I'm starting to get a bit sick of D'addario strings

[Profania_bass]

I use the EXL 160-5 sets. I looove the sound of them when i first put them on, but that brightness doesn't last very long. Am i expecting too much out of a set of strings, or are there others that can give me the brightness for a longer time? It's a bit much having to change them every two months (seriously) OR am I doing something wrong? Cheers guys :-)

[madbassplaya]

Different strings respond to different people, differently. What I mean by this is body chemistry plays a factor, IMO. Getting 2-3 months out of a set of nickel round wounds makes sense to me as that's about how long they last me. For me, nickel seems to die pretty fast. Washing and drying your hands before you play will help.


You could try a different string with tighter windings to see if that helps.

DR Strings
Dean Markely Helix Strings
If you love the tone of the D'Addarios you may not wanna switch brands, so you could buy something to clean them after you play:
String Cleaners

[Profania_bass]

Yeah i wash before n after. Especially live. But as you say a couple of months for nickel wound is about right, which strings are tighter. Maybe DRs or Dunlops? Also would trying some steel wounds help? :-). Thanks.

[SoVeryTired]

Originally Posted by Profania_bass

Yeah i wash before n after. Especially live. But as you say a couple of months for nickel wound is about right, which strings are tighter. Maybe DRs or Dunlops? Also would trying some steel wounds help? :-). Thanks.

I've not had steels long enough to answer properly, but I've heard that they don't go as dead as nickels, or at least not as quick. They definitley start a lot brighter, which I like.

[madbassplaya]

Originally Posted by Profania_bass

Yeah i wash before n after. Especially live. But as you say a couple of months for nickel wound is about right, which strings are tighter. Maybe DRs or Dunlops? Also would trying some steel wounds help? :-). Thanks.

Again, these are my opinions and experiences, so they may not work for you.

I have found D'Addario strings to be "tight" feeling on some basses, I have one here now and very "loose" feeling on others. I don't know why because they've always been set up.

DR Low Riders will have a good amount of tension because they are a hex core string.
DR Sunbeams/Highbeams will have less tension because they are round core.

Dunlops are also hex core but I would say they're a medium tension. They are somewhere between the Sunbeams and Low Riders to me.

I've had success with DR Low Riders (Nickel and Steel) and Dunlops (I've only tried the nickel).

I am about to switch to steels myself. Steels are much brighter at first but they do seem to have a longer "settle in" period than nickel does. Nickel strings have a pretty short life to me. So I wanna give steels a try.

[madbassplaya]

I see you're in Norway?

Do you guys have a pretty good selection over there or do you have to order online?

[Mr_Music90]

Originally Posted by Profania_bass

Yeah i wash before n after. Especially live. But as you say a couple of months for nickel wound is about right, which strings are tighter. Maybe DRs or Dunlops? Also would trying some steel wounds help? :-). Thanks.

Maybe some Fodera Compressed Wounded strings?

[smogg]

Two months for D'addario nickels is pretty much on par. I use nanoweb Elixirs (nickel) they last quite a bit longer than uncoated nickels. Also, there is a recent thread about the new SS Elixirs. Might not hurt to check them out.

[madbassplaya]

Originally Posted by Mr_Music90

Maybe some Fodera Compressed Wounded strings?

Yea, I forgot Fodera used compressed windings.

[gottliver]

do you wipe them down?
i wash my hands b4 i play. when i'm done, i take a clean cloth and rub the strings down. then I slide a corner under the string, grab it and slide the cloth from bridge to nut and back of each string a few times effectively wiping down the back and sides of the strings. this way i make sure that i get as much oil, dirt and grime off as possible. once I've done each string i slide the cloth under all strings and wipe the board/frets down.
takes less than a minute and my strings last forever.
if I don't do this, their dead in a week. regardless of steel, nickel, 80/20, nylon, flats....

[Mr_Music90]

Originally Posted by madbassplaya

Yea, I forgot Fodera used compressed windings.

Maybe some Stainless Steels would be nice for him?

[Profania_bass]

Yeah i'm in Norway, we have o good selection, but some I'm gonna have to order online. D'addarios and Ernie Ball are most popular here, it's sometimes hard to get anything else. For instance i can't find any elixirs for bass and the only dunlops available are the trujillo signatures (which i tried and hated).

So i'll give some steel wounds and DR lowriders. I like a good amount of tension. I've backed off on the heavy hitting with my fingers, so high tension is better for me. I guess i'll have to order these from the usa or something.

I didnt even know Fodera made strings. I'll try them :-)

And yeah, I clean my strings too :-)

[madbassplaya]

Originally Posted by Profania_bass

Yeah i'm in Norway, we have o good selection, but some I'm gonna have to order online. D'addarios and Ernie Ball are most popular here, it's sometimes hard to get anything else. For instance i can't find any elixirs for bass and the only dunlops available are the trujillo signatures (which i tried and hated).

So i'll give some steel wounds and DR lowriders. I like a good amount of tension. I've backed off on the heavy hitting with my fingers, so high tension is better for me. I guess i'll have to order these from the usa or something.

I didnt even know Fodera made strings. I'll try them :-)

And yeah, I clean my strings too :-)

Sign up as a VIP here by mentioning you're a tb member:
http://www.bassstringsonline.com/

Email Jason and he will do you right, man. Solid guy and a great business!

[SoVeryTired]

Originally Posted by Profania_bass

Yeah i'm in Norway, we have o good selection, but some I'm gonna have to order online. D'addarios and Ernie Ball are most popular here, it's sometimes hard to get anything else. For instance i can't find any elixirs for bass and the only dunlops available are the trujillo signatures (which i tried and hated).

So i'll give some steel wounds and DR lowriders. I like a good amount of tension. I've backed off on the heavy hitting with my fingers, so high tension is better for me. I guess i'll have to order these from the usa or something.

I didnt even know Fodera made strings. I'll try them :-)

And yeah, I clean my strings too :-)

You'll probably find that with some US-made strings, e.g. DR, bassstringsonline.com is cheaper than buying local, even with shipping costs.

[SoVeryTired]

Originally Posted by madbassplaya

Sign up as a VIP here by mentioning you're a tb member:
http://www.bassstringsonline.com/

Email Jason and he will do you right, man. Solid guy and a great business!

Beat me to it! I need to plan my string purchases further in advance so I'm not left to buy at UK prices.

[Profania_bass]

Thanks for the link! I just hope it comes under the toll limit, or i'll be charged import tax. I think it's around $40 ish. I'll give it a go though :-)

[mmbongo]

I think 2-3 months out of a set is totally fine, especially considering they are like $12 at Bass Strings Online. Just stock up to save on shipping!

[JimmyM]

I get about 5-6 shows out of a new set of XL's, at least I did when i was using rounds. Anthony Jackson gets about 2 hours out of a set of whatever he uses. We're all different. But if you get 2 months out of a set, you're doing good.

[PBnJBassist]

^ Yeah, what Jimmy said. 2 months is pretty darn good. My rounds last 2 weeks, but then I get really lazy and max out mids and boost up the treble to make up for dead rounds. It sounds horrible, but I like it.

[christoph h.]

I WISH I would get 2 months out of a string set...