Do old strings stay in tune less?

[wkrantz7]

I've got some older strings on my LP, and even though I've lubed the nut and stretched the strings out plenty, it's just not staying in tune very well. Do old strings stay in tune less?

[flummox]

They absolutely do. I don't know why, but the older the strings get the more they tend to bind on the nut. The G especially.

[bigtorquehemi]

they do....after about a month of use you will have to tune them more often.

[EADGBE]

Do old strings stay in tune less?

Yes. And the older the strings the harder they are to tune. Or at least the more they're played the harder it is to tune them. Strings can age as a result of stretching. The longer and harder we play them. And the more we tune them. The more they stretch. This stretching can cause inconsistencies in their diameter along their length. After a while they can become nearly impossible to tune. Although on my guitars I use GHS boomers and super steels. And they hardly ever go bad. Plus I never stretch them. I just put them on and tune. If they go flat a little bit, I just tune them again. I believe this helps them to last longer.

[sk8centilli]

Not in my experience, but I believe it may have to do more with the gauge than the age.

 

I've got the same set of 11's on my Esquire that were put on in the fall of 2007 and it plays like a dream.

[bluesnapper]

I find my strings suddenly 'go' - once they've settled in they're fine for about a month of average play and then they suddenly start slipping...

[Angry Tele]

not neccessarily. But they do sound like crap and break. I change strings about once a month. They are cheap enough and damn it Im worth it.

[strtdv]

Yes. Eventually they become impossible to intonate because differences in thickness across the length occur with gradual stretching.

[NinjaModder]

I play strings till they break. I haven't broken a string in over a year... My guitars sound fine And they seem to stay in tune!

[Steadfastly]

I never thought about strings stretching unevenly but that makes sense. As well made as they are, metal tends to have stronger and weaker points along their length.

[Belva]

They absolutely do. I don't know why, but the older the strings get the more they tend to bind on the nut. The G especially.

I hate it when my G string binds on my nuts.

I play enough that, when tuning gets to be difficult, I just change strings.

 

What's happening is called metal fatigue, a.k.a stress corrosion. Not really corrosion but some military types will identify with that term. Y'ever take a piece of metal and bend it back & forth untill it breaks? Same thing is happening with strings.

[steve_man]

I find my strings suddenly 'go' - once they've settled in they're fine for about a month of average play and then they suddenly start slipping...

 

yup...my experience exactly...

[bigtorquehemi]

 

Not in my experience, but I believe it may have to do more with the gauge than the age. I've got the same set of 11's on my Esquire that were put on in the fall of 2007 and it plays like a dream.

 

 

are you serious? I'd rather play nothing than play a guitar with strings that are 3 years old on it....

[Darkstorm]

Not necc. For example bass players who like flats (I dont) will often have the same set on for yrs. But to me strings that are getting a bit dull sounding arent worth haveing on the guitar or bass. Ive been changing my strings about once every 3 to allmost 4 months. The new strings I'm useing are advertised as easilly lasting much longer. I do think that lotsa trem use can cause potential for tuning problems with strings that are near end of useful life sound wise though. Guitar strings last as long for me as bass strings. But again, I change strings before they start sounding dull. So I havent had an opportunity to determine tuning stability of old worn out strings.

[csm]

They're also more prone to breakage (often -- embarrassingly -- in mid-performance).

[Belva]

I've also never seen a trem on a bass. Not a bunch of string bending goes on with a bass either. Stands to reason strings would last a long time.

[Darkstorm]

 

I've also never seen a trem on a bass. Not a bunch of string bending goes on with a bass either. Stands to reason strings would last a long time.

 

 

Theres a few basses been made with trems, theyre rare though. The trem equipted guitars Ive owned have had their strings last just as long as on my tune-o-matic bridge guitars. The same average 3 to allmost 4 months.

 

Point was Ive allways gotten same average string life for bass and guitar even when the guitar had a trem on it. Those didnt wear out faster for me then non trem guitarsnor basses with no trem. I was thinking lotsa string stretching could cause faster wear out. But then thats not what Ive found with trem guitars Ive owned. But at same time I wonder if strings getting stretched a via trem after theyve become dull, might cause tuning problems more often? Not sure, doesnt seem to be the case. But never tried it with dead strings.Lol.

[GreaserMatt]

I own a guitar that had the same set of strings on it for like 6 years, & I never noticed them going out of tune more than any other guitar...

[Jkater]

With nylon strings, for sure. When I play cheap nylons at friends' house, they are aweful to tune. My flatwounds (thomastik infeld) seem to last the longest but after six to eight months, it's time to put a fresh set.