Strings/Useful time period.

[NancyJohnson]

String choice over the years has ebbed and flowed; I can possibly track this like my favourite bands, but more or less the last couple of decades saw me using D'Addarios (with the odd dip into Dunlops) and Elixirs.

Nearly two years ago I took delivery of a five string Mike Lull and it's still got the original D'Addario strings that were on it when it arrived.  Granted I'm not gigging every week, but the bass has had a lot of use and absurdly, the strings still sound very fresh.  This is confusing me as I used to change strings so frequently, pretty much as soon as they lost their zing and pop.  How can this actually be?

I'm sure there's a science at work here.  A better built bass, a better set up bass, maketh strings sound better longer?  These strings should sound awful by now and they don't!

[bassbiscuits]

I honestly don’t know. I’ve had some strings die after a single sweaty gig, but others lasting for ages, even among the same brand.

I swapped the flatwounds on my precision for some roundwounds to cover a series of function gigs last year - they were just in my drawer in decent used condition but I don’t event know what they were. They sounded great and remained on that bass thru the rest of the year of gigs, and still sound fine now. Weird.

Ive swapped it back to flatwounds for now - this particular set were secondhand back in 2016 and have been around the block a few times judging by the state on the silks, but they still sound great as is the way with flats.

I wonder if better quality basses mean you don’t have the play it so hard to get it to sound good, and in so doing maybe you sweat less and the strings last longer? Who knows?

[TheGreek]

I've got a set of EBS Titanium on my G&L M2000 which I can't wait to lose their zing.

Bigger choice than I thought - I'm using the 40-100s

 

https://lordofthestrings.com/en/brands/ebs-sweden

[Lozz196]

I put a set of Elixir Nickels on my Jazz at the start of this year and they’re just starting to lose their zing on the E & A (the ones I use most) now.

[casapete]

My strings definitely last longer when just playing at home. I know this because I put a new set of D’Addario nickel wounds on my bass a week before all my gigs disappeared in March, and they still sound okay now. Probably played it for the same amount of time pro rata, just not so sweaty maybe. Also don’t play quite so hard probably, although I don’t exactly cane them anyway TBH. Who knows, they may even last until I next gig!

[BigRedX]

I think that you tend not to notice that the strings are wearing out as much, when you play an instrument regularly, and more so if you are not actually playing in a band. I'm sure if you fitted a new set now you would be surprised at how rubbish the old ones sounded in comparison.

 

[casapete]

1 minute ago, BigRedX said:

I think that you tend not to notice that the strings are wearing out as much, when you play an instrument regularly, and more so if you are not actually playing in a band. I'm sure if you fitted a new set now you would be surprised at how rubbish the old ones sounded in comparison.

 

You’re probably right. There’s a tendency not to notice very gradual deterioration I guess, but my current set are staying put until I start earning again!

[hubrad]

A friend in Leeds, years back.. she absolutely swore by the fact her strings were several years old, as she really hated the Zing of new strings. She was dreading the inevitable-one-day string breakage.

A few months later, she broke a string, so replaced the set.. LOVED the tone of the new strings!

To me, she sounded top notch both with old strings and new!

Funny old world.

[Dan Dare]

I've found string life has a lot to do with how you put them on initially and how frequently you clean them. I always take them up to pitch gradually over several hours and clean the gunk off them regularly (I sweat quite a lot, so this is more necessary for me than it may be for others). As they lose brightness so gradually, changing them can be something of a shock to the ears.