How old are your oldest strung bass strings

[gjones]

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.

[Count Bassy]

At one point I could have said 40 years (Selmer Flats), but one broke, so I changed the lot.

[meterman]

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.

[OliverBlackman]

8 hours ago, tauzero said:

all my Sei 5s have had new strings this year.

[Stub Mandrel]

6 years to 6 weeks, depending on which bass and how often it's gigged.

[Dan Dare]

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.

[nilorius]

Long time ago - on my MIM jazzbass 2,5 years nickels.

[Mike Brooks]

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.

[miles'tone]

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). 

 

[Supernaut]

Ten months old on my main gigging bass. Change my rounds out at the end of every year. Love the worn in tone. 

[StickyDBRmf]

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.

[StickyDBRmf]

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.

[StickyDBRmf]

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.

[StickyDBRmf]

Sorry I just saw Beat.

[Tim2291]

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!

[Stub Mandrel]

22 hours ago, StickyDBRmf said:

Crazy Glue on the wraps.

 

No wonder your DB is sticky.

[Twigman]

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.

[Skybone]

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.

[bassbiscuits]

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. 

[msb]

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.

[LiamPodmore]

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.

[Norris]

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

[xgsjx]

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. 

[SH73]

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

 

[Beer of the Bass]

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.