String advice - Looking for strings that stay brighter for longer, fed up with Slinkys dying after only a week or 2...

[hartgeh28e30]

As per title I'm looking for string suggestions.  I love regular EB Slinkys when first put on but they soon fade out... so I end up changing them more times than I'd like which is becoming a costly affair with a handful of basses 😭😆 any suggestions welcome 🙏

[BassAdder60]

I like Fender Pure Nickel or Nickel plated round wound strings 

 

They last me around 3 months with weekly use 

[Lozz196]

I used to have the same with Rotosound steel rounds, 3 to 4 weeks from them max. I read a recommendation about Warwick Red Label steels and tried them and found that I could get 2, maybe 2.5 months from them. Might be worth checking out the nickel version.

[Doctor J]

All uncoated strings are prone to dying, regardless of brand. Your biocrud gets into the windings and that's what makes them sound dull. Different hand produce different amounts of goo.
 

Get a set of Elixir Stainless Steels and wave goodbye to dead strings for a long, long time. The coatings stops finger gunk getting into the windings which means the strings sound fresh for much, much longer than uncoated strings.

[hartgeh28e30]

2 hours ago, Doctor J said:

All uncoated strings are prone to dying, regardless of brand. Your biocrud gets into the windings and that's what makes them sound dull. Different hand produce different amounts of goo.
 

Get a set of Elixir Stainless Steels and wave goodbye to dead strings for a long, long time. The coatings stops finger gunk getting into the windings which means the strings sound fresh for much, much longer than uncoated strings.

Thanks for the solid info! I'll give Elixirs a go. Whats the difference between stainless and nickel strings? I've generally been using EB regular slinky nickels for ages now,  so not had much experience with stainless but will give em a go. Is it the 14677 pack I'd need?

[Doctor J]

In my experience, new Elixirs are not quite as bright as new uncoated strings (not by much, but worth mentioning). The steels are brighter than the nickels, though, so if you like the new string zing, try steels first. That 45-105 set you mention is my set of choice.

[Doctor J]

What's also worth mentioning is that Elixir coat the finished string as a whole. There are other brands who call their string coated but coat the wire before actually winding the string, which seems utterly pointless and, having foolishly bought the D'Addario and Warwick versions thinking I could save money, learned a valuable lesson the hard way.

[BassAdder60]

I tried Elixir and for the high price I still found I was changing them albeit extended life but … I think a decent set of Nickel Roundwounds for circa £18 a set changed more frequently for me is a better solution and gives me a chance to clean up the fretboard and frets at the same time ( equally as important to changing strings ) 

Elixir are great and come with a hefty price and are never as bright sounding as fresh uncoated strings 

Edited January 28, 2023 by BassAdder60

[jazzyvee]

I like bright strings and for my basses i find D'addario pro-steels 45 -130 roundwound strings to keep decently bright for ages. I think I use them for about 2 years on my basses before I change them. The ones I have on now have been on for about 15 months now and still nice and crisp and bright sounding.

 

[Baloney Balderdash]

On 28/01/2023 at 11:47, BassAdder60 said:

I tried Elixir and for the high price I still found I was changing them albeit extended life but … I think a decent set of Nickel Roundwounds for circa £18 a set changed more frequently for me is a better solution and gives me a chance to clean up the fretboard and frets at the same time ( equally as important to changing strings ) 

Elixir are great and come with a hefty price and are never as bright sounding as fresh uncoated strings 

The Elixir Nanoweb coated roundwound stainless steel strings will be brighter sounding with more edge to them, generally sounding and feeling more similar to fresh regular uncoated nickel-plated roundwounds, whereas the Nanoweb coated nickel-plated roundwound Elixir strings will sound rounder and warmer, less bright and feel smoother than regular uncoated nickel-plated roundwound strings.

 

From Elixir's homepage :

 

 

Mind the description of the feel of the strings on these packages, under the sound description, respectively "Smooth" and "Natural", really should have been the other way around, that is "Natural" for the stainless steel strings and "Smooth" for the nickel-plated ones.

 

Edited March 5, 2023 by Baloney Balderdash

[Lozz196]

Yes Elixirs are a good call, I get about 8 months to a year from a set. They don’t have that real fresh new string sound out of the pack, more like 2 week old sound but they retain it for so long that the slightly higher initial cost actually works out cheaper in the long run.
 

My earlier post re Warwick’s was more on a nickel like for like basis but thinking about it a set of steel Elixirs would probably match up quite nicely with EB Slinkys.

[TheGreek]

EBS Titanium....annoyingly so.

[lonestar]

DR strings, I use Fat Beams, seem to last well. If on a budget Fender Nickel wound ( made by D'addario?) are great.

[Chienmortbb]

The Roto Nexus on my Aerodyne  have barely changed tone in over a year. The feel is a little different but I would buy them again.

[garyt]

Cobalts are my favourite for longevity.  Although I have had a couple of strings with the dreaded rust.  Tone isn’t overly bright to start with. 

[Nebadon2000]

Markbass has some nano coated strings Longevo Series both nickel and steel.

 

I use their Ultimate series Soft Feel NPS; they come out of package with a  'smooth'type brightness and stay that way for 6+ months 10-15 hours a week use

[miles'tone]

On 28/01/2023 at 22:40, Lozz196 said:

Yes Elixirs are a good call, I get about 8 months to a year from a set. They don’t have that real fresh new string sound out of the pack, more like 2 week old sound but they retain it for so long that the slightly higher initial cost actually works out cheaper in the long run.
 

My earlier post re Warwick’s was more on a nickel like for like basis but thinking about it a set of steel Elixirs would probably match up quite nicely with EB Slinkys.

I've never tried Elixirs... what is the tension of them like? Can you compare them to any other strings tension-wise?

[Lozz196]

Just now, miles'tone said:

I've never tried Elixirs... what is the tension of them like? Can you compare them to any other strings tension-wise?

They’re less than Rotosound & Warwick Red steels, but probably a bit more than Ernie Ball Slinky’s & D’Addario Pro Steels. 

[chris_b]

D'Addario NYXL's. I was going to change the strings on my Jazz but when we had the first lockdown, I put it off. These NYXL's are still on the bass and still have enough twang in them to keep me happy.

[Baloney Balderdash]

Elixir string tension chart nickel-plated bass strings: 

 

 

Elixir string tension chart stainless steel bass strings: 

 

String tension calculator, based on D'Addario strings: https://wahiduddin.net/calc/calc_guitar_tension_from_size.htm

 

Edited February 25, 2023 by Baloney Balderdash

[lee650]

I think loving fresh new strings (as I do) is a costly affair all round, these days as prices soar, I've even started boiling them again 

I've never tried the elixirs, but the thought of a string in a Condom, puts me off 🤣 although I did have an acoustic set abd thought they sounded fantastic.

Strings will last longer for some people than others, due to individual sweat/skin acidity etc, so even recommending a string that works for you, won't necessarily work for others.

 

A thing for me is whether a string sounds bright and Musical after its died off. I always found I'd get a long time out of DR High beams, as they'd give a nice presence even when dead. So you may get more life from Steel strings. My preference these days us for nickel which die much quicker.

 

I've been using Dunlop superbrights nickels, which to be fair, stay nice and lively once dead (but they do die off quickly) maybe find the cheapest set that you like and buy in bulk (still may be similar money to a few sets of elixirs)