Well I wasn't sure where to put this.
I have often seen, on my uncles guitar and a pic of JBP's, as well as elsewhere, that many musicians do not cut off the excess string on their guitars; they are coiled up by the tuners, or, in my uncles case, just left towiggle about as he plays. IS there a reason for this, or are they just too lazy to cut them off?

They are too lazy to cut them off..... 


    honestly, sometimes your changing strings, and you just don't have a way to cut them off.... they aren't something you can cut with a regular pair of scissors... some people carry a pair of wire snippers in their guitar case, but many others just don't bother... it depends on how much you change your strings, and the gauge off string, etc... when I strang with super light gauge(09-12-15-25-35-45) I could cut them with a pair of kitchen shears... but, now, I am strung with heavy(.016-.018-.026-.036-.046-.056).. These just don't cut.... so, they dangle... I eventually will cut them off with my wire snippers, but I haven't gotten around to it... to busy playing to be bothered... not so much lazy, as much as I am playing..

        so, that is why they do it.... as for coiling cs dangling... don't really matter, although coiling certainly keeps eyes and arms, and fingers from getting poked...

               Jim K

To switch from Super light to Heavy the way I did, is not for everyone... You should in fact use the heaviest gauge your fingers can tolerate, but be sure to have your guitar set up for the heavier strings... when switching from the super lights to Heavy, it is an extreme change, and as such, the truss rod will need adjustment, because the heavier strin require more tension to tune up to standard tuning than super lights.... and I mean alot more tension... each gauge up requires an extra degree of tension.. when you go from .009's to .016's that is almost twice the tension on that string alone... you also need to be sure your guitar can handle the extra tension... and NEVER EVER put steel strings on a nylon string guitar... the results are catastrophic... (you will end up with two pieces)...

                  Jim K

Just depends on  what I'm doing. On acoustics I cut the strings off. on my strat I cut the strings off. on the Ibanez ,I leave the access on there in case I break a string at the Floyd Rose Bridge.  Then I can just unwind the string down, clamp it, and keep using the string.
That doesn't happen very often though. In making string changes I would only bump my gauges up a few at a time. It gives you a chance to build up finger strength, and let your guitar adjust to the extra tension.  I like the .011  .014  .018  .028  .038  .048  set on my electrics. Sometimes I'll use the a little heavier gauge on the  4th 5th and 6th .

If you are playing in a group, and standing to the right of the other players, or going to a jam, and standing to the right of other players.  You should cut, or curl the excess string as to avoid injury to eyes, face, and other body pierceable parts