Broke My Aversion to Buying New Strings

[EricssonB]

With great anxiety, last night I purchased a new set of strings for my only bass. (I'm a one-love kind of man.)†

It had some roundwound Ernie Balls from when my friend owned it in 2003. Not even joking. I bought it from him along with a 200-watt 15" combo. Been rockin' the same rig ever since.

...pretty sure that the strings are dead.

After weeks of reading threads, skimming reviews and weighing the pros and cons of what seemed like endless configurations of brand, style and gauge, I settled on some Smith pressurewounds/Compressors, of a Medium-Lite gauge.

What this whole ordeal taught me:
Strings aren't terribly expensive. If I don't like a set, then offer them for resale or set them aside and try something else.



† Excuse for being broke.

[bthiemann80]

Of all the aversions out there, I find this one to be most original and perplexing.

[JimmyM]

Originally Posted by bthiemann80

Of all the aversions out there, I find this one to be most original and perplexing.

Not me. I hate spending money on strigs I don't like. The second I latch onto what I like, I stick with it rigidly. Never kept a set of rounds on a bass for 8 years, though.

[Munjibunga]

It's really not about the money. The strings you had were only 8 years old. They still had another 4 or 5 years on them. One time I put new strings on my 55-94. The old ones were only 4 years old, but I kept reading posts by people who said they replace their strings every month or so. I started feeling guilty, so I put the new set on the Lakland. It took over a year of playing it before I liked it again.

When I got my Fodera, it came with at least a 12-year supply of strings ... the set that is on it, plus two more sets.

BTW, my favorite strings in the world are Thomastik Infeld PowerBass. Monster sound from a light touch.

[tabdog]

I used to buy strings a lot when I was
gigging a lot. I broke a lot of strings.

Now, I hate to change them.

Case in point,

I got a used Squier Bronco and upgraded
it. I didn't like the strings, but I didn't want
to change them. The E string broke!

I tried to replace it with an old string, but it
was a bad mis-match. So I bought a set of
GHS.

WRONG SIZE!!!

I went back and got the right size.

Now it plays much better and I am a happy
camper,,

Tabdog

[EricssonB]

I nearly bought rounds a half-dozen times, but the thought of that zang and twang of a fresh set really kept me away. I set an oft-pushed back deadline to buy new strings. I waited three months after this Summer to head back home to California to try my friend's collection of P's and a Ray set with flats -- didn't wanna cross quite that far, so I figured't Compressors'd do the trick.

Can't wait any longer.

Originally Posted by Munjibunga

The strings you had were only 8 years old. They still had another 4 or 5 years on them.

I truly appreciate the support and understanding from such a legend.

I'm pretty sure that they sounded terrible, but hey, I've got a rad built-for-guitar pedal and an EQ to compensate.





Right?

[EricssonB]

Originally Posted by bthiemann80

Of all the aversions out there, I find this one to be most original and perplexing.

I'll count this as a +1. Thanks.

[turbo chicken]

meh... I like my rounds nice and dead!

i don't like buying strings either... got 2 sets of GHS heavey boomers on the cheap when i got my current bass... if the string stays in tune and i can still intonate my instrument ... im good with my dead rounds.

[darkstorm]

Lol, been changing sttrings regular since the mid 70's, Just part of bass maintance to keep it in top shape sound wise.