can dampening strings have a permanent effect?

TOOL460002 · #1 12-04-2010, 06:33 PM

hey- i normally dont ever dampen my strings, but for about a week i had a rolled up paper towel back by the bridge (didnt have any foam around and the sound was comparable). i took it out, and my e string sounds really dead now (and im the kind of guy that hates that new string sound [i break them in and then play until the g snaps or the harmonics just die]).

for reference, i play a mm stingray 4 with dr hi beams (e is 104). my first mm 4 was the pre eb with the built in mute pad things (hopefully thats clear...), and i never used those, and i may have played with foam for a mute a handful of times, so i dont know a lot about this.

ive just never left a muting material in for a week. is that my problem? im going to snag a new set tomorrow, but im just wondering so i dont deaden any more strings, if, in fact, it was my doing.

much thanks for any insight. been playing a long time and this is a first for me. thanks.

C.Linton · #2 12-04-2010, 06:53 PM

I really don't see how muting a string like that could cause it to die. I've had a foam rubber mute on my Squier VM P bass for many weeks now and it hasn't affected my strings like that at all.
Also, I would think if it did have any kind of effect, it should affect all the strings, why would it just happen to the E string? I just suspect you just had a weak E string that went dead sooner than it should have because of some kind of fault inherent in that particular string.

smo · #3 12-05-2010, 05:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TOOL460002

.....im the kind of guy that hates that new string sound [i break them in and then play until the g snaps or the harmonics just die.

Maybe it's time to use flats?
Dampers shouldn't kill strings - you might just be unlucky.

JustDavid · #4 12-05-2010, 06:30 AM

It'd be weird if a dampening material affected only 1 of 4 different samples of the same or similar winding material. Unless something was on the paper towel.

jasper383 · #5 12-05-2010, 06:57 AM

The paper towel mute you had there should not have done that. It was something else.

Sometimes a string in a set just "goes", and behaves differently from the rest of a set.

Winnb · #6 12-05-2010, 07:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jasper383

The paper towel mute you had there should not have done that. It was something else.

Sometimes a string in a set just "goes", and behaves differently from the rest of a set.

Agreed. Your E string went dead. It probably would have gone dead without the mute. Clean it, alcohol in a tube, or boil it with a little soap and see if it comes back to life for a bit.

TOOL460002 · #7 12-05-2010, 12:34 PM

thanks for all the info. as for the paper towel... i do believe it was clean... didnt clean the bathroom first.

okay, well, thats just weird that my e died when it did, though it has been a good 9mo since i changed out my strings. i will be doing that asap, and not worry about my paper towel muting.

darkstorm · #8 12-05-2010, 02:24 PM

I'll wager there is still some paper towel back there dampening the string. A little peice stuck there still that you didnt notice.

TOOL460002 · #9 12-05-2010, 05:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by smo

Maybe it's time to use flats?
Dampers shouldn't kill strings - you might just be unlucky.

well, i like to change styles a lot, and can get a great slap tone even out of pretty dead strings, as i just tend to slap pretty aggressively. i meant to go out and get a new set today, but maybe i should just give flat wounds a try. ive been playing the exact same basses with the exact same strings for around ten years.