fret marks

[Ulyanov]

Hey everyone
I just cleaned the strings on my old Squire Bronco bass, and when I put them back on, I noticed that there were marks on them where they lined up with the frets. I got the bass almost two years ago, and never changed them, I just soak them in rubbing alcohol every now and then. Do these marks just mean my strings are really old, do I have to finally break down and buy a new set? Thanks

[Flatwound]

If they sound OK, keep them until they break.

[SuperDuck]

Personally, I think two years is too long to keep a set of strings on a bass, even flatwounds (which you generally keep on longer than roundwounds), but that's just me. I think getting a new set couldn't hurt your situation any. My advice is to bite the bullet and get a new set. If you don't want to spend loads o' cash, you can get some good deals at www.juststrings.com.

[eli]

... or you could avoid the problem entirely and just go fretless.

[Ulyanov]

I did that, but I still have my old bass, for when I don't feel like walking all the way to my other one. Wow, I'm lazy.