Pauline --

I don't replace my strings as often as many people do. My feelings: when they're brand new, they sound terrific, but they stretch, lose pitch, and require constant retuning. I hate that! Then there's a period when they're stable but still sound quite bright. I'm not sure just how long this ideal situation lasts, but eventually the tone gets duller and duller, but very gradually. I don't really notice the slight gradual degradation, and just live with it indefinitely.

When I was much younger and much more active -- playing on streetcorners 40-50 hours per week, loud and hard -- I'd break strings often enough to ensure that I bought a new set about once a month. I'd keep my old strings for emergency on-the-spot replacements, and generally didn't buy a new set until 2 or 3 of the latest set had broken.

But nowadays, I'm playing an hour or two a day in the privacy of my home (after a decade or so of playing very little at all). I haven't broken a string since I can't remember when, and I'm not trying to impress an audience, so I can go indefinitely without changing strings.

If and when I start playing out again (I know when and where all the local open mike nights are held), I'll have reason to change strings more often, like any other real musician.