New battery in the alvarez/yairi

I put a new 9-volt battery in my Alvarez/Yairi acoustic/electric guitar yesterday. I rarely use the built in tuner, so I hadn't really noticed that the battery was going bad. And I don't know if it has an effect on the functions or not - but I would assume it does. I did think it sounded a little odd the last couple of weeks. Anyway, yesterday I was going through the songs for Sunday in my office and it was out of tune pretty bad (winter is such a hassle), so I decided to tune with the built-in. It wasn't working right, and so I changed the battery. There are just two screws that come out and then the whole assembly comes out. I haven't checked the sound through the amp yet, but it certainly made a difference in the light on the tuner. I suppose I should check that more often. I don't even remember the last time I changed it. I'm sure it has been several years.

Changed guitar strings

I changed strings on the Alvarez/Yairi yesterday. I'd been meaning to for several weeks because they haven't sounded good at all. This is one of the shortest times between changing that I can remember. I had tried the Martin Lifespan SP strings - I put them on on Nov. 17, 2010 - and they already sounded like crap. That's what I've always had against Martin strings - they sound great at first, but they just don't last very long. So I went back to the Elixir 'nanoweb' custom lights (.011-.052). I've never been thrilled with their sound, but they last a good long time. I also bought a cheap set of D'Addario's just to keep on hand.

New guitar strings

I changed the strings on the Alvarez/Yairi yesterday. I've been meaning to do it for months now, and finally got around to getting some new strings and taking the time to do it. Every Sunday I was hoping I didn't break one. And, geez, the last time they were changed was a year and a half ago: May 23, 2009. Ha, and I noticed from that post that they were changed on Nov. 17, 2007 the time before that. Must be something about Nov. 17.

Anyway, I decided to try some different strings. I was grabbing the usual set of Elixir Custom Lights and I happened to notice these Martin Lifespan SP strings. The sales guy said they were new, and they're supposed to be good. Apparently they've coated all six strings (instead of just the top 4) to give the "longest possible string life without sacrificing tone or natural feel." We will see. I got the custom lights in these too (MSP7050): .011-.052. What was wierd though, is they came 2 strings to a sleeve. When I first opened them I thought I'd mistakenly bought bass strings, but there were only 3 sleeves. Not that it's a big deal but, gee whiz, did they really save that much money by double-sleeving them? Whatever. So far they sound nice.

I used to use Martin strings a long, long time ago. They would sound nice at first, but then they really seemed to die in just a few playings. I hope that doesn't happen with these. I also bought a set of Elixir's just in case. I've never particularly liked the sound of Elixir's, but man do they last me a long time. I don't remember the last time I actually broke a string while playing. For someone like me it's worth it to have a quality string over one that sounds good, I suppose.

I got some new picks while there too. I've used Jim Dunlop .60MM for quite a few years now, and grabbed 3 of those. But I also grabbed some .46MM. I thought maybe the thinner pick might sound a little better too (and make the strings last even longer yet). I think it adds some depth; which I like.

So that's the story with that. Stopping in at the guitar store made me miss it though. I remember when I used to take Isaac to guitar lessons at this little music store in Huntington every week. I just hung out and chatted with customers and the people that worked there, and it was often the highlight of my week. I wish I could find a reason to do that in this store.

Peace out; and in.

New guitar strings on yamaha

I changed the strings today on the Yamaha FG-411E that I keep at home. I bet it's been years since they've been done. I put on a pair of Elixir 80/20 Bronze "polyweb" coating; custom light .011-.052. I don't like these Elixir strings for some reason.

Changed guitar strings

I finally remembered to change the strings on my Alvarez/Yairi today. Holy cow, they hadn't been changed since 11/17/07. I'm not very good about keeping them changed. I thought it was about time though, because the last couple Sundays I've noticed them sounding funny. And sure enough, I kid you not, just as I was changing them, when I went to loosen the little E, it snapped at that very moment. How's that for cutting it close?!

I put on a set of Elixir Custom Lights (.011-.052 with Nanoweb coating) that I've had laying around for eons. They are not the sealed kind though. And I've never particularly liked Elixir strings for some reason. Of course, I can't say that there is a brand that I am particularly in love with. I'm not real fond of that "new string" sound. But anyway, at least I managed to not break one while playing. Whew. I see these are a hair lighter than the one's I took off though, so I might need to change them before a year and a half goes by.

18 minutes. Dang, I'm getting slow.

Changed guitar strings

I'm going to try to use this as a method of keeping track of when I change guitar strings. I am not real good about doing it regularly - usually waiting until I break a few. That poses new problems now that son Isaac isn't here to fix it during the worship gathering. I can usually go quite awhile without changing. Much moreso now than when I used to play ultra or extra-light guage. I don't really even remember what the strings were that I just took off. I haven't found anything I'm particularly in love with. And I wouldn't have even changed today - though I've needed to for a month or so - but I found a pack of new strings on my shelf. They are ghs acoustic mediums. A little heavier than I like, but they'll do for now. So...

Today I put new strings on the Yairi: silk and bronze ghs acoustics ML (E is a .12). 15 minutes.