How long do your bass strings usually last?

[JDL]

 

If you want to post:

Tell which kind of string you usually use, etc. If you have more than one bass, then tell which set of strings are your favorite. Also, maybe add some useful techniques you use to keep your strings useful(such as boiling them, etc.)

 

I love my Dean Markley Blue Steel strings.

[JD_dup2]

I use the Dean Markley Nickel Plated Blue Steel strings and change them at least monthly, often in 2 weeks if playing a lot.

[willerichey]

I use Ernieball custom slinkys. I have found that stainless steel strings last longer for me. I like Boomers, but I just kill them to quickly.

[japhy4529]

G&L L-2000 Bass - Ernie Ball Strings.

 

These strings will usually last around 1 month, depending on how much gigging I am doing at the time. Playing gigs really decreases the life of my strings. I sweat like a madman onstage (damn lights!).

[Addix Metzatricity]

I used to use Blue Steels on my fretless 'till I went to flat wounds. I don't remember what kind they are.

 

On my 6-string I use GHS Bass Boomers (when I can find a 6-string set).

[Lawnmower8]

I haven't tried many different strings types, and don't remember many of them, but I keep gravitating back to the DM Blue Steel strings, since they seems to sound better and keep their brightness longer...

[PJR]

I use the following strings:

 

TI Powerbass , Lakland Steels , Warwick Black label , TI Flats , TI Jazz Rounds , Alembic ( not sure which.....redish package )

 

I use specific strings which each bass I own.

 

The Rounds generally last 2-3 months for me...with heavy playing.

 

The TI flats last longer....and actually sound better ( to me ) with age.

 

PJR

[doc taz]

I've had good luck with the Rotosound Swing bass and the D'Addario XL's, both in nickel wound. Stainless steel is too bright for me, and besides, I just use my amp and/or a pick for more highs. (Or I fingerpick closer to the bridge...)

 

I wipe down when I'm finished, and usually, depending on how much gigging I do (which hasn't been much the last few months), around 3-4 months before I need a new set.

[MattC]

D'Addarios seem to lose that new "edge" rather quickly but keep the nice warm sound for a damn long time before they just sound dead. Only rarely would I change strings for a reason besides a broken string. I can generally expect to go about 1-2 years between string breakings. I want to try Thimastik-Infelds but they all seem too heavy for my tastes, at least if I remember my gauges correctly.

[Travis Harms]

I mainly use Ernie Ball Slinkys on my Stringray and I find they sound "new" for about 3-4 weeks, depending on how much I am playing. I don't make enough money playing gigs to justify changing them that often, even though I love the sound of new strings, so I change them about every 3 months.

[NickT]

I have just this afternoon replaced the three month old set of DR Fatbeams with a set of TI Jazz rounds. Mmmmmmmm they feel all sliiiiiiiiinky. Don't know how long they'll last. Probably quite a while 'cos I got really dry hands and not many gigs in the book at the moment.

[wraub]

I have been a DR Highbeams user for around 8 years, and I have never been happier with a bass string. The electronics on my bass are active and kind of bright, so the Highbeams sound better to me the longer they are on the bass. I have tried Lo-Riders and a myriad of other string brands and types, and this "aged Highbeam" process sounds best on my bass. And it only took about 8 years to figure out!

More to the point, my hands don't sweat a lot and I still wipe my strings down as often as possible.

I have kept the same set of strings on for over a year. I think my record is like 16 months, but that is with boiling. (Hey, it was college...)

 

Peace,

 

wraub

[Mr M Pulsive]

I hear ya wraub. I'm the same way with my DR Fatbeams. They sound just a tad too metallic and bright when I first put 'em on.. but after a month or so, they kinda settle in just where I like 'em. No, I'm not saying they die after a month, just that they lose the annoying bit of metal "twang" that I've never liked anyway. After that, they usually last me at least 3-6 months... probably would be more if I could resist swappin' 'em out.

