old strings - muddy tone?

dadodetres · #1 01-23-2006, 01:51 PM

hi!

i was wondering, when strings go OLD, do they lose low end?

cause i removed my 0.40 form my lakland and installed 0.45, some weeks latter i changed back for the old 0.40`s and not only they sounded a LOT LESS bright, but also now im noticing that the low end is not tight but VERY muddy. I also done some setup to my bass, but i want to know if the problem might be the old strings.....

thanks for any input!

Tony G · #2 01-23-2006, 01:52 PM

I don't know about most people here, but I never put old strings back on after they have been played and taken off. I consider them garbage at that point. Old strings suck. Get some new ones and you should be good again.

dadodetres · #3 01-23-2006, 01:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by xgabriel

I don't know about most people here, but I never put old strings back on after they have been played and taken off. I consider them garbage at that point. Old strings suck. Get some new ones and you should be good again.

the thing is that im not in a band right now, nor have any plan of giging or recording soon, at least for a couple of months. Then ill put some new strings. Unless this is the problem im facing.

Tony G · #4 01-23-2006, 02:24 PM

a good new set of fresh strings will make your bass sing. My point was that once you put a set on your bass, play them for a while, then take them off, they are no longer going to sound good on your bass if you put them back on. They start to corrode, their tension is all thrown off by being tight then relaxed. They really are just garbage. If you are looking for a string that will last a really long time and still sound good, I recommend the dean markley Blue steels. they seem to last forever.

ganga · #5 01-23-2006, 03:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by xgabriel

I don't know about most people here, but I never put old strings back on after they have been played and taken off. I consider them garbage at that point. Old strings suck. Get some new ones and you should be good again.

Strings for Madagascar

Others don't.

BurningSkies · #6 01-23-2006, 05:11 PM

Read the denatured alcohol thread...

...and yes, you do lose both high end and good low end with old strings. They get muddy and undefined because of all the oil, grime and skin muck that sits between the windings. They also lose some of their liveliness and definition due to metal fatigue, as the metal has been stretched under tension for a long period of time and loses its elasticity.

HELLonWheels187 · #7 01-23-2006, 05:14 PM

i personnaly hate the sound of new new strings to me it sound best the next week once they are broken in a bit.

Tony G · #8 01-23-2006, 05:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ganga

Strings for Madagascar

Others don't.

Thats cool. I would send my old bass strings if it wasn't for the fact that they want them shipped over seas.... Its not worth the postage for one or two sets. But if someone was to get a whole box together, then maybe.

However, I still consider them garbage.

nad · #9 01-23-2006, 07:52 PM

I hate the sound of new strings. Just thought I'd toss that out there.

ghostintheruins · #10 01-24-2006, 03:33 PM

I hate playing with dead strings. It sounds like I have a huge pillow on my strings and it just feels and smells nasty. Ick.

Philbiker · #11 01-24-2006, 05:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dadodetres

hi!

i was wondering, when strings go OLD, do they lose low end?

cause i removed my 0.40 form my lakland and installed 0.45, some weeks latter i changed back for the old 0.40`s and not only they sounded a LOT LESS bright, but also now im noticing that the low end is not tight but VERY muddy. I also done some setup to my bass, but i want to know if the problem might be the old strings.....

thanks for any input!

No. Old strings sound best, I measure string longevity in years, sometimes decades on my basses. Just wash your hands before playing and they can last a long, long time.

bgavin · #12 01-25-2006, 08:37 AM

I have a really old set of TI Flats (circa 2000). They were on my P bass since new, and recently moved to my J fretless.

I recorded them when new, then again before moving them off the P-bass. What I notice the most is a decided lack of sustain, and a ka-chink "woody" sound.

It is looking like ancient TI Flats on a fretless P might be awfully close to emulating an upright bass.

dougjwray · #13 01-25-2006, 09:10 AM

In 1996 I put a set of GHS Precision Flatwounds on my Univox '70s P-Bass copy, and they're really starting to sound good now!
But-- an important point: Roundwounds suck when they've been on for a long time.

canopener · #14 01-25-2006, 12:15 PM

I've got set of Chromes, Fender Flats, and LaBella DTF that get a rotation every few months.

R.Lee · #15 01-25-2006, 01:16 PM

I always thought the closest to Double bass I could come was an ancient set of tape wounds and a P fretless.

As for old strings one of my basses has the strings from the 80's on it still.

If they don't break I don't replace them.

Kilian. · #16 01-25-2006, 02:23 PM

I had this set of TI superalloys on for 5 months and they started to sound dead and then I really liked them. But too bad the D string had a slight bow in it, so I needed to change strings.

stedtale · #17 01-25-2006, 02:27 PM

I like the sound of slightly old strings, but my frets end up eating grooves in them then I have to get new ones. But on my fretless I've had the same stings for 10 years now.

dadodetres · #18 01-25-2006, 03:10 PM

following your advice i put a new set uf GHS 0.40`s.

helped but very little in the low end. a lot in the brightness

Alex · #19 01-25-2006, 03:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nad

I hate the sound of new strings. Just thought I'd toss that out there.

Yeah, me too. Waaay too metallic and bright. Flats aren't like that though; good right out of the box.

chalie · #20 01-25-2006, 07:59 PM

Since many of you guys talking about the life of the strings.

I wonder if there is an instruction how to best taken care of strings once they are strung to maintain their best quality.

There suppose to be 2 different situation.
-one that you use daily and ...
-one that you stored for months

Thanks,
Chalie