Life of strings and keeping them sounding lively

[Allen_VA]

I love the sound of new strings, but it seems I only get a few hours of play time on them before they start going dull and losing that bright metallic sound. I've used quality strings and cheap strings with no major differences.

I feel my fingers perspire a lot and are kinda slick most of the time. What is the average life of your strings?

Anyone have a good way to keep them sounding fresh and lively? Isopropyl alcohol? Other?

Thanks!

[Ampeg SVT]

I love the new string sound and I love it with a pick, sadly I have the same problem. So now I use coated elixers and I play fingerstyle to avoid ruining the coating.

Some people have suggested to drink a lot of water to keep Ph levels low, I wash my hands every time before I play uncoated strings and it seems to work a bit.

[doktorfeelgood]

I don't sweat a lot anymore but I do have a lot of nose oil on the side of my nose (yeah yeah...I know....weird; long story) which I rub my fingertips on to make my fingers slide. Between sets I always wipe down my strings with a clean cotton handkerchief that I keep on top of my amp and when I get home I usually spray some lighter fluid (naptha) on a clean cloth and wipe the strimgs down. Seems to work for me but doesn't really seem to extend the life of the strings. I live on the East Coast very near the ocean and the salt air is what accelerates the death of my strings. I feel lucky if I get 3 months out of a set of D'Addario XL 170's which is what I use exclusively....fingerstyle. )-(

[unclejane]

Originally Posted by Allen_VA

I love the sound of new strings, but it seems I only get a few hours of play time on them before they start going dull and losing that bright metallic sound. I've used quality strings and cheap strings with no major differences.

I feel my fingers perspire a lot and are kinda slick most of the time. What is the average life of your strings?

Anyone have a good way to keep them sounding fresh and lively? Isopropyl alcohol? Other?

Thanks!

Try the d'addario EXL rounds in a light guage. Those things are bright forever, I never could get mine to calm down completely (which is why I replaced em with flats).

Also, boil new strings before putting them on (about 15 minutes), that'll extend the brightness out to a couple of days rather than a few hours.

Sometimes, boiling strings that have already died will revive some of the brightness

Otherwise, the only way is a higher paying job so you can buy new strings by the box!

LS

[dmusic148]

Not for nothing, but strings go 'dead' quickly on some basses. I have a maple/ebony neck through Pedulla. Should be bright, right? Brand new strings lose the edge in one gig, and are 'dead' after two. Dead. They sound like rubber bands. But if I take them off and put them on my Fender, they sound almost brand new again, and stay that way for weeks. And it's not the electronics in the Pedulla-you can hear the 'deadness' unplugged just fine. Weird but true.

[3506string]

I am going through the same thing right now. I going to going to get two new pairs strings and start a weekly or bi-monthly rotation with denatured alcohol baths. I already constructed a pvc cleaning tube for around $20. I would like to have a performance bass and a practice bass but I dont want to fork over the dough right now so this will have to do.

[Spencer!]

I usually get about two weeks of good tone out of a set of Fat Beams.

I tried boiling my strings for the first time last week and the results are amazing - The strings sound like they are a day or two old, exactly how I like them.

Bass strings don't come cheap, so boiling should save me quite a bit of money.

[philzone53]

Here's what I used to do:

1. Wash hands before each set....or at least try to
2. Wipe down strings with soft cloth & rubbing alcohol
3. Boil strings after about a week's worth of playing.

I used to use Rotosound RS-66's (still do on my fretless) and this worked, but I got really tired of the routine.

Now I use Elixirs; specifically medium-light nanoweb coated ones. While they are not nearly as bright as, say DR's, when you first put 'em on, but they are consistent for months at a time. They have given me spectacular results particularly in the studio. Now I just wash my hands before the 1st set and I'm good to go, and the strings last up to 3-4 months depending on how much I play.

[TwistedBass]

Definitely wash your hands before playing. Keep it in the case just to cut down on the crap in the air getting on it. I also use the Dunlop String cleaner. Seems to work, I haven't tried the boiling thing yet.

[NoFrets4Me]

Originally Posted by philzone53

Here's what I used to do:
Now I use Elixirs; specifically medium-light nanoweb coated ones. While they are not nearly as bright as, say DR's, when you first put 'em on, but they are consistent for months at a time. They have given me spectacular results particularly in the studio. Now I just wash my hands before the 1st set and I'm good to go, and the strings last up to 3-4 months depending on how much I play.

I'm also a big fan of Elixirs - been using them for years. As others have mentioned, they are not quite as bright out of the box, but they sure hold their tone for a long time.

[tom rogers]

Boiling strings wow that wrecks strings, I have tried all the string cleaning products, I dont like the lomon oil ones they seem to wreck the strings as well. I have been using stringtreat for a few years it seems to be the best. And quit using salt on food.