-Mike

[bassplayer5217]

because i am still in high school, i am a bit limited as to when i can get strings and how much money i have to get them as often as i would like

 

for the past few years i haev been replacing strings 3-4 times a year, but now that i am noticing more nuances in my playing and tone, i opt to get new ernie ball slinkies at least once every other month, if not once all 12

 

my main determining factor is whether or not i can feel gunk (ie skin) stuck in the grooves of the roundwounds. if so, off to gc i go...

 

peaceOUT

[Bob Gollihur]

Depends on the strings, the bass, and their use (both amount of play and the sound expected from the instrument).

 

I've only replaced Thomastik Flats once, on my five string after a run of particularly sweaty outdoor Summer gigs, and even then there wasn't a huge difference after a couple weeks of play on the new set.

 

I'm at the age where I have to moisten a finger to turn pages, so sweat is not a big factor as it was in earlier years.

 

DR Sunbeams seem to have a long life, I've had sets of them on for a couple years and they don't scream to be replaced yet, but the basses don't see a lot of play. I got some stock of Thomastik Powerbass in and have put them on a couple basses, and I like them very much, but haven't played them long enough to assess lifespan. (it's bad when you buy strings for resale and end up putting them on your own basses ).

 

GHS Steels I've been replacing every few months; again, not a lot of use, but I noticed they sour more quickly than others.

 

I think I change strings more to find the "right string" to marry to a particular bass, than I do because they go sour.

 

I do wipe them down after playing most times; I have a bottle of Dunlop Ultraglide 65 String Cleaner = see it at http://www.jimdunlop.com/maintenence/cleaners.html and used it on some strings after installation, though I don't have a steady enough pattern of play for a scientific comparison. I think if I was heavy in string rotation or particularly sweaty, I would buy some (or its equivalent from another mfr.) to see if it contributed to longer life, it's cheap enough to warrant a try.

[Iceman Irwin]

i use custom EB Slinky's too for three years...

how often do i change them?...when a string breaks! (more than a year)

but i found out that removing a set from your bass and leave them in a dry place for some week and using them again somehow brings 20% of the original spunk...i don't know exactly what the concept of "shelf life" means but i found this to be true with the Slinky's so far...any ideas regarding this thingy?....

[ransom]

DR Highbeams for the Fender 5, last usually one month.

DR Fatbeams for the custom 5, last usually six weeks.

I gig pretty heavily and do about 10 hours of studio work a month. After about 5 hours of play the DR's really settle into a nice sounding tone that lasts for a long time.

 

peace,

ransom

[Adamixoye]

You mean, you're supposed to change them? But they don't break!

[SplitNick]

On my Conkiln GrooveTools I use D'addarios(Soft) and leave them on for about 2 months...

On my Fender MB5 I use D'addarios(also Soft) and leave them on for 1 month or less...I use the Fender more for bright, poppy sounds.

 

My hands seem to corrode strings quickly.

[flyingmarcel]

I always find these threads interesting, as I seem to keep my strings on my basses a lot longer than most people. Let's see...I have three basses, the set on one is 3 years old, the one on the second is 5 years old, and the set on the third is pushing a decade! I don't find that the sound quality has diminished much over this time, but I guess this is becomes I'm looking for more of a dull, upright like tone that strings take on with age (the ironic thing is my upright bass is the bass with the newest strings!). Never broken a string either, even with years of gigging, practicing, jamming, etc. I guess I'm either really easy on them, or just really lucky!

 

fm

[JDL]

Well, yeah the string life-expectancy for me depends on if I slap a lot or not. Which I do slap bass a lot. I've only broken a G-string two times.

 

I like to see what works for other bassists, and see what doesn't work. I've never tried boiling strings before, though.

 

However, one time I bought a marked down pair of Dean Markleys at Guitar Center(can't remember which kind they were.) But, they were on sale for $10. Me, being the sucker I am, bought them only to find out the ends (where the string meets the bridge) was too thin! I couldn't even put them on. Oh well. You win some, you lose some.

