Do older strings sound nicer than new ones?

[BetaFunk]

Discuss please.

[Roland Rock]

I can speak for the whole of Basschat when I say "yes". Next topic please.

[mep]

No. But I've not had a set on for years like some have and seem to sound nice like James Jamerson.

[EssentialTension]

I can speak for the whole of Basschat when I say "yes". Next topic please.

[JTUK]

No.... because you don't get much variation out of them, in terms of sound,.

You may LOVE the thunk sound, but that is all you'll have and you'll be stuck with it.

If strings are full of gunk, then your limits are what the string can produce.
Now you may not want to..and that is fine... but you can't clean that sound up...it is what it is.

[White Cloud]

Yes...and no!

[Lord Sausage]

No. I love the sound of fresh strings. The clang and bite.

[Cat Burrito]

I like old strings personally but we're all different. I only change them when I buy a bass, to get the roundwounds off and get flats on

[xgsjx]

Yes. But it's gotta be flatwounds. Fresh roundwound strings have too much zing & no variation in sound.

[EssentialTension]

[quote name='JTUK' timestamp='1374785828' post='2153301']
No.... because you don't get much variation out of them, in terms of sound,.

You may LOVE the thunk sound, but that is all you'll have and you'll be stuck with it.
[/quote]
No, wrong, because there is something called EQ and also you can move your plucking hand from end of neck to pickup to close to bridge for a wide range of different sounds. Anyway, you call it 'thunk' but I call it 'bass'.

[quote name='JTUK' timestamp='1374785828' post='2153301']
If strings are full of gunk, then your limits are what the string can produce.
Now you may not want to..and that is fine... but you can't clean that sound up...it is what it is.
[/quote]
My flats are clean and not full of gunk at all.

[JTUK]

If you have a thunk like sound, you can't take that out of it...
It is far easier to add what you need... so better to start there, IMO.

[Dom in Dorset]

I like new strings, the seem to stop punching through the band after about a year then I can't hear clearly what I'm playing.

[el borracho]

No. I change about every 3 months when I feel them getting dirty. Prefer the sound of new ones as well.

[Lowender]

Depends on what you;re going for. I've had a set on my old P for years and it suits the mellow sound. But on a Music Man, I need "zing."

[Dingus]

[quote name='White Cloud' timestamp='1374786139' post='2153309']
Yes...and no!
[/quote]

...or even maybe. Depends on the strings , how dead they are and what sound you have in mind . If you want to sound like Geddy Lee then new strings will help you get closer to that sound , but if you want to sound like Rocco Prestia then old , dead strings will be more appropriate . My own research would conclude that the old string sound is definitely cheaper .

[molan]

No

[bagsieblue]

YES - I hate the clank and brightness of new strings.
Sounds like a Rickenbacker which as we all know is a horrible, horrible sound.... .


- may as well play one of those six sting guitar thingies......

Edited July 25, 2013 by bagsieblue

[Lozz196]

Yes, old strings sound better. Don`t like the sound of new strings in the mix at all.

[Wil]

Newish strings, EQ out any excessive brightness, IMO. You can take brightness away but it's hard to add it back in, and I'm sure someone in the know will correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't (aren't?) there a myriad of lovely harmonic overtones lower in the frequency range that provide a richer tone but arent necessarily associated with "brightness" that get lost when strings are gunked up?

Obviously all depends what sound you want though at the end of the day...

Edited July 25, 2013 by Wil

[EssentialTension]

[quote name='bagsieblue' timestamp='1374789475' post='2153379']
YES - I hate the clank and brightness of new strings.
Sounds like a Rickenbacker which as we all know is a horrible, horrible sound.... .


- may as well play one of those six sting guitar thingies......
[/quote]
Rickenbackers don't have to clank. MacCartney never clanks on a Rickenbacker.

[bubinga5]

the trouble with old strings is you cant brighten the tone to you requirements, but you can take out the highs with new strings.

[Lowender]

If you want a dead sound, use flats. But I can tell you from my experience, most engineers, clients, composers and band members prefer the sound of round wounds. Flats have become the new chic among bassplayers but no one else seems to be on board.

Edited July 25, 2013 by Lowender

[Bolo]

I don't use strings on my bass anymore, they're just not worth the hassle.

[risingson]

[quote name='Lowender' timestamp='1374796623' post='2153479']
Flats have become the new chic among bassplayers but no one else seems to be on board.
[/quote]

I don't think that's at all true. What I would say is that string choice is very dependant on what a record, a band or a live performance requires, so it's nice to have everything or at least a decent cross-section of instruments strung differently. Having said that there have been enough bass players that have made a living from only using one instrument.

[BigRedX]

Completely depends on what type and make of string you are using and what sorts of sounds you want them to make.

Next question.