Reduce new string "clangyness"

[waytoodeep03]

Im not to fond of brand new strings as they sound too clangy and zingy. I prefer the more broken in sound as this is when they sound thick and full.

Is there anything I can do to speed this process up or better yet get strings broken in instantly?

[Rockingbird]

Boil them, I guess?

[M0ses]

Buy flatwounds.

[waytoodeep03]

Originally Posted by M0ses

Buy flatwounds.

Dont those sound dead or at most muffled?

[levis76]

Play the @#$% out of 'em after you put them on. I had this same problem so I switched from DR strings, which are amazing in that they keep that new string zing for so long, to GHS Boomers. The Boomers deaden fairly quickly and sound great for a long time.

[natw42]

Originally Posted by waytoodeep03

Dont those sound dead or at most muffled?

no. If you don't like clang, you probably don't want rounds.

[M0ses]

Originally Posted by waytoodeep03

Dont those sound dead or at most muffled?

No, they sound thumpy without any clank. And they last forever.

[B String]

Originally Posted by waytoodeep03

Im not to fond of brand new strings as they sound too clangy and zingy. I prefer the more broken in sound as this is when they sound thick and full.

Is there anything I can do to speed this process up or better yet get strings broken in instantly?

Well, if you're serious about this, I have a solution. Its the exact opposite of boiling strings, which brings them back to life for a while.

Put a little (very little) petroleum jelly on your finger tips and wipe the petroleum jelly on the strings. Then wipe the strings with a cloth. This is VERY effective so its important not to over do the jelly or you'll be boiling your new strings just to get them back to life. I've done this for many years if I need to have a broken in sound for a session or certain music where the new string sound isn't appropriate.

Again... Start with just a VERY small amount, and spread it evenly on the strings, then wipe down the strings and finger board.

[levis76]

Originally Posted by natw42

no. If you don't like clang, you probably don't want rounds.

That's not true, I don't like excessive clang, but I like the feel and sound of a nice used set of rounds.

Oh, and never boil them. That actually cleans all the grease and grime (bits of you, yum) out of the strings and restores some of the zing to them for a very short time.

I saw in another post you were looking for advice for an A string. Are you playing drop A? If so, you can increase the tension on the A by making the other strings thinner too. I did this for awhile and it worked great. I had a .130 A but the E was .095, A at .75, and D at .60, a customized set of DR Hi Beams that I had worked in nicely. Great feel and tone and the drop A wasn't floppy but had a good feel to it.

[mmbongo]

Dunlop strings sound broken in from the start.

[darkstorm]

When I was useing Dean markley blue steels Id spend about 20-30 minutes at a time just playing them heavy for a couple days. Just to get that extra brand new really really trebly top off them. Today Id just more lower the preamps treble control for similiar effect to broken in sound. Lol.

[dave64o]

I'd also suggest trying flats. Some are very deep and thuddy and others have a brighter character that's fuller than your average flats and with better articulation but without the zinginess of rounds.

If you want that brighter sounding tone, I've tried both TI Jazz Flats and D'Addario Chromes and loved the sound of both. I ended up putting Chromes on three of my four basses because I like the feel as well as the tone. They're a higher tension string than the TIs and I prefer that. However, the TIs DO sound fantastic.

[Chrisk-K]

Wax them.

[Rocks]

+1 on the D'Addario Chromes. They are bright and still thump very well. They also feel great and get even better sounding as they age.