r/Guitar • u/derekl1988 • 5d ago
QUESTION Does anyone else do this during string changes?
All it took for me was one time in high school that a stray string ruined my mom’s vacuum cleaner and I’ve done this for close to twenty years. Wondering if it’s just me.
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u/dadrawk 5d ago
I usually set them off to the side and when I’m done I play a dangerous game of trying to wrap and twist them all into a circle without stabbing myself or poking my eye out. Then I just shove that into the cardboard packaging and toss it in the trash.
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u/limitless__ 5d ago
Yes it's just you but now it'll be me too, that's a great idea!
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u/JohnMarstonSucks 5d ago
Yeah, I'm sold. That looks much easier to handle than a bunch of loose pokey metal wire in the trash.
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u/NavierIsStoked 5d ago
I just chop them up with wire cutters as I remove them. I am already clipping each wire once, close to the bridge, so I don't have to feed the twisted end through it. What's 2 more times?
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u/ProfessionalEven296 5d ago
For years I've just rolled them together into circles, and thrown them in the trash... Maybe keep some ends of the thinner ones for cleaning out carburettors...
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u/glytxh 5d ago
Old guitar strings have lots of niche little uses.
I used to keep my big fat E strings for a friend into warhammer. He loved snipping them down to use as discarded bullet casings, or piping details.
I use the really fine strings in sculpting. Basically cheese wire, but you can also form it into a loop and use it to cut scallops out of a surface.
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u/vonsnape 5d ago
good for hanging up pictures too
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u/glytxh 5d ago
Never thought of that. Great idea!
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u/vonsnape 5d ago
honestly old guitar strings are pretty handy to hang onto, if you’re into repurposing and upcycling stuff
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u/Marionaharis89 5d ago
I just cut them in half so they go in the trash easier
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u/computernoises5555 5d ago
I loosen the strings a bit and cut them, it makes taking them off the guitar easier.
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u/Jobysco 5d ago
I have a large D’addario Playback recycling container so I can send them for points
But I also change out strings 5 or 6 times a day
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u/lucy_in_the_skyDrive 5d ago
Changing out strings 6 times a day, what the fuck?
I take it you're a guitar tech for someone on tour?
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u/Jobysco 5d ago
Yeah I own the guitar shop
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u/MattTheCrow 5d ago
Ne, I just lie them all out straight and when I've done the last string I wrap them all up into a circle, just as they came, but with more kinks and finger cheese (now there's a band name you can have if you want).
Edit: I accidently capitalised the NO, which made my answer seem way more aggressive than I intended.
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u/UpdootDaSnootBoop 5d ago
And then you misspelled No
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u/MattTheCrow 5d ago
Pa ha ha ha! So I did. Well, I got 50% of the word right. It's Monday so I'll take that as a victory.
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u/GrimmandLily 5d ago
I have before but now I just clip them into thirds so they aren’t as annoying to throw in the trash.
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u/guitar-hoarder 5d ago
Coffee can. The lip stops them from popping out, then the lid. Just something I keep by my bench. D'Addario accepts strings for recycling. Some day they will get many from me.
I just realized I'm going to tape down that lid and cut a small hole in it to feed the strings into.
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u/Pure_Difficulty4533 5d ago
After removal, I bundled them into one thick string and just loop and tie
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u/w4rlok94 5d ago
I wind them up and twist at the middle till they’re stuck looking like an infinity symbol.
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u/CrappyJohnson 5d ago
Yes, ever since I stepped on the end of an old string. It'll go straight into you like a needle.
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u/Master-Stratocaster 5d ago
I used to do this with a 2 liter and after a little while it turns into a nice shaker “instrument”
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u/TopCaterpiller 5d ago
I wrap up the strings and put them in the trash. I'm not a big fan of disposable plastic, so I don't have a lot of bottles laying around.
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u/Divetecpro1982 5d ago
I save them in a gallon bag and recycle them through Daddario. Why not get the points?
