How often do you change your strings on your guitar?
I try not to change strings more than once a year. But if I break one (very rare anymore) and have to put a new string on to replace it then I sometimes go ahead and change the whole set. I like the mellow sound of a well-aged wound string and putting a new one next to it just spoils the sound. Better to let them age together.
What gauge do you prefer? What brand of strings?
I prefer a medium gauge (.013 / .017 / .026 / .035 / .045 / .056) Martin SP Phosphour Bronze. Sometimes I use the 80/20's, but the phosphours start out mellower - the 80/20s are pretty bright out of the bag.
Do you use a capo and if you do what kind?
I use Kyser capos on all my instruments.
Do you do any type of preventive maintenance on your guitars?
You mean like, change the oil? No, not really. I do monitor the humidity in the room where they hang out. In Colorado where the humidity is low for the most part, we installed a beautiful glass display case along two walls in the basement. The doors were all sealed with rubber strips so I could totally control the humidity inside the case. I purchased a very expensive museum-quality humidification system from a company in Canada (they also built a system to protect the Mona Lisa). You can set this system to either add moisture or take it out to keep a fairly constant 45% level. However, in our new house here I really don't have a place to set that up. So it's for sale and I'm using in-hole humidifiers for now. Oregon's not as dry as Colorado anyway, so I'm not as concerned. Still, it's good to be alert. I don't want any surprises!
Do you believe the sound gets better with age on a guitar?
Wood is an interesting material in that it does change over time. But another factor is use. If I let one of my instruments sit for awhile without playing it, it sounds kinda crappy when I pick it up after a long spell. However, if I play it for a couple days it starts to get happy and give me that beautiful tone that it was holding back due to lack of use. OK, maybe that's very subjective, but my ear tells me it's so. For me there's magic in a musical instrument - especially a well-crafted one. It wants to be played and it pouts if you ignore it.
Responses