i find that i’m changing my strings around every 3 weeks and currently using GHS 135 and have a good few sets of GHS 155 also… i wouldn’t say i’m changing every 3 weeks because the strings are totally gone but i find that they start to loose a bit of tonal edge and defo loose their ability to hold the note
changing to a new set gives me momentum and renewed playability/enjoyment, which has to be worth the £6 every 3 weeks
Keep Picking Y’All
Oh my… as often as you play? When you come for camp, we’ve got to load you up with enough strings to take back to last a while.
Yeah, it doesn’t really matter if you sound good if there’s no one around to play for. I did change my mandolin E strings twice in the last few days cuz they broke
My grandfather bought a fiddle from a neighbor that was moving, but it didn’t have strings on it, so he took it the his local music store, and had them put strings on it. The strings must have not been sealed because one broke while I was tuning it! I was able to make do and fix it once I found out how much fiddle strings cost.
Anywhere from $10 to about $200 depending on quality 
Well said!
I’m a master of the metaphor. Metaphor is my middle name 
This metaphor is brought to you today from the Department of Redundancy Department.
I’m a fan of really bad metaphors such as - Her hair glistened in the rain like nose hair after a sneeze.
I have a whole collection of them here:
Talk about differences in writing styles. I do five paragraphs on the benefits of changing your strings and @BanjoBen posts:
in his post Discuss the Banjo lesson: How to Change Banjo Strings
That’s why I love this guy 
Plus, it’s a clear indicator of how I have way too much time on my hands.
Well, my banjo has been getting hard to tune and the intonation has been awful, so I decided to change the strings. This is the first time I’ve changed strings on my new banjo. Ok first note, I don’t like loop end tailpieces. They’re just hard to use. Also, dang these strings take long to break in. When I changed them on my mandolin, within five minutes it would hold tune. Same on my fiddle. But I restrung the banjo last night and played for fifteen minutes, then played fifteen this morning and it still doesn’t hold tune. And the dtuners… well, they’re not useable yet, they take the strings flat so fast. The strings I put on are actually the ones I was sent when I was GPotW last year. I’ll keep y’all posted on when they finally break in
A couple tips that may or may not be helpful Gunnar:
On loop end tailpieces, often a slight bend in the loop end of the string will greatly assist with installation
Once I install strings, I will grab them individually and pull them hard away from the instrument and then give a few seconds of a bouncy pull. I do this with each string individually and repeat a couple times. Doing so stretches the string in a way that tuning stability is there almost immediately. I have had luck with this on every steel string I have tried. Nylon strings (like on a uke or classical) are a bit tougher… they just seem to take forever.
I had previously discovered that with my old banjo, but it had been so long since I changed strings that it took two strings before I remembered that. Pliers work well for that.
I’ve seen that done before, but I usually don’t do it cuz it’s usually unnecessary. I did however try it this time, but I don’t think I stretched them enough. I’ll try again
If the string is already up to pitch, it may be easier to detune it a bit before doing the manual stretching. I notice that on mandos I have to stretch them with string a few notes low before I can get enough flex to pull them effectively. Don’t be bashful… pull on on those puppies.
I think it’s cuz I had picks on my fingers that I couldn’t stretch it enough. I can definitely flex banjo strings enough to stretch
Thanks
Wow, what strings are they. After I changed mine with the Hubers and stretched them like Ben says in the video, I didn’t have a single problem with them. They held their tune just fine. Hmmmm.
Curt mangan mediums. I didn’t watch Ben’s video, but I did just stretch them like @Mike_R suggested and they seem stable now. Maybe my perception of how long it should take to break in was skewed cuz i haven’t changed banjo strings in about a year.
When you come for camp, I’ll send you back with a good supply of banjo strings.
Send him with some Reeses too…
Thanks
I won’t argue with that