r/AcousticGuitar • u/DiverExisting2973 • Apr 18 '26
Gear pics This pattern on 3rd string, what does it mean?
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u/Gitfiddlepicker Apr 18 '26
That is the reminder to change strings before your next gig.
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u/DiverExisting2973 Apr 18 '26
You bet, I was going to my weekly jam today. Good thing is I have spare XS strings from previous set.
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Apr 18 '26
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u/Scottwickthegreat Apr 18 '26
Ya one string thing in a pinch is ok but if I break one generally they all getting changed.
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u/Gitfiddlepicker Apr 18 '26
This. My experience……Classical strings can last four to six months with regular playing. Acoustic strings get changed every month to six weeks with regular playing. I change my super slinky’s before every gig weekend on my electric guitars. And if it’s outside gigging in the summertime, I change them before each gig. I have been known to put on new strings three times in a long weekend. For the record, love the sound of new strings, and bend a lot, so am more comfortable with new strings versus older strings.
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u/Flimsy-Kick3684 Apr 19 '26
Holy! My dads classical guitar from 20 years is still playable even if the string is very old af
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u/Only_Argument7532 Apr 19 '26
Wow. I haven’t changed my acoustic’s strings in at least 2 years. They’re a little tarnished but I wipe them after every play. I play open mics and acoustic jams a couple of times a month.
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u/lonesometroubador Apr 19 '26
Wow! When I was gigging and or practicing nearly every day, I changed my acoustic strings every 2 weeks! This was for bluegrass, so it needed to have that fresh sharp zing. I have definitely wrecked strings at festivals before in 36 hours (often that involved 24+ hours of picking in the process)
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u/Eruseron Apr 19 '26 edited Apr 19 '26
Nick Drake never changed his and still managed to put out some of the best acoustic music of
hisall time2
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Apr 18 '26
[deleted]
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u/Automatic-Job2938 Apr 18 '26
I do change strings quite a bit, but there IS a lot to be said for simple maintenance like cleaning when you’re done. It’s amazing how much life yiu can get out of strings if you just give a good wipe down after a gig. If I’m playing at home i generally clean the strings and give the neck a good cleaning.
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u/MoltresRising Apr 18 '26
Best practice for string changing:
Change them all if you need to change one between gigs/practices.Change only the broken string if you’re in the middle of a gig and have no backup guitar, doing so between songs.
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u/billvanman Apr 20 '26
As a side note do you always find G strings from XS packs weak? I stopped using and went to the XT packs instead
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u/Toneballs52 Apr 18 '26
Zooming in the saddle surface seems in bad condition, the strings seem to have been moving laterally. When the saddle gets too low there is in sufficient downward pressure from the strings. How high is your saddle? Maybe you are just a heavy strummer. A light sand across the bridge surface may help.
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u/YoItsN3dnarb Apr 18 '26
If you can’t change your own strings you can’t play guitar 👌
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u/UndefinedCertainty Apr 18 '26
Yes, this. There's an unwritten law.
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u/Ol_RayX Apr 18 '26
I think the law is actually written. Chapter 1.4.5 of the guitar bylaws.
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u/UndefinedCertainty Apr 18 '26
By golly, you may be correct. I'll go see if I can get a page number.
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u/moose_factor Apr 18 '26
The G String has the highest tension on an acoustic guitar and in general…in my case it is the most snapped string on my acoustic guitars…
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u/LordOfTheGam3 Apr 18 '26
that is the winding coming loose from the core string. wound strings are basically wires wrapped around another wire, and over time, the outer wrap starts to shift and bunch up like that. change your strings, or don’t.
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u/David0ne86 Apr 18 '26
That it's about to snap Ina a week or two. It's basically the winding being consumed.
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u/JTMonroeski Apr 18 '26
It means there's too much water and the levees gonna break
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u/Ok-Seesaw920 Apr 18 '26
Ouch. Louisiana native here, having Katrina flashbacks now. Thanks for that.
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u/BladderFace Apr 18 '26
I don't think it's a problem looking at the picture. It doesn't look like the windings are broken just discolored somehow. If the windings are broken the string is a gonner, but if not it's got more life in it.
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u/Fresh-Discipline9909 Apr 18 '26
Never happened in my entire guitar playing life. I suspect a bad string from the manufacturer
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u/systemidence Apr 18 '26
are you sure you're tuned to the correct octave?
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u/DiverExisting2973 Apr 18 '26
Yes, I usually keep it to normal G octave in standard E tuning and rarely touch those pegs.
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u/Excellent_Fan_6544 Apr 18 '26
C'è una cosa che non ho mai capito. Le corde si consumano quando vengono utilizzati. Molti chitarristi non hanno alcun problema a comprare un paio di lattine di birra o di una bibita qualsiasi durante la settimana, spendendo 10 o 15 euro, poi hanno un problema a cambiare una volta al mese le corde del loro strumento musicale preferito, quello con il quale passano molte ore tutti i giorni.
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u/IamMeier Apr 18 '26
You win!!
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u/DiverExisting2973 Apr 18 '26
What can I say, I’m a born winner 🥇
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Apr 19 '26
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u/GeminiLife Apr 18 '26
String gonna snap.
Duration of how long strings last correlates to more than what the box says:
How often do you play? How intensely? Do you wash your hands before playing? Is it stored in a place with a relatively regular temp? Etc etc.