 

-JDL

[Banta]

I use Rickenbacker strings on my Rics. They lose the bright edge quickly but hold a nice warm tone for a long time. There have been a few times over the years when I've tried other strings on the Rics, but I've always gone straight back to Ric strings.

 

I've used various combinations of strings on my Zon 8 string, and am currently using R.Coccos & Bass Burners piccolos.

 

I am trying my first set of (nanoweb) Elixirs on my Zon 5 string right now. They are bright and clear and the word is that they are supposed to last super long, so I'll be disappointed if they don't.

 

I've never broken a string in 28 years, and I play hard. I don't slap though.

[reachjkh]

Going 2.5 years on my first set of DR Lowriders 45-105. They sounded terribly bright at first and then settled into this nice deep tone after about a month that just hasn't quit yet. I play one gig a week for about 2 hours. I'm getting ready to put a set of

DR 30-130 on my new six. Hope they sing on there too.

[HiRoller]

I use D'Addario XL nickel .045-.105's on my Stingray and Jazz basses. They usually last 2-3 months before they go bleh. I like brand new strings on the Jazz and strings that are about a month old on the Stingray, because it's so bright.

[Adamixoye]

I am totally with flyingmarcel. As far as I can tell, the age of my strings has had no influence on the sound of my bass. I guess I could get new ones just once and see what I thought, but if it's not broke, why fix it?

[Max Valentino]

The pH of my finger sweat used to make it neccessary to change quite often...as much as three times a week! Yes, that gets very expensive! I tried just about every major brand of strings, but none could last longer than a day or two (some barely even a ful set before need ing a change). Svereal brands of both nicel and stainless strings were actualt corroded by finger sweat in just a few hours time!

 

I do a lot of sessions. Because of this I had to change my sttrings quite a bit; either to get a livlier, snappier sound from a new string, or a fuller, mellow sound from an older "worked-in" string.

 

about two years ago, I moved to Thomastik-Infeld strings, and have found them to be, for me, the longest lasting string I have found. I cbange them when I want to, not when I need to. I have had the same set of flats on my p bass for 2 years, and some jazz rounds on MTD for over a year.

 

In sessions, they always sound great...in fact they sound better the older they get!

 

I recently discovered I have a nickel allergy, which was brought into light by the TI flats, which use a pure nickel wrap, and have switched to TI Power Bass strings for most of my fretted basses. These seem to last as long as the other TI's!...and their tone is rich and full.

 

Most of my solo playing is on either a fretted Godin A4, which has had the same TI Acousticores Strings on it for a year and a half (and over 150 shows!) or a Godin fretless A5, which is played about three hours a day (EVERYDAY) and has worn the same set of TI Acousticores since Jan.

 

Max

[Timothy Lyons]

I use LaBella Hard Rockin' Steels 45-105 with a 128 B on my fives. Keeping three basses strung with these is difficult, so I try to keep the basses on a three month rotation, restringing one bass every month. I prefer the sound of fresh strings, but with as much as I sweat on stage, its often balanced out by my pick playing in a live situation.

 

And no, I dont find that boiling helps the strings for long enough to make it worth while.

[wraub]

Originally posted by reachjkh:

[QB]Going 2.5 years on my first set of DR Lowriders 45-105. They sounded terribly bright at first and then settled into this nice deep tone after about a month that just hasn't quit yet. QB]

This is what I am talking about. They start out "almost there", and when they get "there", they stay "there" for a long while.

 

This post brought to you by the National Quotation Mark "Advisory" Council.

 

Peace,

 

wraub

[JD_dup2]

I change the Eudoxas on my upright every other year.

[Mr. Phil]

I use Ernie Ball 5-string slinkys. (the light green ones)

 

I also have some kind of flats on my fretless and D'Addario bronze acoustics on my ABG.

 

I broke a low B string once.... lol