufactures use coated string which also last longer (and cost more) - but I'm not sure what came on your Epi.

 

Learn to change strings (correctly) since you wiill be doing it every few months - with coated strings I usually go as long as 6. The String Test also attempted to indicate whether there was significant change in the sound as the string ages (they were each recorded when brand new and after three days of hard play - many people feel that they can hear a change then).

 

Good luck with your new guitar and welcome to HCAG

[seagullplayer77]

I'll usually play the factory strings for a few months before I go out and buy new ones, but that's just because I'm cheap and I don't see any reason to replace the factory strings right away if they've got some life left in 'em.

 

But changing the factory strings is usually a good move. There's really no good way of knowing how old the factory strings are and by the time you get the guitar, the strings might already be dead anyway. And if the guitar got strung up with cheap strings at the factory...

 

So yeah, if you'd like to, replacing the factory strings would be a good move !

[Terry Allan Hall]

If your guitar has a UST (Inder Saddle Transducer), NEVER take all the strings off at one time...it can change the volume balance and that can be a hassle to correct.

[dschwartz]

I'll check out the string tests and will probably go ahead and replace - the guitar is a bit dirty/dusty on the fretboard, so it could use a cleaning there. Thanks all!

[Misha]

When I buy a new guitar, I also get new strings. It's not necessarily because the factory strings are cheap. Sometimes they are not... it's just because I want to hear my new guitar with new strings, particularly if the factory strings are a bit old!

 

It's fun to get a new guitar. Why wouldn't I enjoy a new set of strings at the same time? Strings are rather inexpensive! When I change the strings I also take the time to clean the neck and put lemon oil on the fretboard!

 

As for strings, the price you pay doesn't mean it will sound good/better with your guitar! Just experiment with different brands and adopt what sounds best to you!

 

D'Addario Strings are inexpensive and sound good to me! I tried Cleartone strings on my Seagull and didn't like the sound even if the strings were more expensive... Just experiment, it's the key!!

[guitarist21]

If your guitar has a UST (Inder Saddle Transducer), NEVER take all the strings off at one time...it can change the volume balance and that can be a hassle to correct.

 

Really! I never thought about that. That's probably how the UST on my old Washburn got to be so terribly out of balance.

[dschwartz]

Terry and guitarist21, how would i know if I have the under saddle transducer and need to be concerned about having all the strings off at the same time. Does anyone know if the Epiphone AJ-100 ceNA has this?

David.

[guitarist21]

 

Terry and guitarist21, how would i know if I have the under saddle transducer and need to be concerned about having all the strings off at the same time. Does anyone know if the Epiphone AJ-100 ceNA has this? David.

 

 

I believe the Shadow P-4 in your AJ-100ce is, in fact, a UST.

[DeepEnd]

 

Terry and guitarist21, how would i know if I have the under saddle transducer and need to be concerned about having all the strings off at the same time. Does anyone know if the Epiphone AJ-100 ceNA has this? David.

 

Yes it does but you shouldn't need to worry. I own a Shadow UST (a discontinued SH095) and their design is unlike other USTs. They're rigid and about as fragile as a nail, so as long as the bottom of the saddle is flat you'll get clear, balanced tone. If you're really concerned, take the middle (D and G) strings off first and put a piece of tape across the saddle to keep it in place. Add more tape to both ends after you take off the other strings. Remove it as you put the strings back on. Problem solved.

As for cleaning the fingerboard, once you have the strings off, take extra fine steel wool and rub along the length of it. If the frets look dull or tarnished, rub them a little harder. Afterward, put a light coat of oil on the fingerboard and wipe off as much as you can. BTW, Martin advises against using lemon oil but I think it's because of the nitro finish. Your Epiphone doesn't have one. You can also use something like boiled linseed oil. Some folks use light mineral oil but since wood is a vegetable product it seems reasonable to use a vegetable based oil, as long as it's not rancid. Personally, I use Birchwood Casey gun stock oil, which is linseed and mineral oil. Please note that this is something you won't need to do again for several years, IMHO.