noobish questions?

[momma'sboy]

im not sure if this is the right forum to ask this question
1) how frequent do you change your strings?
2) is there a huge difference when changing the gauge of your strings? (.045-.105 to .050-.110) and is there HUGE change in the "comfort" of the string? or rather the playability of the string?
im kind of thinking of buying eball .50-110s so all comments and suggestions are very well appreciated
and my gear: ibanez gsr200 and i mostly play with a pick

[myhot4]

EB's Slinky's are great strings. They don't last long though. Generally you change strings any where between 3 to 6 months depending on how often you play.

I think string gauge comes down to feel. I have smallish hands so I prefer smaller gauges. Sound wise thicker gauges can give a heavier sound. Its very subjective, and the only real way of knowing is to try them out for your self. Goodluck.

[bassybill]

You won't necessarily notice that much difference between, say, .045 and .050 strings, but they do come in a much wider range than that! For example, Rotosound lights are .030-.085 and the heavy gauge are .050-.110 and you would certainly notice a hell of a difference between these!! Heavier strings = much higher tension.

How about string type? There's probably actually less difference between brands than you might think from reading us banging on in this forum, but there is a huge difference in tone and feel between roundwound and flatwound strings (regardless of brand), and a smaller but still noticeable difference between steel and nickel wound roundwounds.

[momma'sboy]

i kinda know the difference from rouwound to flats but steel and nickel is new to me...so whats the difference between em?

[JustOpenYourMind]

stainless steel strings are much brighter out of the box than nickel and retain that brightness longer. Nickel strings are warmer and tend to have a duller sound. In the end it all comes down to taste and the kind of sound your after.

As an example someone in that tread earlier mentionned he changes strings every 3 to 6 months. he certainly is after a warm sound without that much brightness. I for my part change strings every month even less sometimes. Some pro player even change their strings every gig they play. but doing this kinda get expensive

[momma'sboy]

oh... i kinda prefer brightness instead of the warm sound thanx