How long do You use a set of flatwound strings?

[Johannes]

Over the half century I’ve been playing the bass my preference of strings have changed from rondwounds to flatwounds. Reason for it is not the subject about my post but I prefer more fundamental sound flatwonds offer. I have enjoyed Ernie Ball cobalt flats 45-130 set on my main instrument, Sadowsky Metro modern for little over 7 years now. I am always very strict to clean my hands before playing and fortunately my hands doesn’t sweat at all. I also clean my strings daily with microfiber cloth and about once in a month with isopropynol alcohol.

However, last months I’ve noticed especially B, E, A - strings getting duller sounding. 
I know stories about Duck Dunn’s ancient strings but I wonder how long they last without breaking. My father tought me how to to break a nail by twisting it back and worth. I guess that same phenomenon is happening when a string is vibrating. Your toughts?

[AndyTravis]

I think if you’re not enjoying the sound from your bass…

 

that’s when you change them.

[Johannes]

You’re exactly right😀

[Burns-bass]

I love the sound of my flat wounds and I have done 50 or more gigs with mine. 
 

What I do find is that the longer you had them, the more frequently you need to tune them.

 

Ultimately, I love my bass and the strings, so will change when they break or drop out of tune during a song!

[neepheid]

It's "forever", isn't it?

[fretmeister]

Ed Friedland famously has La Bella’s that are over 20 years old.

 

 

[Johannes]

I have not encountered increasing tuning stability problem with aging strings You mention. Anyway it should be logical as metal weakens under stress.Yes, loving Your strings is a bit of a problem if You break a string.😉

[Johannes]

8 minutes ago, fretmeister said:

Ed Friedland famously has La Bella’s that are over 20 years old.

 

 

I am not sure if Ed played that bass 3 hours/day 20 years. There’s couple of basses in my warehouse too I haven’t touched for 20 years.

[Burns-bass]

19 minutes ago, Johannes said:

I have not encountered increasing tuning stability problem with aging strings You mention. Anyway it should be logical as metal weakens under stress.Yes, loving Your strings is a bit of a problem if You break a string.😉

It’s not a huge problem. I am lazy and I don’t like change. 
 

The pink bass I have does everything I need and has done for 5 years. I think I’ve used it for 40 gigs a year for 5 years all with the same strings. 

[snorkie635]

I'd say flats should be good for at least five years gigging 2-3 nights per week if cleaned after each.

[Johannes]

2 minutes ago, snorkie635 said:

I'd say flats should be good for at least five years gigging 2-3 nights per week if cleaned after each.

That is my estimation too. 

[bassbiscuits]

My La Bella flatwounds were secondhand when I got them about six years ago, so I don’t know their age. They still sound good to me though. 

[Johannes]

3 minutes ago, bassbiscuits said:

My La Bella flatwounds were secondhand when I got them about six years ago, so I don’t know their age. They still sound good to me though. 

If they sounds good to You they are good! 

[AndyTravis]

Genuinely, I don’t keep basses long enough for me to know the true answer.

 

Generally I use rounds, but the flats I use on basses are usually recycled.

 

if they’re not losing tuning - and they feel right…that’s the aim, surely?

 

Half wounds - I’d say a year, I got really annoyed with the half’s on my ripper and changed them for new. Like a new bass.

[Johannes]

I didn’t quite understand  Your message exactly… perhaps because I’m not native englih speaker. Anyway I agree about half-rounds, to my experience, they are absolutely garbage.

 

[Bagman]

I got 18 years from a set of Chromes on my Precision 

[LowB_FTW]

I currently have 9 year old Rotosound flats on my Yamaha BB1025x, which has just been put away in it's case for a bit to be replaced by my Reverend Triad 5, so the flats on the Yamaha are gonna be on there for some time yet I suspect.

 

Mark

[chris_b]

The TI's on my PJ5 are nearly 10 years old. Still sound fantastic. They'll see me out. I also have a Jazz with 12 year old GHS flats, still going strong.

 

I also put a lump of foam under the strings, of each bass, to take off some of that top end!

[diskwave]

Two sets of chromes... must be getting on for 15 plus yrs. Sound glorious... nice and gnarly. 

[jonno1981]

My two sets of TI’s are are least 10 years old. They get an occasional wipe down and polish with fast fret but that’s it. 
 

I’ve got three sets of unopened round wounds that I’ve bought since from shops that I felt I should buy something from as they were helpful and let me try stuff. Dunno when they’ll get used. Might sell them actually…..

[msb]

I have flats on most basses , usually TIs on long scale basses and LaBellas on the shorts. I have on occasion decided that perhaps they were due for a change. I have no idea how long they had been on. I do have a few with rounds. Some are regularly changed. A few have ancient rounds. My Longhorn still carries the factory strings , it was made around 98 or so years ago, and saw constant use for years. My hands do not sweat much , I do wipe them down anyway. I usually pick up 4/5 sets of strings most years. 

[Dan Dare]

Whilst flats don't suffer tonally once they've lost the new zing (which I'm always glad to see the back of), I find the intonation deteriorates after a few years, especially on the low E. When I remove them, I find minute dents in the windings caused by the frets. I suppose once they've bedded in, they don't move or stretch, so the same part of each string contacts the frets every time you play. That probably doesn't do their ability to vibrate cleanly any favours.