I picked a friends guitar up and it sounded dreadfully dull. On asking how long the strings had been on it was clear she was not sure but it seemed likely to be about a year.

The next week she thanked me for asking as she had changed the strings and realised what a difference it makes.

If you are addicted to the sound of bright shiny new strings it could cost you a lot of money (and time) but most people can live with the sound of played in strings for several weeks and possibly months.

I have bass guitars which I leave the strings on as long as possible as the sound of new bass strings is brash beyond belief, not just because the price of a set of bass strings will buy 3 sets of standard guitar strings.

John