String change frequency

[cartershilts]

The specific mando itself plays a role in how often you need to change strings as well. I recently upgraded and found I need to change my strings more often because the new mando is more resonant with clearer and more prominent overtones, which makes poor intonation more noticeable and offensive sounding. String quality makes a huuuge difference as well. I can usually get about 3 weeks out of Daddarios or Elixirs (coated vs non-coated plays a role as well). The couple times I've tried 'budget' mando strings they've lost their intonation in 1-2 weeks.

[Erin M]

I'm mainly a bassist (blasphemy!), so we basically never change strings (even more blashphemy!). Well... I do about once a year - on all of my basses (which is quite costly, especially on the upright). So I'm following this with interest.

As far as mandolin goes, I haven't had my instrument long enough: I've changed strings twice so far - once to get rid of the strings that were on it when I bought it and once again after upgrading the bridge. I decided to try Monel strings (D'Addario EJM75C) last time around. I'm very pleased with the sound and the wound strings definitely last longer than phosphor bronze (must try them on my guitar sometime, too).

I'm not a fan of the sound of new phosphor-bronze strings (brassy-sounding), but the Monels kind of hit the sweet spot and stay there for a lot longer. I'll be able to judge better when I try them on my guitar.

But right now, with supply chains being disrupted due to COVID, it's a bit tricky to find these strings at a reasonable price, so I plan to squeeze out every last drop from these strings. I'd like to change them now due to a bad string that's throwing my intonation off, but I've only got one more set of Monels... just need to put up with it, at least until the single strings I recently ordered arrive. (Bought a set of E and A strings to swap out, and I'll leave the wound strings on a bit longer in the interest of science to see how long they go).

[David Lewis]

On my gretsch as little as possible. The tailpiece design is the oNkybthing I don’t like. The string hooks are 1/10 mm too short. So I have flatwounds. And they’ve lasted about two years now.

For my other mandolins I use daddario Sam bush monels- I get 6-12 months out of those. The bronze ones Last about three months.

[JeffD]

I change them when I think they need changing. If I am not sure if they need changing, I change them. If I even suspect they need changing I change them. If its been more than a season (three months) and I am bored, I will change them.

I change them because of the sound. Keep in mind brand new strings sometimes have to be worked in a bit to lose their new string brassyness. For example, I find that D'Addario EJ74s sound a bit to brassy for about a week but then sound fantastic for about oh.. 20 weeks or so. In my experience, depending on how and how often you play etc.

[Bertram Henze]

Depends - on my OM, which gets played every day, I clean them after playing and change them every 2 months (they could do 3, sound-wise, but the risk of breaking in mid-play becomes too high). On my mandolin, which gets played approx. twice a year (in cameo appearances in my videos, mostly), I can't remember when I last changed them.