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The strings are where the sound starts on your
guitar, and as with HiFi or PA, the source is the most important factor in sound quality.
These innocent looking lengths of wire are the single biggest cause of problems
such as:
Caring for your strings and changing them regularly will
ensure top performance from your instrument. Changing corroded, dirty or worn strings
often cures many common guitar ailments. Now you may be asking:
- How often should I change my strings?
- What type of strings should I buy?
- How Do I make them last longer?
Tuning Problems
Strings stretch, the metal they are made of changes over a period of time,
and elasticity (their ability to return to their original shape) is impaired.
Intonation Problems
If there is an excessive amount of dirt on the strings, the build-up can cause
artificial node points (see Background Theory),
which produce odd notes in conjunction with the note which is being sounded. Node points
are also often created by flat spots under the string where it has worn on the surface of
the frets.
Tone Problems
Approximately 80-90% of a guitar's tone comes from the stings, the
mechanism which is the guitar only colurs the basic tone which is created by the strings.
The grooves in a roundwound string provide most of the upper order (higher pitched)
harmonics which are percieved as the "brilliance" (Which is why a flatwound
string sounds "Dull"). As a string gets older these grooves fill in with
corrosion or dirt and it looses most of its ability to create this brilliance. Also
remember the attack portion of a note has a lot of the upper partials - and this is what
suffers the most.
Playability Problems
Let's face it - a guitar with old strings is not nice to play. Corrosion can make
strings sharper and have the effect of a serrated edge (Think Shogun knives).
How often should I change my strings?
The durability of a string depends on its type, how it is played,
atmospherics and how it is maintained. But as a ballpark figure, someone who plays once a
day should be changing once a month.
What type of strings should I buy?
Much depends on your personal taste in sound and feel. What works for one
person may not work for another. You will need to choose type of strings (roundwound,
flatwound, nickel, steel) yourself, but stick to reputable brands like Ernie Ball, Martin
or D'Addario and you are assured of a reliable level of quality.
How Do I make them last longer?
Clean them after each playing session! Use a soft cloth to clean off
excess sweat etc., and consider using either a string cleaning product or surgical
spirits/isopropyl alcohol (from a pharmacy).
Background Theory
Any instrument consists of a mechanism to create a basic
note, and another to modify the timbre of that note. In the case of a
guitar, the first mechanism is the strings and the latter the body/pickup/hardware
combination.
The sound generated in a string when it is plucked, is in the
form of a wave which runs up and down the length of the string (Figure1). The wave repeats
as it travels backwards and forwards, and interferes with itself to create (mostly)
natural node points (Figure 2). These produce even-order harmonics which are pleasing to
the ear.
Figure 1 - A string vibrating with it's fundamental note
Nodes are places where the string does not
vibrate.
Figure 2 - String vibrating with a 2nd harmonic ( 1
octave above the fundamental)
If the string is not even along it's entire length, the
imperfections cause artificial node points (Figure 3) which add odd order
harmonics to the basic note which interfere with the fundamental note. In extreme cases
the overtones generated can be as loud as the fundamental note produced by the string.
Figure 3 - String vibrating with an uneven harmonic
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