gjones Posted October 9 Share Posted October 9 I usually get about 4 years out of a set of rounds. I actually like the sound of dead strings but after 4 years I get a bit paranoid about one breaking. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Count Bassy Posted October 9 Share Posted October 9 At one point I could have said 40 years (Selmer Flats), but one broke, so I changed the lot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meterman Posted October 9 Share Posted October 9 I've got a set of La Bella flats that I've had on a 25" scale Precision copy for about 12 years. I'm unlikely to change them ever as I had to cut them down to fit them on in the first place. They do feel and sound great though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OliverBlackman Posted October 9 Share Posted October 9 8 hours ago, tauzero said: all my Sei 5s have had new strings this year. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stub Mandrel Posted October 9 Share Posted October 9 6 years to 6 weeks, depending on which bass and how often it's gigged. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Dare Posted October 9 Share Posted October 9 I had a set of 5 year old Chromes on my main gigging bass until recently. Tonally, they were still fine, but the intonation had started to become a bit vague, so I changed them. Am playing the zing off them. It's mostly gone after a month. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nilorius Posted October 10 Share Posted October 10 Long time ago - on my MIM jazzbass 2,5 years nickels. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Brooks Posted October 10 Share Posted October 10 Got a set of 45-105 Picato steel roundwounds on my Fender Precision Lyte that were fitted in July 2005 just in case the Fender Mike Dirnt Precision I'd ordered from Thomann didn't arrive in time for my first Green Day tribute gig. Thankfully, the signature bass arrived the next morning so that got used. The Fender Lyte sits in the rack and the strings are still fresh. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
miles'tone Posted October 10 Share Posted October 10 Ernie Ball Slinkys on a semi acoustic (which a friend has on long term loan now) - 16 years and still sound great on that bass. Better than ever in fact. D'addario 5 string black tapes on a HB fretless - at least 10 years and still sounds pretty much the same as when they were new. Current experiment is a new set of T.I. flats on my P Bass, which I am never changing (unless one breaks). 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Supernaut Posted October 10 Share Posted October 10 Ten months old on my main gigging bass. Change my rounds out at the end of every year. Love the worn in tone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StickyDBRmf Posted October 10 Share Posted October 10 On 09/10/2024 at 04:58, Rosie C said: The strings on my jazz bass are 5 years old. I noticed last rehearsal that the wrap on the 'A' is unravelling so I'm going to have to replace it when it otherwise had years of life left! 😉 Crazy Glue on the wraps. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StickyDBRmf Posted October 10 Share Posted October 10 On 09/10/2024 at 04:58, Rosie C said: The strings on my jazz bass are 5 years old. I noticed last rehearsal that the wrap on the 'A' is unravelling so I'm going to have to replace it when it otherwise had years of life left! 😉 Crazy Glue on the wraps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StickyDBRmf Posted October 10 Share Posted October 10 On 09/10/2024 at 04:58, Rosie C said: The strings on my jazz bass are 5 years old. I noticed last rehearsal that the wrap on the 'A' is unravelling so I'm going to have to replace it when it otherwise had years of life left! 😉 Crazy Glue on the wraps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StickyDBRmf Posted October 10 Share Posted October 10 Sorry I just saw Beat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim2291 Posted October 11 Share Posted October 11 I have never changed the strings on my Steinberger Spirit... I have had it since I was 8 or 9 so thats 25/26 years without being changed :D... you can probably guess it doesn't get used very much! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stub Mandrel Posted October 11 Share Posted October 11 22 hours ago, StickyDBRmf said: Crazy Glue on the wraps. No wonder your DB is sticky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Twigman Posted October 11 Share Posted October 11 My EBMM USA Sterling 4HH is wearing the same strings it came with (early 2017) so over 7 years old now. They're EB Super Slinky 45-100 (2834) and I have been debating whether to change them. I am reluctant to as I know the difference in tone will likely be huge and tbh I quite like the dull thud I'm getting from them now. So I keep putting it off. I have other basses but think the oldest strings are probably from 2008 on my Sqiuer JV P62 - d'Addario half wounds....but that never gets played these days. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skybone Posted October 11 Share Posted October 11 The oldest are a couple of years old, but that bass doesn't get used much. The next are about 8-9 months old. D'Addarioi Pro Steels. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bassbiscuits Posted October 11 Share Posted October 11 I have NYXLs on both my Yamahas which have been on for about a year maybe and still sound fine. The P bass has old Labella flat wounds on it. I bought them secondhand on Basschat about five years ago so no idea of their true age but they sound lush and have done a load of gigs with me. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
msb Posted October 12 Share Posted October 12 My Dano Longhorn still has the factory strings , it’s from the first batch of reissues so they’ve been on since 98 or so. I have some TI flats on a 4001 that are probably five or six years older. I think the strings on an old 72 Pbass might be older. I’m mostly playing short scales now so it’s unlikely I’ll be changing any of those now , I have a set of LaBella flats set aside in case I lose a winding or break a string on the Dano. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LiamPodmore Posted October 12 Share Posted October 12 Surprisingly to me nearly two years old, but they're coated strings on a bass i don't play regularly. Definitely need replacing soon as they're sounding quite dead. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Norris Posted October 13 Share Posted October 13 The D'Addario Pro Steels on my main gigging bass have probably done over 150 gigs in the 21 months or so they have been fitted Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xgsjx Posted October 13 Share Posted October 13 I had a set of D’addario Chromes on my Ibby for 10 years & changed them just over a year ago for a set of Rotosound 77 flats. I'm considering putting the old Chromes back on, as I preferred how they sound. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SH73 Posted October 13 Author Share Posted October 13 2 hours ago, xgsjx said: I had a set of D’addario Chromes on my Ibby for 10 years & changed them just over a year ago for a set of Rotosound 77 flats. I'm considering putting the old Chromes back on, as I preferred how they sound. Rotosound flats don't seem to hold the zinginess Imho Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beer of the Bass Posted October 13 Share Posted October 13 I've kept flatwounds on fretted bass for maybe 4-5 years before I feel they're lacking something. Roundwounds I like when they're a little played-in, my last set on a regularly used bass went for 18 months. I do have a set of Status groundwounds on my fretless bass that must be 10 years old, but that bass only gets occasional use. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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