Howdy,
I’ve played dobro off and on for twenty years, but I never knew any other players until recently. I was kind of in a vacuum, since I play Old Time music as opposed to Bluegrass, and I had no idea what the tastes and standards of the contemporary dobro scene were like. I started reading this forum in the last few months and learned that y’all are really big on changing strings.
Having acquired another dobro (two, actually!) in the last three months and playing at least an hour a day (sometimes six!), on the same set of strings, I have determined that I actually prefer the tone of old, dead, phosphor bronze strings. Maybe it’s just because I played an archtop banjo for years, so I’m burned out on high frequencies, but I really dig the mellowness of dead strings. I feel the same about guitars. I rarely change strings, and I’d take a ladder-braced old Gibson over a D18 any day.
I guess if I was gigging in a Bluegrass band with a banjo player, my attitude might be different, but I only play with a fiddler and a guitar player, so volume and cutting through the mix isn’t an issue.
My peculiar tastes also have the benefit of saving quite a bit of money, since it sounds like a fair number of you change strings every week!
Best,
PT
Edited by - taygrover on 08/09/2026 11:13:36
Changing strings will change the sound of the guitar. You are absolutely correct if you prefer the sound of dull strings. That is your prerogative
If you are a pro on the road all the time, you are required to change them or your band members will criticize you for not changing them! I have had this happen to me many times because they hear the sound of your rese in a different manner than you do. Sometimes the audience can tell the difference as well. What you hear in your head will determine the best answer to this question. The number of hours on a set of strings will vary on the amount they are used.The type of strings and brand will play into this too.
I don't know if it is true or not but I have heard that Larry Sparks has the same taste as you in old dead strings. He is a very underrated guitar picker.
Yes, there are those of us out here that cannot stand the sound of old strings, on our own guitars or others too! I have very sensitive hearing, have had all my life, and still hear better than i want to some days! Ever try shopping for a guitar and finding so many guitars in the stores have old strings? That kills the deal for me, unless I can get them to change the strings and find out how they really can sound!
As long as no one El Kabong's you that you play with, with your own guitar, then carry on! Enjoy what you like! Just don't ask me to listen, OK? Friendly advice, unless you misunderstood!
PS Earplugs work too, for when you finally do change your strings, for whatever reason you would do it!
Edited by - Bluespider on 08/10/2026 08:16:18
Some blues players don’t like bright new strings, especially on metal bodied guitars such as the various Nationals.
And Megan Lovell, for example, hates the sound of new strings on her lap-steels.
I think in bluegrass circles, bright new strings help the dobro rise above the group congestion. And pretty songs with chimes and ringing notes sure sound nice with new strings.
I guess I like both depending…..
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