EB Slinkie Lifespan?

[SurferJoe46]

I hear it's really short - the lifespan of usability, that is,

Do they die a premature death or not?

PS: any string that lasts less than a full year of moderate playing with no popping/slapping is less than desirable in my opinion.

[knucklehead G]

: Six months going strong, and I'm usually using a pick.

: Forever.

[FletcherML]

I use the hybrid slinkies.
I love that crazy tone I get with them and once my tone starts going even a little bit, I lose my mind!! I hate HATE dead strings. Or even strings that aren't sounding brand new.
I am lucky if they last me a week and a half with my standards.
BUT, get some Denatured alcohol (alcohol with no water, google it!) and soak your strings in it for 12-24 hours. Seriously, takes them right back to that new tone. I did this with the strings on a bass I couldn't even look at cuz the fact that tour had killed my strings so much made me so mad. and it sounds like I dropped the 20 something dollars on new strings. love this trick.
(don't tell anyone, it's a special secret)

[SurferJoe46]

Originally Posted by knucklehead G

: Six months going strong, and I'm usually using a pick.

: Forever.

50/105's kinda spook me - aren't they requiring more tension to get the same notes as thinner strings?

Originally Posted by FletcherML

I use the hybrid slinkies.
I love that crazy tone I get with them and once my tone starts going even a little bit, I lose my mind!! I hate HATE dead strings. Or even strings that aren't sounding brand new.
I am lucky if they last me a week and a half with my standards.
BUT, get some Denatured alcohol (alcohol with no water, google it!) and soak your strings in it for 12-24 hours. Seriously, takes them right back to that new tone. I did this with the strings on a bass I couldn't even look at cuz the fact that tour had killed my strings so much made me so mad. and it sounds like I dropped the 20 something dollars on new strings. love this trick.
(don't tell anyone, it's a special secret)

I'm used to my Elixir Nanos and my ROTO77s lasting for over a year. I fact, I may never change the 77s for spite.

If any strings lasted me only a week and a half and I'd get stink-eyed too.

[knucklehead G]

Originally Posted by SurferJoe46

50/105's kinda spook me - aren't they requiring more tension to get the same notes as thinner strings?



I'm used to my Elixir Nanos and my ROTO77s lasting for over a year. I fact, I may never change the 77s for spite.

If any strings lasted me only a week and a half and I'd get stink-eyed too.

They have them in different sizes and flavors, those are just the particular ones I use. Coated ones come from .45-.100 on the lightest, and flats start at .40-.95.

[MRDOOM]

I have Hybrid slinkies on two of my basses and their lifespan seems to be about a year; love em, love em, love em.

[sonic assassin]

i had regular slinkys once. great for 3 days. tolerable for 2 weeks. then dead as a doornail. disgustingly dead.

d addario pro steels had about the same fate. finally stopping being cheap and switched back to elixir. couple weeks with no case and they sound about 5 minutes old.

[BLDavis]

Back when I played rounds, I tried Slinkies a few times when I couldn't find my regular strings. The Slinkies always sounded good for about the first two sets, then die quickly as the night wore on. No ammount of string wiping or cleaning seemed to help.

[SurferJoe46]

Originally Posted by sonic assassin

i had regular slinkys once. great for 3 days. tolerable for 2 weeks. then dead as a doornail. disgustingly dead.

d addario pro steels had about the same fate. finally stopping being cheap and switched back to elixir. couple weeks with no case and they sound about 5 minutes old.

Originally Posted by BLDavis

Back when I played rounds, I tried Slinkies a few times when I couldn't find my regular strings. The Slinkies always sounded good for about the first two sets, then die quickly as the night wore on. No amount of string wiping or cleaning seemed to help.

Causes one to pause about getting the EBs.

That's a shame too, as I really liked EB Customs on my guitars.

I wondered why they are hermetically sealed - I guess they start dying as soon as they are made. It's prolly not for packaging costs, but more likely necessity.

Wondered why --- now I don't.

[darkstorm]

Been awhile (several yrs) since I used them. Used to use EB slinkies roundwound for basses ansd guitars when wanting a bit more crunch to the sound. Life was about average, 3 months per set. They lose the brand new sound fairly quick but the basic broken in sound was very good for about 3 months time before they started sounding in need of replaceing. I mostly use rotosounds now for bass and for guitar alike.

[SurferJoe46]

Originally Posted by darkstorm

Been awhile (several yrs) since I used them. Used to use EB slinkies roundwound for basses ansd guitars when wanting a bit more crunch to the sound. Life was about average, 3 months per set. They lose the brand new sound fairly quick but the basic broken in sound was very good for about 3 months time before they started sounding in need of replaceing. I mostly use rotosounds now for bass and for guitar alike.

Nice!!! Well, not really! Since they have a short half-life, I don't think they interest me now fer sure!

I've never noticed ROTOs for regular guitars before.

Have to take a look.

