String Life

[Freuds_Cat]

I was thinking about what Beedster was saying about not changing strings and if its neccessary or not, and I do think changing strings is needed if you want a bright more vibrant sound but then I have an extra short scale Precision style bass that I have purposely put very old roundwound strings on and that I will most probably never change unless forced to.
The main reason for doing this is the same as for changing strings more regularly.......ie its the sound you get.

This half scale body Greg Bennett Corsair gives me a great precision sound. Almost like an old P bass with flats on it.



Its been modded and now has a Badass 1 bridge on it. I've been thinking of puting some Seymour Duncan Quarter pounders in it or some EMG actives but it sounds so good at the moment I might not bother.

[Count Bassy]

26 years old strings? Is that all?

I built my bass in 1975, and it had Selmer flat wounds on for about 18 months, when one broke. I then went out and bought a set of rotosound medium scale round wound 'Swing bass', (mid/late 1977 I guess) and they are still on there today, so I reckon they're 30 years old.

Mind, you I've got to be honest, it spent most of those thirty years in the attic, and they've only been played in anger for the first two years and the last two years.

Also I bought another set of the same about 3 months ago, but haven't got round to fitting them yet. (Why would I want to do that, the current strings are just nicely run in!!)


Any advance on 30?


Clive

[MacDaddy]

[quote name='jase00' post='17410' date='Jun 14 2007, 10:27 AM']No way, you're kidding!!!!

I use a quick wipe of Fast Fret before and after playing, seems to lift a little sweat and grime, Rotosound never last that long for me anyway.[/quote]

I found some fast fret in the case of a bass I swapped, so I've been using it, but not sure if it's making a difference

[rohan]

This isn't really the right thread but i couldn't find the wwhat strings do you use? one. Does anyone know if 55-110 guage strings will fit on a standard guage nut?

[hogman]

[font="Comic Sans MS"][quote name='NJW' post='16936' date='Jun 13 2007, 03:12 PM']i love the new string sound, but of course that is entirely subjective.

Boiling bass strings is a bad idea. First of all, it DOES clean out the grime from your string and make it sound 'new'. It can also damage the windings and core, meaning it will sound 'dead' again far quicker, and you hugely compromise the integrity of the string, meaning it could break. Secondly, people usually do it in pans... and the residue that comes out of a boiled string sure ain't something you wanna be mixing with yer 'taters.

For cleaning strings, people recommend using denatured alcohol (methylated spirits to you and me), if you wish to go through the hassle. Personally, I'd just buy new strings.[/quote]
Excellent thread

The boilling issue when I was a wee boy on tour and could not afford new strings boiling would get me about three more gigs out of a set of strings. I had my own string boiling kettle with it written all over so no one got stingervitis... ha ha but people still used it.... I know the string are weaker and not as bright as new ones but when your on a budget it does work okay for the studio. You have to boil them to bits to get all the muck out a did two boils and got them out of the water quick on the last one.

I know of a guy in sunny Stockton on Tees Rarphy Chapman who has the original strings on his P Bass its a late 60s hes also got a spare set from when he bought the bass..

Duck Dunn is another leave on till they break. As was James Jamerson he was also a flatwound kinda guy if memeory serves me right.

I use Doctor Ducks axe wax and this stuff makes my stings last loads longer leaves a thin film on the srting so the trick is
take old strings off
clean neck n fingerboard
every 5 or 6 cleans clean bridge screws and drop of oil
new strings on
Doctor ducks axe wax on before the strings are tuned to pitch so you get the stuff all over the string
tune to pitch
check all yer bits intonation and string height
quick polish n tune and away yer go

after gig or long playing session an hour or so quick wipe over with doc ducks and back in its case...(this last bits the ideal and should be done but like I do that!!!)

By the way I dong get doc ducks for free for free or cheap it really works though.

However I currently have a good deal with elites which i do like!!! not as bright as rotos when they go on but stay a bit more unbrite for a while longer!!!! meaning im not fiddling with eq and such. They also do me a a set that I want 40 - 65 - 85 - 110 as I use a couple of hipshots on me 4 string and I hace a custom gauge set on my 5 as well. Thomstik for me frettless cost a packet but feel and sound great quite a woody tone.