diff --git a/stepmania/src/GameState.cpp b/stepmania/src/GameState.cpp
index 60ac2a1d49..ee27cf2213 100644
--- a/stepmania/src/GameState.cpp
+++ b/stepmania/src/GameState.cpp
@@ -1016,6 +1016,8 @@ void GameState::GetDefaultPlayerOptions( PlayerOptions &po )
 	po.Init();
 	po.FromString( PREFSMAN->m_sDefaultModifiers );
 	po.FromString( CommonMetrics::DEFAULT_MODIFIERS );
+	if( po.m_sNoteSkin.empty() )
+		po.m_sNoteSkin = "default";
 }
 
 void GameState::GetDefaultSongOptions( SongOptions &so )
@@ -1106,7 +1108,8 @@ void GameState::GetAllUsedNoteSkins( vector<RString> &out ) const
 			{
 				PlayerOptions po;
 				po.FromString( e->Modifiers );
-				out.push_back( po.m_sNoteSkin );
+				if( !po.m_sNoteSkin.empty() )
+					out.push_back( po.m_sNoteSkin );
 			}
 		}
 	}
diff --git a/stepmania/src/PlayerOptions.cpp b/stepmania/src/PlayerOptions.cpp
index 7e550746be..edb12f7a89 100644
--- a/stepmania/src/PlayerOptions.cpp
+++ b/stepmania/src/PlayerOptions.cpp
@@ -36,7 +36,7 @@ void PlayerOptions::Init()
 	ZERO( m_bTurns );
 	ZERO( m_bTransforms );
 	m_ScoreDisplay = SCORING_ADD;
-	m_sNoteSkin = "default";
+	m_sNoteSkin = "";
 }
 
 void PlayerOptions::Approach( const PlayerOptions& other, float fDeltaSeconds )
@@ -192,7 +192,7 @@ void PlayerOptions::GetMods( vector<RString> &AddTo ) const
 		AddPart( AddTo, m_fSkew, "Incoming" );
 	}
 
-	if( !m_sNoteSkin.empty()  &&  m_sNoteSkin.CompareNoCase("default")!=0 )
+	if( !m_sNoteSkin.empty() )
 	{
 		RString s = m_sNoteSkin;
 		Capitalize( s );
@@ -333,7 +333,7 @@ void PlayerOptions::FromString( const RString &sOptions, bool bWarnOnInvalid )
 		else if( sBit == "hallway" )		{ m_bSetTiltOrSkew = true; m_fSkew = 0;		m_fPerspectiveTilt = -level;	m_SpeedfSkew = m_SpeedfPerspectiveTilt = speed; }
 		else if( sBit == "distant" )		{ m_bSetTiltOrSkew = true; m_fSkew = 0;		m_fPerspectiveTilt = +level;	m_SpeedfSkew = m_SpeedfPerspectiveTilt = speed; }
 		else if( NOTESKIN && NOTESKIN->DoesNoteSkinExist(sBit) )	m_sNoteSkin = sBit;
-		else if( sBit == "noteskin" && !on ) /* "no noteskin" */	m_sNoteSkin = "default";
+		else if( sBit == "noteskin" && !on ) /* "no noteskin" */	m_sNoteSkin = "default";	// TODO: The default NoteSkin isn't necessarily "default"
 		else if( sBit == "randomspeed" ) 	SET_FLOAT( fRandomSpeed )
 		else if( sBit == "addscore" )		m_ScoreDisplay = SCORING_ADD;
 		else if( sBit == "subtractscore" )	m_ScoreDisplay = SCORING_SUBTRACT;
diff --git a/stepmania/src/PlayerOptions.h b/stepmania/src/PlayerOptions.h
index 5c04484a22..c9e14f61c9 100644
--- a/stepmania/src/PlayerOptions.h
+++ b/stepmania/src/PlayerOptions.h
@@ -134,7 +134,7 @@ public:
 	bool		m_bTransforms[NUM_TRANSFORMS];
 	ScoreDisplay m_ScoreDisplay;
 
-	RString		m_sNoteSkin;
+	RString		m_sNoteSkin;	// "" means "no change"
 
 	void NextAccel();
 	void NextEffect();