Holy Smokes!

[saintandsinnerguy]

I put some fresh strings on my Larrivee D-03MT today, and it literally had me dropping my mouth wide open all over again.  Man, it had been a while since I put new strings on her, and it is a totally new guitar once again!  It is amazing how a dead set of strings can change a whole guitar!  I really need to treat her better and keep a fresher set on her all the time  

Gotta love that first day of fresh strings....(actually I like day 2 with fresh strings a little better than day one)

How often do you all change strings?

[broKen]

'bout the time I'm thinking I'd like a new guitar.

[saintandsinnerguy]

Yeah, the way she played today with new strings pretty much wipes away any GAS.  The dred sounds AWESOME!

[Dale_I]

Lots of conversations about tonewoods, construction techniques, saddle and nut material, etc, etc, etc. It really is amazing how much strings can transform a guitar. I'm a firm believer of finding the correct strings for the right guitar. Enjoy!!!

[ffinke]

When to change strings: I have a real problem with that because since I started using Curt Mangan's they just don't go dead. I'm almost embarassed to  say I changed strings on my H&D 00-sp in May when I realized I hadn't changed them since Dec. and they still sounded good. I know a lot of people change every couple weeks or even every week. It's what you like and can afford.

f

[Dale_I]

ffinke -- great... thanks  ... a string I haven't tried 
Now I've got to track some down and see if I like them 

[cke]

I normally change between 2 weeks and 2 months, depending play time and available  time plus how they sound to me. But I wanted to see if the coated strings were as advertised.

The Cargo and Parlor and 00-3 all had coated strings from the Spring. (Nanoweb and EXP's)
The L-09 had EJ-17's also since April.  These were  holding up ok, slowly getting  mellow and softer which is my usual experience with them and MSP4200's.

So:
The Cargo and Parlor got EJ-17's. Huge improvement and lively gustsy sound.
The 00-03 got RED mediums. Huge improvement and lively gustsy sound, deep bass almost like adding half a size.
The L-09 got GHS LJ True Mediums. Nice fresh string sound, but the old  EJ's weren't  that bad.

MY lesson? Coated strings aren't that great and don't last any longer for me.

[Pickering_Picker]

Only had a Larrivee for a few months now (EIR/L). First time I changed strings was a set of phosphor bronze light gauge. So darned bright I couldn't wait for them to deaden up a bit. After 6 weeks or so of constant playing they got so dead that I finally felt I had to change again. This time happened to use regular bronze light gauge. Perfect! Not too bright/tinny, not too dull. Guess they won't last so long.

Where would the D'Addario EXP16s that Larrivee recommends fall on the bright-to-mellow spectrum? I understand that they're coated, but don't yet have any experience with that.

(In case there's some difference in terminology: by bright I mean high overtones dominate fundamentals; by dead I mean the opposite.)

[Michael T]

I used to change every 20 to 25 hours of play or 2 days before a gig. Now I wipe them down faithfully after every use but I can't gig anymore (health reasons), so it is more like every month and a half or 2 months. Whenever she starts looking a little dull or spotty (I sometimes spray a bit when I sing). I use DR Sunbeams so they really do not need replacing when I do most of the time but I do just for maintenance sake and access when cleaning up a bit).

[cantwellm]

Dale-I,
I agree with ffinke: Curt Mangan's are well worth a try. I've been going nutso trying strings for a couple of months and have ranked them at the top (see http://www.larriveeforum.com/smf/index.php?topic=32277.20)

[mas music]

Trying out different strings is the only hobby I can still afford. A fresh set of strings is like getting a new guitar. The differences are subtle and undetectable by most humans but we guitar folk thrive on nuance and details. Also my favorite strings on the Ovation I had just don't sound that good on the Larrivee and vise versa. Thus string recommendations are very subjective.

[Danny]

I put some fresh strings on my Larrivee D-03MT today, and it literally had me dropping my mouth wide open all over again.  Man, it had been a while since I put new strings on her, and it is a totally new guitar once again!  It is amazing how a dead set of strings can change a whole guitar!  I really need to treat her better and keep a fresher set on her all the time  

Gotta love that first day of fresh strings....(actually I like day 2 with fresh strings a little better than day one)

How often do you all change strings?

I put three sets on today. Only one was due to age. I have a lot of strings and I switched the F-IV to mediums and really like it (EJ-17's).  My F-III was the only one that I changed because of a noticeable decrease in it's very rich and vibrant tone. That is when I for sure dump the old ones and put on a new set.

  New strings on a good guitar are like the sun bursting through the clouds in Seattle after two months of clouds and drizzle.