How often should strings be changed?

[Jamestrouton]

This has probably been asked loads of times on here, but it is what it is.

How do you know when the strings need changed?
Roughly how often?

Ps, Roundwounds or flatwounds for modern folk like Mumford & sons?
And roundwounds or flatwounds for foo fighters, greenday, etc...?

[sandmangeck]

I like dead Roundwounds. So I change them about once a year.

[s_mcsleazy]

depends. see i dont like my rounds to be too bright OR too dead. i boil them every month to keep them sounding consistent. change/boil them when you no longer like the sound of em

p.s rounds for greenday flats for mumford however you can get a flat-ish tone with a p-bass by changing out the tone pot for one with a big cut on it and playing closer to the neck

[Edward G.]

As you will see, everybody's got a thing they do.

I change mine when it starts taking too much effort to get the sounds I'm looking for. When I'm playing a lot, it's three weeks to a month. When the bass is sitting, it can be a lot longer between string changes.

Keeping your instrument clean and protected extends the life of strings. Without exception I wipe everything down after playing and before storing my bass, whether it's from a gig, rehearsal, or practice. It makes a big difference.

[waleross]

IMO for me its when the tuning harmonics don't ring out like they did when new. Still,1 year does make sense and if you are a hard regular gigger even less than that.

[Rockmusician]

I usually change them every 2 months sometimes more often if I am playing a lot.

[Stealth]

Originally Posted by waleross

IMO for me its when the tuning harmonics don't ring out like they did when new. Still,1 year does make sense and if you are a hard regular gigger even less than that.

I go by the same method, since I employ harmonics a lot. Good thing is, a properly cared-for set of string has lasted me for about a year, especially DRs and LaBellas.

[Beatle Bassist]

I've been playing on the same D'Addario Roundwounds for about a year and a half or two years. They still sound new. And I play my bass every day.

[stratovani]

When they start sounding like crap, every few years.

[jacojbass]

I used to love new strings...but now because of $$ and perhaps laziness I have come to like an older string sound.... up to a year on rounds is not so bad for me, they still sound great on my rig. The rub is when I change them I hate the sound for like a month on anything other than slap...ymmv

[JohnMCA72]

As you may have noticed, some people like the sound, feel, etc. of "broken-in" strings, & keep them on for long times. I'm at the other end of the scale: I like the stiffness of new strings & change them every few weeks (due for a change any day now, of a set that was put on end of June).

[JoZac21]

Whenever I can actually afford new strings.

[funkinbottom]

I use flats and only change a set if I break a string, which is not often. Last time was a couple/three years ago?

[REAPER52]

T I Flats last for years. Jamerson used his flats forever if i am not mistaken.

[scottfeldstein]

I like the bright sound of new strings, so I change mine when they start sounding like rubber bands instead of metal. As for how often, it depends on how much I play them. My hands sweat a lot and I'm not diligent about wiping them down after I play. Probably every 3-4 months.

[electracoyote]

Ask Jamerson, he'd say never.

Ask a modern studio cat, he'd probably say every week or so.

It totally depends on your unique needs, tastes, and applications. When your strings start to sound "different," you must decide if it's a good thing or not.

I suppose, on a more practical level, when they no longer tune or intonate, you might be forced to switch them out. But some guys go decades without changing strings.

[4001]

Originally Posted by Edward G.

I change mine when it starts taking too much effort to get the sounds I'm looking for. Keeping your instrument clean and protected extends the life of strings. Without exception I wipe everything down after playing and before storing my bass, whether it's from a gig, rehearsal, or practice. It makes a big difference.

This is the answer.

[cjmodulus]

When I break a string I change the whole set. It's usually the G string that gets broken and it seems to happen every 4 to six months. And it's happened on several basses, which leads me to believe it's not a problem with the saddles. I probably pop more aggressively than I should. But still, I can get a pretty long life out of a set of strings.
FWIW I use D'addario nickels.

[JoZac21]

Personally, I like the sound of new, "zingy" strings and as my set starts to die (which is quickly, since I have acid hands that destroy strings) I find myself slowly boosting the treble on my preamp to compensate for the lost high end "zing", which works to an extent. I know a lot of players that love the sound of dead strings, personally, I'm not in that camp. To each his own.

[onosson]

Either when I break a string, or when I'm going into the studio with a set that's more than a year old. That's pretty much it. I used to play pretty heavy, and would break an E or A once every couple of months. Now it's more like once every 1-2 years, but I hit the studio more often than that, so about once a year maybe.