Longest lasting strings

Hemert

No second guess necessary cause it's "I'll see you in my dreams" :-)

alton

Under normal circumstances, I find that I can get a couple of weeks out of the Argentines. However, at Django in June, my sweaty hands corroded the plain steel strings in a day. Annoying considering the price. I went through 3 sets that week. I don't get bothered much by the wound strings - it's the plain ones that affect my sliding around the neck, then I know that it's time to change them.

I honestly don't have much experience with other brands. The only other brand that I have tried are D'Addarios. And I know that I don't like the sound and feel of those. They didn't stay on my guitar long enough for me to know how they last.

I guess that I am lucky to live relatively close to Northampton where the local store stocks Argentines, likely because of Django in June. Whenever I need strings I talk my wife into going to Northampton for dinner and drinks. She's starting to catch on that it's a thinly veiled excuse for me to get my strings.

mcgroup53

Best solution for me - I do this on every type of instrument string - is first use a clear cloth and some string cleaner like Jim Dunlop 65 (naptha will work) and thoroughly clean the string before putting it on. You'll be amazed at how much black gunk comes off a string fresh from the factory. The good string cleaners also leave a micro-layer behind on the strings to resist tarnish.

As for strings, I find the G string on Argentines goes dead on me almost immediately. Have had the best luck in longevity with the Pearse Nuages.

Kevin Furniss

Bah oui

Matteo

Right, I'll see you.... Game over. Well done and congratulations! :-)

woodamand

I haven't even bought my GJ jazz guitar yet, and already it looks like I will have to get a second mortgage on my house to afford all the strings I will need to buy. So what would a "lasting a long time" mean, if say at most I only have an hour a day practice?

Kevin Furniss

Bravo

Jazzaferri

I play guitar about 10 hrs a week at the moment and I change strings when the grooves on the back from frets create intonation issues that bug me. About one a month or so on Argies and I am almost two months on the Lenzer Fisoma S&S and I should have changed before last nights rehearsal.

Stringswinger

Sadly, Selmer style guitars sound best with silver plated strings. Even more sadly, silver plated strings give up the ghost rather quickly, making the playing of thses guitars an expensive avocation. I have had the best longevity with Argies, but compared to the nickel strings on my archtops, the Argies suck for longevity. If I was playing 10-20 hours a week on one of my Duponts, I would be lucky to get two weeks out of a set of strings.

Buco

Unfortunately it's hard to take anyone's opinion on strings including how long they last.
I was very excited and posted how I loved the sound of "x" brand and I know at least two guys that tried them, one liked them a lot and one disliked them a lot.
Even myself on my own guitar, I used to dislike Argies and I tried them several times, then my luthier replaced my guitar's fretboard from maple to rosewood and now at the time of this writing I have Argies on it and love the sound.
Then people have very varied opinion on when the string needs changing, what is a dead sounding string and so on.
Me, honestly, most of the time I change them just because "it's been a while" but as far as sound I usually still thing it's plenty serviceable.
Invest a $100 or equivalent to it where you're at and you can go through just about every pack that's out there, keep notes and find out.

But a quick wipe of both your hands and strings (and wipe the strings over and under), even during playing but especially when you're done will increase the life of it by a lot.