[pnut166]

I used a set of the Hybrids a couple years ago. Liked them, used them about 6 months for around-the house playing. Curious about several ppl quoting Rotos being long-lived - I love the Roto sound, but to me they have a quick drop-off. As far as the string - restoring tricks, I`ve always boiled my strings with one drop of dish detergent when I need to recycle `em. I know that isn`t recommended, but it works like a charm.

[garmenteros]

Originally Posted by knucklehead G

: Six months going strong, and I'm usually using a pick.

: Forever.

I just got these exact same strings but in the 5 string version, im thinking of using one of these in my les paul basses... can you comment on them and how they compare to other similar strings...

[recreate.me]

I dont get how strings last that long!

I tried EB slinkies, with playing everyday at about an hour a day they sounded great for about 3 weeks, then only for about 1.5 months then dead.. i couldnt stand it.
Thats on my jazz, they just lost there edge i guess.

I can keep my dean markelys sounding fresh for around 3 months playable for about 5, on a jazz. On a P bass i can put on anything and they last forever.. But the Jazz they need that fresh string sound IMHO...

[rodl2005]

USe the 'ALKYHOLE' method- cleans up old strings to new real well... & UNLIKE boiling- doesn't seem to corrode the inner parts of the string.
Boiling DOES do this- I USED to boil occasionally, but found the alcohol way works FAR FAR better.

Re EB strings- I've used EB, D'addario, SIT, R.Cocco, Labella, DR & more & haven't really noticed a difference in how long they last. With ME- they ALL last a very short time as I get sweaty hands at gigs..... :-/ Hence the alcohol cleaning.!!!

Coated strings are great tho. But SINCE the alcohol cleaning- it's a toss up, as I can clean a set a few times, But this method ALSO works fine for coated strings too I've found.

[SurferJoe46]

Originally Posted by rodl2005

USe the 'ALKYHOLE' method- cleans up old strings to new real well... & UNLIKE boiling- doesn't seem to corrode the inner parts of the string.
Boiling DOES do this- I USED to boil occasionally, but found the alcohol way works FAR FAR better.

Re EB strings- I've used EB, D'addario, SIT, R.Cocco, Labella, DR & more & haven't really noticed a difference in how long they last. With ME- they ALL last a very short time as I get sweaty hands at gigs..... :-/ Hence the alcohol cleaning.!!!

Coated strings are great tho. But SINCE the alcohol cleaning- it's a toss up, as I can clean a set a few times, But this method ALSO works fine for coated strings too I've found.

If you don't get your Vegemite sandwich all over the strings, they'll last longer!

Seriously though - I like the Elixirs on a few of my basses since they just don't seem to degrade at all.

We can't even talk about the ROTO 77s, since they are supposed to just go thump and not ring anyway. I think the 77s half-life is around 20 years or so.

I'm just waiting for the Fender 7250 NPSs to get to a point where I want to take them off my new VM-Jaguar - and I want to get those ROTO RS45s on it ASAP!

I know what they sound like and can't wait - but the 7250s sound pretty good right now so they'll stay a while.

No - ROTOSOUND and ELIXIR seem to be my favorites right now - and I've got to resist trying something that I prolly will hold in a much lower value than what I have found so far.

FWIW: I noticed that the good ol' American Peanut Butter and (Grape) Jelly sandwich (the famous 'PBJ') can cause just as much havoc with strings as Vegemite or Marmite.

Fosters, on the other hand will eat holes in your bass and possibly the floor where it spills.

[rodl2005]

& COOPERS Ale will grow yeast colonies where ya dribble it! TASTES great tho!

& BTW/FWIW etc.. I like Peanut butter & jam/jelly sammies far better'n vegemite me'self

[thetawaves]

They've gone for 2 months now and still going strong. I'm pleasantly amazed

[SurferJoe46]

Originally Posted by rodl2005

& COOPERS Ale will grow yeast colonies where ya dribble it! TASTES great tho!

& BTW/FWIW etc.. I like Peanut butter & jam/jelly sammies far better'n vegemite me'self

You say 'jelly' and somehow visions of mint jelly on lamb shanks appears in my mind. Yuck. I like my lamb and mutton to stand for themselves and not get candy-coated.

If I HAD to, I think I'd eat Marmite instead.

I know - that's a fav of the little island to your East - but it doesn't bite quite as much.

I have to keep sending some Kiwi friends some Cherry KoolAid and they send me Marmite and boxes of candies from there. For all their kindness, they can keep their Marmite unless they're just trying to get rid of it themselves.

KoolAid appears to be banned from NZ - and although that's prolly the right thing for their officials to do to protect their citizens, once they visit the US and taste it - they are hooked and need a yearly fix. I send it in boxes marked: "Critical Medicinal Palliatives" and it seems to go right through customs.

What I really miss is Bovril, before the Mad-Cow scare.

Hmm - maybe KoolAid could revive old bass strings.

[Disco Batman]

I can't stand the way EB's sound out of the package. Call me crazy....too zingy. I've been a DR convert for awhile now and I can't imagine going back.

Love Roto's but never found em online in the gage I like .45.65.80.100