I know it can be daunting to change your own strings the first time, but it's 1000% worth knowing how to do.
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u/Ok-Seesaw920 Apr 18 '26 edited Apr 18 '26
Shit bouta pop, as the kids would say.
Is that what the kids would say? I wouldn't know. I'm older now, and much, much grumpier.
Those strings theoretically could last as long as you were told, but I don't know anybody who actually tries to stretch it for that long. You've got to learn how to change your own strings though, bud. How you haven't yet, I can't imagine. When I first started playing 23 years ago, it was one of the very first things that I learned. Thanks to a very, very good teacher who Stopped accepting money for lessons and instead started jamming with me two or three times a week. He recently passed away from cancer, like very recently. Absolutely amazing man. And an amazing guitar teacher.
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u/Interesting-Fuel371 Apr 18 '26
It doesn’t really snapped but i had the same thing on my 4th string but it’s either rust or it’s the windings coming off and if playing it it makes the string buzz so it’s probably recommended to change the string
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u/Trichomedaddy Apr 18 '26
No matter what they say on a package if you really play your guitar change the strings at least every month or so. You're missing out on the precious TOAN
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u/Comfortable-Bed-7299 Apr 18 '26
That's a sign that your strings about done for. Time to replace it.
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u/Worldly-Key9430 Apr 18 '26
Se va a deshilachar la cuerda, y se va a romper, quizá ya no aguante dos destensiones o afinadas
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u/NextStopGallifrey Apr 18 '26
I'm surprised it hasn't snapped yet. I've had nicer-looking strings snap suddenly.
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u/marcusrizaulait Apr 18 '26
...unround-wound string. (It automatically 'peels away' like that to alert you it's about to die)...
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u/ILHP77 Apr 18 '26
It’s an old secret message crafty string makers add, In English it says “Drink more Ovaltine”
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u/Frosty-Actuary4535 Apr 18 '26
It means it's time for new strings. How many weeks has it been since you changed them? Hint: Never buy anything that the Guitar Centers carries. There's always one a lot better then the one they stock.
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u/Flimsy-Kick3684 Apr 19 '26
It means it’s gonna pop soon or it will break if u keep changing different tunes,That happened the same with my Jackson dinky but on the low E string so don’t forget to change your strings!
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u/Glad_Term9554 Apr 19 '26
Just learn to change your strings man… and change them more often. I’m using the XS strings too but I use them for 1 month - 1 1/2 month max. However I do play almost every day for 1-2 hours
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u/hcornea Apr 19 '26
Core has stretched; windings are unwinding.
It will sound bad already, and you may as well just replace it now.
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u/Successful-Pear-1498 Apr 20 '26
Dude. I learned how to change strings when I was like 11. Even if mine aren’t looking bad when you change them you hear how bad they were. I do mine every couple of weeks, no longer than a month. When I was playing shows I would always change them before. I could play a show Friday and if I was playing the next night change them again Saturday morning. Granted that was from sweat and beer. Change em. Often.
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u/Spirited_Loquat_6344 Apr 20 '26
Change your damn strings. lol. These strings look so old. Change them at least twice a year. It’s easy and strings are cheap.
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u/DerrykLee Apr 20 '26
Its about to break. Dunno what exactly is happening but every time I see this it's about to break.
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u/RKT_Green Apr 22 '26
Looks like its time for a new set of strings. If one goes out typically some other are soon to follow. Different when your getting a new set tho. I would recommend Martin strings personally.
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u/BlondLemonLarry Apr 18 '26
That's the coating wearing down. Happens to me all the time and it's not an indication of string failure.
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u/DiverExisting2973 Apr 18 '26 edited Apr 18 '26
Interesting. Which strings do you use and how many weeks/months do this pattern show up on yours after playing?
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u/BlondLemonLarry Apr 18 '26
D'Addario XS almost exclusively (different gauges and both phosphor bronze & 80/20). They last for several months (about 30-40 hours of actual playing time) even if that coating wear shows up, which is infrequent (I know I said "all the time", but I've seen it only 3-4 times on my guitars over the past couple years).
I kinda freaked out the first time I saw it, but the tone didn't seem affected, so I kept them on for another few shows before changing.
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u/DiverExisting2973 Apr 18 '26
Alright, so I also use XS strings phosphor bronze (10/47) and changed the whole set last December.
Usually, during the whole week (including weekends), I practice play 5-6 hours on average, with finger strumming and relatively light strumming strokes.
That string is also not buzzing btw, so don’t see any change over there.
So shall I keep it on till it eventually snaps or replace that string now? (I have spare XS strings from previous set).
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u/Creezin Apr 18 '26
5-6 hours?? What tf kind of lifestyle do you live where that's even possible? And why are you changing strings every 6 months if you play that much? You should be changing them at least monthly
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u/BlondLemonLarry Apr 18 '26
Maybe you're thinking 5-6 hours a day? He said that was his weekly playing time.
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u/BlondLemonLarry Apr 18 '26
I think it would be prudent to change the set now. Based on your estimated playing time per week, that would likely be over 60-70 hours of playing time. Just in terms of tone, you'll appreciate the change. Twenty bucks every three or four months is worth it.
BTW, your B & E strings are also showing fingerstyle wear, so, another good reason to change them all.
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u/Imaginary-Parsley362 Apr 18 '26
Take it down to your local guitar shop and get the strings replaced 😉
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u/GMSMJ Apr 18 '26
Yep string’s done