how often do u change strings?

[AA bassist]

i use DR strings nickelwound and found that i can get about 6 to 9 months out of them before they sound dead to me i play about every other weekend gigs 3 hour sets and practice daily love these strings

[TMBTC]

rounds usually last me about 6 months.... Flats stay on for years sometimes.......but that's just me.

[Essen]

Once a month, atleast.

[88ric2030]

I used to be a freak about having bright strings, and changed every few months; that gets expensive and is pretty unnecessary. In the past year, I totally got into flatwounds, mainly because I'm in a 60's cover band, but have also realized that flats can work for almost anything I do. I really don't plan on changing strings on any of my basses anytime soon, unless they break. I have six basses, 4 strung with flats and two with rounds, and always take a backup to gigs.

[Floyd Eye]

Flats- I don't know. I never had to change them


Rounds- I clean them after every time I play and they last a very long time. Maybe once a year.

[Mrdak]

never

[RickenBoogie]

+1 flats, hardly ever, rounds, when they break, (never), or get dull sounding. If you wipe them down after every session, that could be a long time, too.

[mongo2]

In 1990 I put a set of flats on a bass I had just purchased and they're still on there.

I think my '60 Sears/Dano dophin nose still has it's original strings.

[Ian Perge]

I've found that my sweat isn't close to acidic and therefore doesn't "kill" strings like other players I've discussed this with, so time isn't a huge issue with myself and strings. Still, on my fretted I try for every 6 months because a large part of "My Sound" is the bright, piano-chime of Stainless Steel strings. On my fretless and acoustic I use D'addario EXP Coated Nickelwounds & Phosphor Bronze strings, to increase "The Mwah Factor" and reduce wear on my epoxy-coated fingerboard on my fretless and take the edge off the high-end off the phosphor bronze on the acoustic. These can easily go for a year, given that a) the fretless strings don't come in contact with any other metal to help remove the coating, and b) the acoustic's overall playing time isn't nearly as much as the others.

[Hund Basses]

personally I love the sound of a fresh set of strings so I change my DR sunbeams at least every 2 week usually even sooner like a week or so

But I do repairs at a music store so maybe I is just to easy for me to get them

[carlos840]

I go through periods, few years ago i used to change strings once a month, then for a few years i didnt change them, then all of a sudden i like the ound of bright strings again so i might start changing them a bit more often than every 3 years like i used to!

[P. Aaron]

When regularly gigging, at least once a month, or if the strings just start feeling dead or thuddy.

I like the new string feel though.

[JMBassist]

I play 4 to 5 times per month and not always with the same bass, so I just replace the strings every 6 months.

[Tumeni Notes]

Originally Posted by Hund Basses

personally I love the sound of a fresh set of strings so I change my DR sunbeams at least every 2 week usually even sooner like a week or so

But I do repairs at a music store so maybe I is just to easy for me to get them

Do you want to sell those old strings?

[NecroticImbecil]

When, no matter what EQ tricks I try, the bass just doesn't sound good any more. I've used stainless rounds up to 2 years, and my previous set of Optima strings went 5 or 6 years.

Flats or GHS strings, the one time I tried either, about 5 minutes.

[SoonerMatt]

For me it really depends on the strings and sound they give. I haven't changed the strings on my J in about a year and they still sound good. FWIW they're DR nickel lo-riders.

[BenOz]

Originally Posted by SoonerMatt

.....

For me it really depends on the strings and sound they give. I haven't changed the strings on my J in about a year and they still sound good. FWIW they're DR nickel lo-riders.

I'm a new bassist, so this is my first time seeing a thread on this topic.

[FunkMetalBass]

It all depends on the reason. I always switch them out before I go into the studio and before every show as well. I rarely change them otherwise, unless I'm doing an effect/pickup/preamp/amp/cab sound test.

I've found that my Fodera Heavies tend to retain their tone for a nice, long time.

[Pilgrim]

I've never changed a set except when I bought a bass and didn't like what was on it.

The flats on my '63 P are at least 35 years old. My made-in-2000 MIM Jazz has the original rounds on it. Most of my basses have flats that are 3+ years old...and that's because I've bought them within the past 3 years. If I've had them longer, the strings are older.

To me, strings don't sound good AT ALL until they've been on the bass at least 6 months, regardless of whether they're flats or rounds. I hate the zingy sound of new strings.

[xray]

I put a set of d'A Chromes on my P-bass just over a year ago and I think they're finally getting broken in. Best $26 dollars I ever spent on strings.