If I replace one string on my guitar, do I need to replace all of them?

Question: If I replace one string on my guitar, do I need to replace all of them!?
Best Answer - Chosen by Asker:

Depends on the circumstances under which it broke, the overall age of the whloe set of strings, whether you are making money with this guitar, doing some serious practicing, or just playing it once in awhile, and how fussy your ear is!. If you have relatively new strings on there and you broke one, let's say you were tuning it and it snapped, you can just throw on a spare!. If the string fell apart because of metal fatigue however (especially if some of the windings on the D and A string are starting to unravel) change the whole set!. If you don't know where that set of strings is gonna come from however, get what you can afford!. If you are gigging with that guitar (you know, making money!?) you should be replacing those strings every two months to two weeks depending on how often you play out!. If you are a serious student, you should still be replacing those strings every two to three months depending on the climate and how well you take care of them (wipe them down right after you play them, take care not to tune them back and forth excessively etc!.)

Not to overstate the obvious, but any guitar player who plays more than every other weekend, ought to have an extra set of strings in the gig bag at all times, along with an extra E, B and D string (you would never believe it, but D strings actually go bad more often than E strings unless you do a LOT of bending) If you are a serious student, you should be buying your strings in bulk!. I get them by gauge, twenty at a time, and I generally order at least three to five sets at once to take advantage of the shipping rates!.

also, don't forget to determine why that string broke in the first place!. Is there a burr on the neck nut!? Did it get tightened too much when it was being tuned!? Did it catch on a poorly finished fret and snap!? Were you doing your best Stevie Ray Vaughan Impression and bend it farther than any rocker has gone before!? Don't just slap another string on there until you determine that the same thing isn't going to happen all over again!. You would not believe how many students come to me in tears because they have broken a string, their parents have gone to the music store to buy them a new one (just one) and their parents got mad because they broke the new one as soon as they tried to put it on!. (Now you know why I buy twenty at a time!) The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results!. Inspect that fingerboard, check the finish work on your frets, and make sure that the new string you put on, isn't going to suffer the same fate as the one you just took off!.

Take this opportunity to clean in places you can't normally get to!. Check out the bridge saddle while you are at it!. Sometimes the saddle is the culprit!. Often people file them down to get the strings a little closer to the fingerboard, and leave a spur that cuts right through a string at the worst possible times!.

Finally, if the string tends to break on a regular basis, take it to a technician or luthier and find out why!. Make sure you can depend on your guitar without having to buy it new jewelry every few days!.

Bottom line

New strings - replace one
Old worn out strings - replace them all
String breaks over and over - get the guitar to the shop

You don't know the make / gauge / tension of the strings - -
AHHHH

Take the guitar to the shop and have a professional tell you whether it is worthwhile to change the whole set or whether they can determine approximately what you have on there now so you can save a few bucks!.

Best of luck no matter what you decide and I hope this helps!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

If its been a long time since you replaced them, you should change them all!. Strings go dead over time, and a new string will sound noticeably brighter and more brilliant than old dead strings!. If you have one new string and the others are all dead, they won't sound right!.

If you just changed all the strings and they're still new-sounding, and then one breaks, you can just change the one broken string!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

you don't NEED to, but you'll notice the difference in tone, since it'll be much cleaner than the other strings!. it'll be louder and clearer than the other strings!. if you're playing an electric guitar it won't matter as much, but you'll hear a definite difference if you're playing on an acoustic!. it's just a matter of preference, whatever sound you're comfortable playin with!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

If you haven't changed your strings in a couple of months then you should replace them all!. Old strings don't sound very good, and they don't hold tune as well as new strings, they break easier and can mess up your intonation!.

This could be part of your problem with your tuner!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

No, you don't need to replace all of the strings!. But it's better do so, because by time the sound quality that your old strings give you will become less!. Try replacing all of them, tune the strings well and you'll see the results you get!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

No but if one has broken, it's a good time to check the others!. Sweat from your fingers will create rust on strings!. It's a good idea to carry a rag in your guitar case to wipe the strings w/ after playing!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

It depends on how old your strings are, or how much you have used them!. Its always nice to have brand new strings on your guitar and its easier if you change them all at the same time, but its not necessary!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

No but it is a good idea to change all of them after 2 months!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

Nope :)

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