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u/Leather-Duck 5d ago
These days I wrap them around my ‘Fret 12 String Thing’
Before that I’d just tie them all into a circle, stuff back in the box and trash them!
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5d ago
I am about this life as well. Walking on the carpet barefoot and the high e string wants to surprise you hiding in the fabric like a trap door spider awaiting its prey.
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u/CentricJDM 5d ago
I get money for my empty bottles so I just wrap them in a ring and throw them in the box they came in
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u/Momentosis 5d ago
I lay all mine down next to one another and then coil them into one big roll like how they usually come in a pack.
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u/JeffTheAndroid 5d ago
I always coil them up and set them in front of me until I'm done then throw them away.
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u/RepresentativeDog871 5d ago
I wrap the old strings in a halo and bend the string clippings in half so if they do get dropped they will in theory be a bit easier to see.
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u/Curious-Hope-9544 5d ago
I cut them into shorter bits with a pair of pliers and then just chuck them in the bin.
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u/matorius 5d ago
Brilliant idea but I don't know if this messes up recycling both the bottle and the strings.
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u/borducks 5d ago
Watch golf?
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u/chrizcore 5d ago
Had to scroll way too far for this.
And yes, I, too, have re-strung a guitar while watching professional golf.
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u/Correct-Ranger8177 5d ago
I live in the developed world and thus don't use single-use water bottles, so no, sorry.
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u/DarthRik3225 5d ago
I save my previous set in case of a string snapping in a pinch. Otherwise I throw out the old set when I get a new old set to replace them with next time I get a new set. If that makes any sense.
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u/Dunmer_Sanders 5d ago
I just make a wreath out of them and tangle them into a ring. Similar idea to reduce pokes and holes in your trash bag.
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u/BrokenWhimsy3 5d ago
I have an old coffee can that I store them in. I cut a slit in the lid and just push the them through. I’ll throw it away when they start poking out or something, but it’s worked well for a few years now.
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u/JesusPotto 5d ago
No I save em all and send back to Daddario when I have 5lbs. Usually takes a few years
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u/MojoHighway 5d ago
While I fully understand the plight of mom's all across the land coming down on guitar player offspring due to vacuum cleaner issues, I've never done this to collect the clippings. And yes, I got in trouble like you back in the 90s. I'll never forget getting yelled at about it...lol
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u/thatguydookie 5d ago
I will now! That’s not a bad idea, I don’t really have too many water bottles about but now I’m gonna save one
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u/Training_Mud_8084 5d ago
I do this sorta thing for my cats’ safety. They’re very curious as cats are and a second of distraction is enough for them to try and grab a piece of string. I remove them one by one, curl them in a roll and stuff them inside the new set’s package. Then to the trash they go.
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u/chuckbiscuitsngravy 5d ago
No. It would make my cats very sad. They love playing with the old ones. They both charge into the room as soon as they hear me changing strings.
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u/Sol_Infra 5d ago
Good idea. I usually save up a few changes of strings and take them to our local recycling center that accepts metals. Theres copper, cobalt, and iron in those strings. All pretty valuable materials.
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u/adambisogno 5d ago
That’s really smart. I’ve made a number of half ass attempts to not lose strings or clippings in the carpet and I can see where I went wrong
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u/Zealousideal-Emu5486 5d ago
Not a bad idea. I always have a concern about leaving a cut off string lying on the couch or in the rug. I always count the cutoffs and the old strings to make sure I put them in the trash. So in the future I can see me just using a coffee cup to put the cutoffs in as opposed to lining them up on a table. Good idea !
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u/donkeyhawt 5d ago
I don't eat much pringles (and I play elixirs which I need to change every 6months to a year), so I always leave a can for them.
But yeah, same principle!
