I have always kept fresh strings on my ukes. I changed them between 3 and 6 months. After reading so many posts about not changing strings so often I tried and expirement. My main high g player was changed in Jan of 2016. Today I put new strings on (same brand Living Waters). All I can say is wow, what a change. I think I will go back to more often changes. Once a year is not good enough for me. As soon as they settle in, I will have a new crisp sound for the holidays.