Do I have acid hands or am i just an animal with strings ?

[enemybass]

I seem to be killing strings in a matter of hours
anyone else had this
They still sound Ok but they are real dull after about 8-9 hours playing
I tried Ernies, Rotosounds steels, Daddario nickles, Dr black beuties
I play in a fast thrash band and play hard 3 finger style galloping
and practice every day for an hour or so and a couple gigs here n there
much prefer my sound with fresh stings is there a set that sound super brite for ages or do i just have to change em evey week ?

[Blues Cat]

Originally Posted by enemybass

I seem to be killing strings in a matter of hours
anyone else had this
They still sound Ok but they are real dull after about 8-9 hours playing
I tried Ernies, Rotosounds steels, Daddario nickles, Dr black beuties
I play in a fast thrash band and play hard 3 finger style galloping
and practice every day for an hour or so and a couple gigs here n there
much prefer my sound with fresh stings is there a set that sound super brite for ages or do i just have to change em evey week ?

Are you making sure your strings are oriented properly with no twist?

Remove your string from the tuning post. If it immediately points up away from the headstock, you have a twist.

Another way to tell is at tension look down the neck from the bridge to the headstock. Pluck the string. You'll be able to see a twist in the orbit of string. Don't blink, it happens very quickly.

[jsingles]

try elixer strings

[enemybass]

cheers mate tried that there fitted ok
had it with several sets too
i know strings allways bed in a bit but they just seem dull and loose all there zing and briteness after a 8-9 hours playing
I love the sound of the DR's that is my sound but they dont last long
what strings you lot reccomend for really brite sound that lasts

[enemybass]

Originally Posted by jsingles

try elixer strings

yeah did try em breifly they came standard on my schecter
wasnt that impressed with em but in all fairness factory fitted strings are usually shot by the time you get the guitar

[Parabolic Box]

Bass strings don't stay out-of-the-box bright and twangy for very long, anyway. If you want, you can leave some of those "dead" strings in methanol to clean them for a day, use another set, and just alternate between days.

Otherwise, there's always coated strings, but they're universally more expensive and may not do much. If you have $60-$100 laying around, I suppose you could try gold-plated Optima/Maxima strings, too.

[Blues Cat]

IMHO I don't think acid is going to have an effect on the strings 8 hours after putting them on. Unless maybe your playing outdoors in the hot Tx sun in summer.

[enemybass]

na probably not mate
unless i got some sort of toxic alien sweat or something lol
must be the price i gotta pay for using a harsh technique like that then maybe

[joelb79]

Are you denting the strings at the fret lines after 8-9 hours of playing? IF thats the case, there are no strings that will stay bright for you as you need to fix your playing style.

[enemybass]

no strings look as good as new except my black coated ones that are now silver where i pluck the strings
but just sound flat

[rodl2005]

I think he's meaning 8-9 hrs actual playing- maybe spaced out over a week??? I get the same thing- & AFAIK it IS acid hands-where yr sweat just eats into 'em. Don't matter whether U get stainless steel strings -whatever, hand gunk/goo/dirt/grime etc just gets inbetween windings & "dull'' go the strings. I found-for me anyway- the ONLY answer is COATED strings. TRY D'addario EXP coateds- these differ frim Elixirs in that these have the coating applied to the outer winding B4 being 'wound on the string'. Elixirs coatings are put on after winding. IME the D'addario's last 'almost' as long as Elixirs, but are a fair bit cheaper & sound a bit brighter. UNCOATED strings sound new-ish for me for perhaps 3 gigs(9 hrs playing time) so coated & the occaisional boiling or methanol clean(or both methods on the set-boil 1st, then metho clean & wipe) are MY only solutions!
Good luck.

[Blues Cat]

Enemy, did you find a twist in your strings?

[Parabolic Box]

Hmm... You know, the best solution may be to be an endorser for a string company, so you can get free packs and kill as many sets as you like.

[enemybass]

no twist in the stings

I think and endorsment is the way forward
do a set a day then lol
not big enough for that though

[joelb79]

I got a buddy with acid hands so he says. I don't personally believe in that, but I've stopped brining my basses out to open jams for this reason. I hate putting new strings on and hearing them die at the hands of another. My sets seem to last me a month or longer with a regular gig schedule.

[peterbright]

First...clean your strings after every use. I don't know anyone with acid sweat who has a problem if they religiously clean their strings daily.

[Eublet]

A friend of mine is like this. I can put new strings on my bass, play them for a few days, and they still sound bright. He picks up my bass for 15 minutes and they'll be dead as a door nail. He even washes his hands good first. Doesn't help. What we've both noticed about HIS hands isn't so much high PH that would be called "acid" but more of an oily residue that gets down between the windings and kills the strings. On his personal basses there is always a lot of gunk building up against the frets, and the necks on his basses get really sticky and dirty fast, so he's always polishing them down with steel wool.

He finally just quit trying to play any other string except Elixir. Even the DR coated strings didn't help as those still allow gunk to get in between the windings. The Elixir strings prevent this, and he can just wipe them down after playing to get all the residue off. They last him as long as any string could be expected to last anyone. You should give them a try. They take some gettnig used to, and a lot of people are passionate about hating them, but I think they are a great string, and if you have this problem, they could very well be your saving grace.

[ZolkoW]

yes, I can play my fresh string for a couple of hours and they're losing their brightness.
since I'm using string cleaner, it's MUCH BETTER! the progress is the same, but I can get back some of the brightness.. a set of strings last about 3-5 weeks with Dunlop 65 (other cleaner should work as well, applied properly). I tried soaking in alcohol, but this works much better for me. Surprisingly better.


edit: Elixirs are good, but there are better-sounding strings, IMHO. they last for months, but after about 2-3 months they are losing their guts.. there are still zing, but no guts after 6 mounths. well, for the price, it's okay, It's just the sound . I like uncoated sttrings better.

[lamxyz]

yes ... you have acid hands

it's not so bad
i know another guy whose sweat is so power
that after he plays my guitar
the strings will rust by the next day .....

moral of the story
never loan out your guitars .....