How Fast Do You Go Through Strings?

[ckitz]

How long do your strings last you? I've just broke my second pair in a year. In reality, I just broke one string, but I buy a whole new pair every time I break one string. That way, if any others break, I just use an old one that isn't broken.

The pair I broke two minutes ago was my first ribbonwound pair, and my dad (I'm 15) gets angry when I have to buy a new pair. (He's really... erm... frugal.) Anyway, I'd like to know if strings last that long, or is it me playing too hard, or cheap strings, or a combination.

[Mushroo]

Bass strings should not break. Have a tech look at your bass to see if there is a problem. My G string used to break near the bridge until a tech looked at it, discovered a "burr" in the metal of that saddle, and filed it down for me.

Since then I have not broken a string in 20 years.

[GroovinOnFunk]

Ok... so now for a response that actually addresses the OP's question:

DR is a very strong and reliable brand. You should not have any trouble with those breaking.

2 broken strings in a year doesn't necessarily mean there's something wrong with your setup. You could be playing too hard. I, personally, have never broken any strings while playing, but I've had a friend break a string on my bass while playing it with a pick. Try some DR strings and maybe play with a lighter touch

[Makatak]

Check your bridge saddles , someties they have a rough " point " that can eat through windings , some 1200 and patience to polish up that area can rectify that . Try not to prewind the strings on the post when installing , if you do leave the bridge end loose to relax and find its own natural seating area before tensioning . Dont take the strings off too many times between changes , when you refit them they can sit in a different saddle area using a new part of the winding and weakening it , string slots in the bridge tailpiece sorts lot of that , I wish ALL bridges had slots ! [ makes for a lightning fast string change mid gig as well as I found out once , when I was a lot younger and couldnt afford new srtrings on a regular basis it was on / off / boil / on / off / boil ! ]
I always ALWAYS wipe my strings with IPA after any gig/practice with a lint free cloth [ T-Shirt material works best ] and make sure my hands are clean as before using , getting crap between the windings will dull them in no time , depending on how many gigs I do I can have my strings piano string bright for months before they start going dull . Fret dents are unavoidable , particularly if youre a slapper , that will eventually weaken and deaden them as well .

Oh and GroovinOnFunk is right about not laying into them too much . go easy !

[Mushroo]

Sorry for not "actually addressing the OP's question"

My answer to the question "How Fast Do You Go Through Strings?" is that I've had the same set of strings for over 5 years. I play a combination of fingerstyle, pick, and slap in an aggressive hard rock band. I used to break strings a lot until I fixed the setup problem with my bass; since then I've gone through 3 or 4 sets of strings in the last 20 years. Hope that helps.

[JimiLL]

Ive never broke a bass string.

Tell ur dad to chill.... I get a new set at least once a month

[Pilgrim]

I have never broken a bass string. The strings on my '63 P were installed about 1972...yes, they're almost 40 years old. Most of my strings have been on at least 5 years, some longer...the rounds on my 2000 MIM Jazz are factory originals, 11 years old.

[BassNoob1]

Regardless of whether your strings break or not, you should change every 6 months or so to get a good tone. Unless the old string sound is what you dig.

[lowfreq33]

Last string I broke had been on my bass 7 years, playing 4-5 shows a week. I'm about 2 1/2 years into the set I put on at that time.

[Edward G.]

I've never broken a bass string while playing in more than 30 years. I over-wound a string by accident once, but that's not the same.

In general, I change my strings about once every three months. If I am playing a whole lot, I've changed strings after a month. It all depends on how nice they continue to sound. Old strings get stiff and bland sounding. I don't like it.

[Makatak]

Originally Posted by Pilgrim

I have never broken a bass string. The strings on my '63 P ere installed about 1972. Most of my strings have been on at least 5 years, some longer...the rounds on my 2000 MIM Jazz are factory originals, 12 years old.

12 YEARS OLD ???? , Geez , there must be stuff growin` stuff on them lol .
Funny thing is ive never understood a lot of guys spending megabucks on clear sounding top of the line amps/cabs .......then plugging in a bass that has strings that sound like fencewire

[TheSuzie]

I have gone 5-10 years on strings before one breaks from wear. On a fretted bass I now look at the underside of the strings because wear on the strings over the frets can make the string(s) cut into the fret(s). I had a couple of frets eaten up by worn strings so now I am more careful about checking for string wear.

Peace,
S

[marmadaddy]

Any time I've broken a string it's been due to an issue with the instrument itself. I'd recommend having a tech take a look at the bass.

As to replacing strings, I sweat a lot so I replace the strings on my main bass that gets played for probably 80% of my gig time every 3-4 rock gigs. I really, really like the sound of new strings.

I do this as a hobby that pays for itself so the money isn't a big deal to me.

[gard0300]

I do alot of different tunings, so when I have a hard time keeping tuning I know its time to change them.

[tylerwylie]

I go through Ernie Balls in a matter of minutes. Most other brands will last any number of days, weeks, or months.
DR have lasted me a few weeks really nicely, the nickel lo'riders just not what I was going for. GHS Bass Boomers, the low B was dead in a matter of days while the rest of the strings lasted for a while. D'addario nickels didn't last too long for me either. Need to try some of their prosteels. Circle K have been the best so far for me.

[Sleeq]

Only time I did was when I first started playing bass, by overtuning the E string.

But 11 years after that and I never broke one.

[Elrend]

Had mine for over 2 years now.

[Hopkins]

I change strings quite often, mostly because I haven't found that perfect set of strings yet.

[theduke1]

I have been playing since 1966 a broke 1 string in all that time and it was from a new set a faulty string. I change strings twice a year when I playing in a band. But now I don't play out much in bars. I do theater, and church, a gig once and a while, so yearly works for me.

[hagbass101]

i have several basses and use different guitars for different gigs, but i replace the strings on all of them about every 6 months. I like the way new strings sound. It seems like they lose the lowest lows and highest highs after a while.