Changing strings every gig.

[Noseferatu]

Do you think it's necessary to change strings each and every gig??

I don't, as long as the bass is stored away and not being constantly played.

[Pilgrim]

Uh, no, especially since the strings on my P-bass have been on it since 1972.

I play mostly flats, and I never change them unless one breaks. However, I've never had one break.

[Oreomeister365]

Maybe if you're Geddy Lee and you have a bass tech.

[van_gogh_bass]

Depends on how much you gig and practice. I gig 2-3 times a month and change mine every 4 months or so.

Wipe your strings down after you play, and consider using a string cleaner like the ones offered by Dunlop or Ernie Ball.

Until you get that coveted string endorsement, that is!

Good luck!

[pacojas]

waaay overkill, imo.

[ridgeback]

i used to change every week.. 4/5 gigs per week/ just because i prefare a bright sound...

read an interview with mark king a few years back and he changed strings 2/3 times per night and he uses .30 guage strings....
if you slap a lot i can understand why you would change often..

[elgecko]

WWGSD?

[MyWifeBoris]

I can't imagine doing that.

The money you'd need is waaaaay too much. D:

[darkstorm]

It makes no sense to me to do that. It takes strings a day or two to settle in and changing before each gig just invites tuning shifting. Buy strings whose tone you like better once theyve settled in a little. If you need very bright strings, Dean Markley blues will satisfy for much longer then other strings. Once they settle in after a good amount of playing, their tone is still as bright as most strings brand new.

[Noseferatu]

I honestly would never be able to afford it if I gigged regularly. I only gig 6 times a month. If I was on tour with a band and gigged regularly lke they do, I'm pretty sure I'd be able to afford to do so, however.

[ric stave]

I'm a round-wound-me-likey-brite-new-string-twang sort of guy, and I change strings on my main player prob every 2-3 months, depending on how much gigging I'm doing.

Years ago, I worked in a music store, and a local bass player came in every week to buy a new set of 4 string Elixers, cuz he only liked playing 'new' strings for a gig (they played once a week.) Why he needed Elixers for that, I'll never know. If you're gonna change 'em every gig, you could use about ANYTHING and still have4 them sound nice and twangy for a night.....

[becker4567]

Being a LaBella flats guy, I tend to change my strings every decade, and I've been told even thats a bit excessive.

[dave64o]

Originally Posted by ric stave

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If you're gonna change 'em every gig, you could use about ANYTHING and still have4 them sound nice and twangy for a night.....

You know, there's probably a lot of truth in that!


The only times I ever changed strings on a bass were because I didn't like the strings that were on it when I bought it. Other than that, I've never changed strings on any of the basses I've owned, whether they had rounds or flats on them.

[Tim C.]

I change my Rotosounds about every two weeks, but then again I get them for $15 a pack.

[derridiandrift]

If you gig once every four or five years, maybe changing them once per gig is reasonable.

[BZadlo]

Overkill even for someone with a string endorsement.

[darthplagis]

if you want the John entwistle style top end then yeah every gig, if not every song LOL

[Ric5]

Originally Posted by Noseferatu

Do you think it's necessary to change strings each and every gig??

Only if you have really high paying gigs for thousands of people, and you can afford a bass tech.

I change strings when they strart to go dead.

[rimtism123]

I change strings before each gig or every other.
I believe in sounding fresh every time.

And if you've seriously haven't changed your strings since '72..thats pretty gross imo..

[Kenner]

I change em after every third show....unfortunately, I break em...