New Strings vs. Old ones?

New strings are good but they sound best after a few hours of playing, takes alittle of the britle edge off. Dead strings are just that... dead! they have no harmonic content are hard to keep in tune. When I was gigging weekly I would change strings after 15-20 hours of playing to stay in that range of sound and feel.
 
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Can an unwound string be "dead?"

I thought that only wound strings would "die," because all kinds of junk would get into the windings? (That's all Elixir strings do, put a very thin teflon tube around the wound strings, so skin/dirt cannot get in.)
To my ears, the unwound strings can go dead, too. The surface of the steel can oxidize, or even show visible/feel-able corrosion in more extreme cases.
 
To my ears, the unwound strings can go dead, too. The surface of the steel can oxidize, or even show visible/feel-able corrosion in more extreme cases.

And I think strings reach a point were the tempering effects of bending, tuning, stretching the metal over a period of time also contributes to them going dead...
 
Well, Clapton used to keep his strings on for over a year...

Ahhh reminds me of a story told to me from a guitar player friend of mine. He had to drive Randy Bachman around town for a weekend and one of their conversations was about changing strings. "Nope, I leave 'em on a long time, break them in, like them better...Clapton too, he likes 'em old and broken in, that's what he told me..."
 
And I think strings reach a point were the tempering effects of bending, tuning, stretching the metal over a period of time also contributes to them going dead...
You might have something there. I can't say I know all of the mechanisms that contribute to string deadening, but that kind of work-hardening seems a likely culprit.
 
You might have something there. I can't say I know all of the mechanisms that contribute to string deadening, but that kind of work-hardening seems a likely culprit.

Yea, that was the term I was looking for but couldn't think of it. It's like when you bend a coathanger, or a paper clip, back and forth; eventually the metal gets brittle and snaps. Doesn't vibrate as well at the very least I would think...
 
Can an unwound string be "dead?"

I thought that only wound strings would "die," because all kinds of junk would get into the windings? (That's all Elixir strings do, put a very thin teflon tube around the wound strings, so skin/dirt cannot get in.)

Unwound strings can get a slight crimp where they meet the frets. Those crimps hamper the vibration, and can cause the string to sound dead. Corrosion and finger gunk can also contribute to the problem. When I was gigging with a single guitar 4 hours per night, 6 nights a week, I changed strings on it every other day. These days I play 2 to 6 gigs per month, and use 4 guitars (5, including the guitar synth). I go 2 to 6 months between string changes, depending on the guitar.

I use rubbing alcohol on a cotton towel to clean my strings and finger boards after each playing session. I can't imagine using something slippery like WD40.
 
On the guitars I play everyday, I tend to change strings roughly every two weeks or so. I don't seem to have any issues with my body chemistry killing strings like some do. On the other guitars that don't get played as often, I can go several months on a single set. I use nickle wound strings (typically Curt Mangan). If I'm playing a gig, I like to change the strings a day or two before and break them in a couple of hours or so..

All this applies for playing through amps (which I still do) as well as through the Axe FX.
 
New strings are brighter than old strings. I don't get "one-dimensional" or "lacking in depth."
I think what this "one dimensional" is referring to, possibly, is that there is more of a peak in terms of EQ, rather than a smoother curve with more mids. This would be a function of "brighter". But I agree, calling it one dimensional is maybe a useful exaggeration to make the point. The lacking in depth part, maybe that refers to that the highs are overwhelming the lower frequencies, hence the lower highs/mids/lows are perceived as missing their full body.

I think the different stages have their uses, but my hands are very oily. I go through strings within a month, no doubt about it. And the way a set of strings works with your finger pressure does differ. To me its a lot more fluid with new strings (aside from them going out of tune) whereas with worn strings the control factor is off, and they are less predictable in the way they "sing". The dullness that begins to develop, if I listen closely, to me sounds unpredictable, like drifting harmonic reactions, that do not respond to a fingering, bend, or pull as smoothly as they used to. Of course, this is sort of describing something in slow motion that is really almost imperceptible. And this could be strictly a perceptual thing because I hear the upper range, where this apparently occurs, whereas some others maybe do not.
 
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I replace my strings before every rehearsal or gig. I can change them and have them stabilized fairly quickly. I recycle my old strings, and sometimes give them to a local guitarist who lives in a retirement home. He hates new strings, and wants them pre-broken-in. Everybody wins, and I get to hear great stories from him in the process.
 
I like my strings broken in. New ones give a clanging sound to my ear. I probably change strings twice a year on the guitars I play most often.
 
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