Dead strings out the pack?!?!

[bassist_lewis]

Just got a new set of DR Lo-Riders and the E string has no brightness and has a strange white noise rattle whenever/wherever I play it, not the kind of rattle from low action/high fret. Is it possible to get a dead string fresh out the pack?

[intime-nick]

I’ve had dead strings in packs before - funnily enough they were DR as well.  4x packs of black beauties each with a different dead string - they all went back for a refund and I’ve never used that brand since.   It happens to most (if not all) major brands.  Given the quantities of strings made, there will always be duff ones that make it to sale. I’d speak to the seller and get a replacement set or string sent out. 

Edited August 8, 2018 by intime-nick

[Mykesbass]

There have been a lot of cases of fake DRs reported in the past - were your bought from a trusted source?

[intime-nick]

3 hours ago, Mykesbass said:

There have been a lot of cases of fake DRs reported in the past - were your bought from a trusted source?

in my case yes, strings direct and bass direct - they offered to replace the duff ones to be fair but i swapped to Elixirs and haven't bothered with DR since. 

Edited August 9, 2018 by intime-nick

[bassist_lewis]

I bought mine from Strings Direct. I looked into their refund policy but because my bass is short scale I had unwound the E to make it fit, which invalidates any right to return I had. I have subsequently put the old strings back on (i'm in the middle of a run of shows for the Fringe so not a good time to be without my bass!) and discovered that D'Addario do short scale sets in the gauge I like made from both steel and nickel!

[The59Sound]

Stretching DR roundcore strings is a no-no. 

[discreet]

I bought a set of La Bellas with an E string that sounded like it had a foam mute on it. Thunk! Bass Direct sorted it for me (after blaming both me and my bass for a while) and in the end I had the CEO of La Bella send me a freshly-wound gratis replacement from the States, which was nice. I think this may happen with flats more often than is generally let on. Also, flats don't seem to like being cut to length, so I don't. Despite their apparent robustness they are actually quite fragile and need careful handing. They don't like being constantly removed and restrung, either. The silks shed like a scabby cat. Once the outer winding is compromised you have yourself a long metal cable-tie. I carefully wind the whole available length round the tuner post. Haven't had a problem since, and this also ensures the string is right down at the bottom of the post for a good break angle. Which is what you want.

Edited August 9, 2018 by discreet

[burno70]

After playing bass for 30 years I've recently learned that you can avoid dead 'new' strings by adding a bend to the string just below where you cut it before fitting. Otherwise the string core can slip resulting in a dead sounding  new string. The bend prevents this from happening. Unsure how true this but it makes sense and is easy to do. Maybe this was the reason?

Edited August 10, 2018 by burno70

[The59Sound]

4 hours ago, burno70 said:

After playing bass for 30 years I've recently learned that you can avoid dead 'new' strings by adding a bend to the string just below where you cut it before fitting. Otherwise the string core can slip resulting in a dead sounding  new string. The bend prevents this from happening. Unsure how true this but it makes sense and is easy to do. Maybe this was the reason?

That's lesson 1 in string fitting. ALWAYS put a bend in the string before cutting it, never cut a string straight.The windings can unwrap and hey presto, dead string. 

[burno70]

Lesson 1 eh? Looks like I missed that one.

[intime-nick]

I guess I’ve been changing strings wrong then for 35 years or so...... 😉 if the core slips (whatever that means in the context of a wound string with a core wire) when cutting, it’s a duff string, it happens, and in all that time (apart from the DR black beauties that were utterly naff), I’ve had maybe 2 or 3 that were dead and I’ve never bent the string before cutting. I watched Jon Shuker string one of my basses and he didn’t do it so that’s good enough for me. 

Edited August 10, 2018 by intime-nick

[Bridgehouse]

The bend only works with strings with a round core - hex cores don’t need it. And the likelihood of slipping only occurs with pure nickel.. 

Funnily enough, the bending rule has been around for a long time - from the time when most strings were nickel round cores like Pyramid strings...

[bazzbass]

23 hours ago, burno70 said:

After playing bass for 30 years I've recently learned that you can avoid dead 'new' strings by adding a bend to the string just below where you cut it before fitting. 

hehe me too. I started before the internet. I didn't even know about intonation, let alone witness points and neck relief and truss rod adjustments. Heck, I don't even think I knew I HAD a truss rod lol.

[discreet]

15 minutes ago, bazzbass said:

I started before the internet.

I started before the telephone.

[bazzbass]

4 minutes ago, discreet said:

I started before the telephone.

you've been playing bass since  before 1878????

[discreet]

13 minutes ago, bazzbass said:

you've been playing bass since  before 1878????

I meant the mobile telephone.

[The59Sound]

17 hours ago, intime-nick said:

I guess I’ve been changing strings wrong then for 35 years or so...... 😉 if the core slips (whatever that means in the context of a wound string with a core wire) when cutting, it’s a duff string, it happens, and in all that time (apart from the DR black beauties that were utterly naff), I’ve had maybe 2 or 3 that were dead and I’ve never bent the string before cutting. I watched Jon Shuker string one of my basses and he didn’t do it so that’s good enough for me. 

Cool story BUT YOU'RE DOING IT WRONG.

[intime-nick]

Ha, well you sound like an expert so who am I to question.....

[discreet]

I avoid this type of controversy by never bending or cutting my strings. If the Good Lord had meant us to bend and cut our strings, he would have given us pliers. 

[Bridgehouse]

2 minutes ago, discreet said:

I avoid this type of controversy by never bending or cutting my strings. If the Good Lord had meant us to bend and cut our strings, he would have given us pliers. 

Do you wear goggles to protect your eyes?

[intime-nick]

I’m more interested if there is a recognised spec for the bend radius and angle -  I would hate to do it wrong 🤣

[discreet]

8 minutes ago, Bridgehouse said:

Do you wear goggles to protect your eyes?

Aggh! Who said that?

[Bridgehouse]

Just now, discreet said:

Aggh! Who said that?

Nobody - your hearing is shot

[bazzbass]

15 hours ago, discreet said:

I meant the mobile telephone.

whew

[bazzbass]

8 hours ago, discreet said:

I avoid this type of controversy by never bending or cutting my strings. If the Good Lord had meant us to bend and cut our strings, he would have given us pliers. 

I have it on good authority that we have evolved, we weren't created as is

In the future our thumbs will evolve to another pinky sized digit to aid texting