How Often Do You Change Your Strings?

[Skinz]

As per the topic title?

I just wondered how often people on here change their strings, after being slated at practice this weekend for having three year old strings on my P-Bass.

I've always thought that if they sound/feel good, leave them well alone, but I'm open to being convinced the other way if there's a tangible sound/playing pleasure benefit....

[Rayman]

3 or 4 times a year per bass for me normally. Although I do sweat like a glass blowers arse during gigs, so if I have a lot of gigs it might be more often.

I normally use EB Slinkys, and they'll last 3 or 4 months before they're too dead for me.

I do like some zing in my string.

[harvey1-8]

Whenever I think they need changing.

[OldGit]

[quote name='Skinz' post='886268' date='Jul 5 2010, 01:32 PM']after being slated at practice this weekend for having three year old strings on my P-Bass.[/quote]

by whom?

[OldGit]

Oh sorry .. do you mean you only have three, one year old, strings on your P bass
I can see how that might be of concern to smeone else, if, say, they wanted you to play a low G and you didn't have an E string ...

[thisnameistaken]

On my Warwick I have Slinkies that I change after every couple of gigs, on my Jazz I have LaBella flats and I don't change them.

[Jus Lukin]

-

Edited February 15, 2022 by Jus Lukin

[fatback]

I use elixirs, and they don't lose tone until the coating is flaking off in a fairly disgusting way. That can be a long time.

[dougal]

I use a coated string, generally, and change them every 6 months.

Mind you, with 6 basses, it feels like I'm perpetually changing them..

Edited July 5, 2010 by dougal

[spike]

Once a year, whether they need changing or not.

[dumelow]

i buy elixirs, probably change them once every 3 months. or when they snap, which isnt a regular thing

[JTUK]

As soon as I have to start EQ'ing things that I think is down to the strings going off..

I very rarely have to touch my amp apart from levels...maybe a tad for a difficult room.

I'll know when messing around at home that the strings are losing it.
Depending on the make of string, anything from around 4 weeks on..but entirely down the my ears.

[Mog]

Every 4th or 5th gig. Tis not easy on the pocket.

[teen t-shirt]

i have to change my strings quite often because i do sweat like a bastard when i play and so they get very dirty even with a wipe down after practice and performances so they get very dirty and clog up and go dead and they become weak as well i have broken a few strings in my time unfortunately.

i'm guilty of breaking the odd E string so the whole string situation can be expensive some times

[Alien]

[quote name='fatback' post='886312' date='Jul 5 2010, 02:26 PM']I use elixirs, and they don't lose tone until the coating is flaking off in a fairly disgusting way. That can be a long time. [/quote]

^ What he said

A

[Marvin]

When they sound or look like they need changing.

[OldGit]

[quote name='Alien' post='886373' date='Jul 5 2010, 03:40 PM']^ What he said

A[/quote]

+1 Once they reach pubety and start sprouting hair I know they will need kicking out in favour of a nice fresh set, say within 18-36 months...

[Sarah5string]

Maybe every few months? Not that often anyway. Maybe 3-4 times a year.

Edited July 5, 2010 by Sarah5string

[Kongo]

Every month I change mine...I'm real picky on the tone and feel. Dunno if u notice but strings start to feel swampy after a month or so, as well as having a dull tone to em, I love the velvet tone of new strings.
But as my main bass is a 6-string this can be costly. I did try Elixirs but they both don't have the tone or feel or non-coated string. Felt like a plastic tube to me, but this is personal experience and preference.
I might try and break myself into changing them quarterly but...they just go so dull...many brands I have tried do this, my preferred brand have the longest life for my skin Ph.

When I was in Music college my cash flow was...very low! So I used to boil them, and it works real well...for a short time. But I then noticed not only does boiling strings make them smell FOUL after a few times, it also weakens them.
I did have an idea for making a string cleaning tube using alcoholic substance but never got round to making one to try it...that being said, I doubt I'm the only one and if someone has I'd like to know if it works...technically it should, and without temp change shouldn't weaken the strings any faster than they normally do through fatigue.
A good 24-48 hour soak would work wonders!

Edited July 5, 2010 by Kongo

[JamieBenzies]

If I could afford it I would change my strings every 2 weeks. Unfortunately, it's almost a quarterly thing

[2pods]

Used to change the Slinkys on my Stingray every couple of gigs, but since I sold it, stopped gigging, and bought the Ibanez a couple of years ago, I haven't changed the original Elixirs.

I know, shameful !
I used to love the sound of new strings, but the Elixirs STILL seem OK.

[Vibrating G String]

I get years out of a set of strings. I like a midrangey old school tone and I turn my tweeters off. That kind of sound seems to be easy to get with old strings. I change them when I wear grooves in them from the frets or if the intonation starts to go bad. I'm not a fan of the zingy tone in the first few weeks so that saves some money.

[burno70]

Used to change roundwounds once a month - now I've been on flats for about 6 months I don't feel the need to change them, although I need to take them off to oil the fret board, the woods looking a bit dry.

^^^ I find that avatar disturbing - a naked man taking pics of a rabbit - no wonder the poor thing look terrified!

[Tait]

I don't really know what to vote for. When they need changing, which depends completely on how much I've been playing recently, and what bass I've been playing. I change the strings on my Taitycaster more than I do on my Ibanez, but thats because I play my Taitycaster more than my Ibanez.

[OldGit]

[quote name='Kongo' post='886792' date='Jul 5 2010, 10:42 PM']Every month I change mine...I'm real picky on the tone and feel. Dunno if u notice but strings start to feel swampy after a month or so, as well as having a dull tone to em, I love the velvet tone of new strings.
But as my main bass is a 6-string this can be costly. I did try Elixirs but they both don't have the tone or feel or non-coated string. Felt like a plastic tube to me, but this is personal experience and preference.
I might try and break myself into changing them quarterly but...they just go so dull...many brands I have tried do this, my preferred brand have the longest life for my skin Ph.

When I was in Music college my cash flow was...very low! So I used to boil them, and it works real well...for a short time. But I then noticed not only does boiling strings make them smell FOUL after a few times, it also weakens them.
I did have an idea for making a string cleaning tube using alcoholic substance but never got round to making one to try it...that being said, I doubt I'm the only one and if someone has I'd like to know if it works...technically it should, and without temp change shouldn't weaken the strings any faster than they normally do through fatigue.
A good 24-48 hour soak would work wonders![/quote]


Was that the orginal Elixirs? They were horrible but the second version - the Nano's are much less like plastic tubes.

There was a post on the cleaning tube in one of the "boiling strings" threads. Can't find it now..

[url="http://www.tunemybass.com/strings/how_to_clean_bass_strings.html"]This site[/url] is good on the subject including [url="http://www.tunemybass.com/strings/bass_string_cleaning_tube.html"]The Tube[/url]

Edited July 5, 2010 by OldGit