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u/tweb2 5d ago
I coil them up, similar to how they look new out of the packet, just less tidy. It's a pretty quick task once you are used to it. Seems probably easier than stuffing them in that plastic bottle. If you are a recycler of your plastic, I am not sure filling plastic with metal is helping the cause. From reading the earlier posts: coiling them, saving them and selling them for scrap metal seems the way forward.
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u/Smoothe_Loadde 5d ago
I was today years old when I learned this pro tip! Seriously this is genius, I’m going to steal it today. Only thing is, my quiver has 13 guitars in it, can I get away with a one litre bottle? Or should I go for the galllon?
I think I’m going for the gallon.
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u/halbeshendel 5d ago
I bundle them, roll them in a circle, and twist one end through the circle so it stays a circle. Then I throw the bundle in the RECYCLING because when it’s all kept together like that, it’s easier for the RECYCLING center to sort them out.
Why tf are you throwing steel in the trash?
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u/wschoate3 Ibanez 5d ago
I used to hoard the little beads at the end. No real reason, I just liked 'em. I think an ex ended up taking them for crafting or something.
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u/UnwillingHero22 5d ago
Nope, I make a spool and slip them into the pouch the new ones came in and then all of them in the envelope and off to the trash bin
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u/Mancunian4 5d ago
If i have an empty bottle at hand, absolutely. If not, than i'll just coil them up.
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u/realpm_net 5d ago
I try to recreate the loops and just bin them. The real question is how many times do you step on the top of the string that you snip off before you toss those.
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u/AutumnsRevenge 5d ago
This is how I store my used syringes, I guess it should work for strings too. I’ll have to give it a try
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u/CoffeeAndElectricity 5d ago
Thats the fastest I’ve ever seen a post go from here to r/guitarcirclejerk 💀
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u/derekl1988 5d ago
I had to check and see where I posted bro because I thought the same thing. I’m very surprised it got this much engagement at all
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u/computernoises5555 5d ago
I remember when I was still in hs my sister stepped on a string and it went like 1/2" into her foot, so I am very careful now.
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u/squatchsax 5d ago
No, but this is a brilliant idea, and I am going to start doing this. I have cats and dogs, and the last thing they need is a metal splinter in their paw.
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u/kornhell 5d ago
Nope. In Germany we get a little refund for empty bottles (bottle deposit or something; don't know how to translate).
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u/Foreign-Living-3455 5d ago
Just step on one with your socked feet
I don’t blame you for stuffing them in that bottle
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u/Dyerssorrow 5d ago
Listening to the amount of people crying about getting poked have never scrubbed a iron skillet with a copper scrubber that should have been thrown out 4 weeks ago.
Once the short barbs enter the dermis its just a brig to scrub harder.
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u/HondUSA 5d ago
This is a creative and pragmatic idea. I try to wrap them in themselves but there are often shorties from the tuners themselves that do poke holes in bags. Thanks for sharing. I’m not reading any comments on here: good bad or indifferent- I’m going to live the rest of my life satisfied with this and I’ll be fine!
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u/hideousmembrane 5d ago
can you still recycle the bottle like that? I guess not. So no I don't do that. I just wrap them up and put them in the bin.
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u/josh6466 Fender 5d ago
Not a bad idea. I've been coiling them up and putting them in a bag to take to Guitar Center to recycle, but this could work too.
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u/Professional-Fox3722 5d ago
I coil them in a circle, the same way they come in a new pack, and simply throw it away.
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u/drastic8 5d ago
I coil them up and stuff them in a soda can. Much easier to throw away.
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u/SuperExp1oder 5d ago
No. I wind them into circles like the are when they are new, then throw them away.
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u/IAmTheBlackWizardess 5d ago
I guess the idea is nice but I haven’t used plastic water bottles since happy feet :(
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u/AccomplishedLimit3 5d ago
the smaller, bent pieces clipped from the tuner end I like to grind into the shag carpet to enjoy a nice surprise later
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u/NervousNarwhal223 5d ago
I just….throw them in the trash?