[sublime90]

ive had my acoustic for about 6 years but only been really trying to play for about 7 months now and the strings have never been changed. im wondering if i should change my strings. my guitar sounds dull compared to my friends and my strings make creeking noises when i pluck it. i want steel strings what kind should i get? and ive never changed strings before in my life is it pretty simple?

another question i have regarding my strings is there not very close to the fretboard toward the soundhole wich makes it hard to press down around the 10th fret and further. example. at the 1st fret the string is like 1/16th of an inch from the fretboard and around the 10th fret its about 1/4th of an inch. any way i can get rid of that sick gap toward the soundhole?

thanks

[allthumbs]

If your guitar has been left under tension unplayed then most likely the bridge has been pulled up by the tension. Look at the area under and around the bridge, if it looks humped up or the bridge is slightly leaning towards the strings then that is the problem. You can have the bridge shaved down if it is not to far gone.
Strings should be changed every 2 months, 3 tops. Guitar stores have a good variety of strings to choose from. I suggest you take you guitar to a shop to be setup and strung. Watch the tech restring it so you can do it yourself later.

[sublime90]

ok i'll look into it. see if my local guitar shop is open tomorrow. and i looked at the bridge and the left side is a bit higher than the right looks pretty uneven. it sat for a long time unplayed. and some of the string pegs on the bridge base are in farther than others. a few look like there starting to come out. a good restringing and tune wouldnt hurt.