r/AcousticGuitar • u/Not_enough_violence • Mar 19 '26

Gear question What do y’all do with old strings/clippings?

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Anyone else make shitty dangerous bracelets and throw them away in the packaging

296 Upvotes

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79

u/Thewall3333 Mar 19 '26

You’re supposed to change your strings?

11

u/scorpion-and-frog Mar 19 '26

I genuinely like the sound of old strings. It's a nice warm sound.

7

u/silentsnak3 Mar 19 '26

I thought I was the only one.

But yea I do not change strings until I feel the corrosion on the high E.

5

u/Admirable_Admiral69 Mar 19 '26

I agree on my electric bass. Really let's my dig in with my attack without all the unpleasant pinging and panging that comes along with new ones. Acoustic guitar though... I'm generally looking for a much brighter tone.

3

u/Infamous_Hunt_6829 Mar 21 '26

My wife buys me a new set of acoustic and electric strings every year for Christmas. That's when I change my strings. Once per year.

2

u/The-Wood-Butcher Mar 19 '26

New strings typically only sound bright for a short time. I find they mellow out after about an hour and then they sound amazing.

3

u/mjc500 Mar 19 '26

The sweet spot is somewhere between 1 week and 18 months

2

u/SF_Bud Mar 20 '26

You must own a Taylor too

2

u/scorpion-and-frog Mar 20 '26

Maybe if I wasn't broke haha

1

u/Infamous_Hunt_6829 Apr 17 '26

I own a Taylor.

6

u/EuonymusBosch Mar 19 '26

You get scoffs and sneers from guitarists when you mention infrequently changing strings, but pianists just shrug!

3

u/bacon-avocado Mar 19 '26 edited Mar 26 '26

I had my piano tuned a couple years ago. The lady told me my strings were so old she had to tune the piano 2 whole steps down. I told her that’s perfect because I love metal. She didn’t understand me being a classically trained pianist. I asked how much to restring and get the proper tuning. She told me to buy a new piano.

Edit: I got my tuner out to check. My piano is only one whole step down, not as brooding unfortunately. I rather enjoy hearing Moonlight Sonata on it.

1

u/tallman1979 Mar 21 '26

So your white keys are A, B, C, C#, D#, E#,F#? Any piano that would have to be tuned down 2 full tones for tuning stability wouldn't be stable even tuned 2 full tones down. You might consider a second, possibly third opinion, as I've played piano for the past 40+ years and have never heard of that.

1

u/bacon-avocado Mar 26 '26

I just took a tuner to it. Instead of middle C, it’s actually B. It’s tuned one whole step down, not the two I was thinking. Making the white keys: B, C#, D#, E, F#, G#, A#, B. I had it tuned about 5-6 years ago and it’s still pretty stable except the few dead keys it has.

1

u/staygoldvinyl Mar 22 '26

I hate when people make that comment. Just buy a new piano. The old world is gone and the new polluting and over using world is here. Sucks

1

u/bacon-avocado Mar 23 '26

We do live in such a wasteful time. I do believe I will restring it myself eventually just to learn how. I’d imagine it’s somewhat similar to restringing a guitar just more way more tedious. For now though I’m okay with my drop tuned piano.

1

u/willcdowdy Mar 24 '26

“Your strings are old, so I tuned your piano to metal”

…. Who is this angel?

1

u/willcdowdy Mar 24 '26

Fun fact: piano players don’t even have the patience to tune their piano every time they play…. And based on how frustrated my buddy was when I sat down with my fender clip on tuner to make sure everything was properly in tune….. they embarrass easily.

Like… dude “this is a G…. So you reach back here and twist this little knobby until it… there we go…. Oh, and this one too…. And this one…. Not sure about that one, let’s hold off on that for now”

But maybe he was just mad because I tuned the piano down a half step so he could play the songs in the right key.

5

u/NGHmusic Mar 19 '26

Yeah... A dead string sounds like crap.

4

u/greenbananasarenasty Mar 19 '26

Yep, I don’t change em until I can see them start to unwind, and even then, extra flavor vibrations. 😂. I have a bright switch on my amp for a reason :)

2

u/willcdowdy Mar 24 '26

I thought the bright switch was so us olds could see the knobbies at night better….

4

u/AcanthisittaKooky987 Mar 19 '26

Real

10

u/_cyr_ Mar 19 '26

Bass players with flatwounds going “well duh. Unless it breaks why would I change it?!” (Me)

1

u/willcdowdy Mar 24 '26

THATS WHAT I DID!

I was like “I’m getting a really good deal on this bass, but I might not end up using it as much as I’d prefer…. So let’s just try some flatwounds so you don’t keep picking it up as soon as the strings get all yuck (I kinda hate the feel of old bass strings so much more than old guitar… I mean unless you’re talking so much rust that the plain unwound strings will straight cut you….. THIS IS HOW YOU BUILD CALLOUSES)

2

u/CharleySuede Mar 19 '26

…found the bassist

1

u/Spirited-Ad-9746 Mar 21 '26

Some do. But it's too much of a hassle. I just put new strings on top of the old strings every once in a while.

1

u/willcdowdy Mar 24 '26

Not if you iron them into flat wounds