Round Wound Strings Lifespan Observation

[Modern Growl]

Throughout my 6 years of playing (mainly stainless and nickel round wounds) I have made this rather simple observation on the markets different strings life span, and why some last longer then others.

Simply put, smoother round wounds will last longer then rougher feeling round wounds.

The relatively smoother feeling rounds on the market, i.e. Dr HiBeams/SunBeam/FatBeams, TI Super Alloys, ect... all have the reputation for lasting a long time. The relatively rougher strings, i.e. Rotosounds have the reputation for dying quickly.

Smoother surface strings create less debris deposit in the windings from your fingers.
Rougher surface strings create more debris from fingers, thus deadening the string quicker.

A simple observation, that in most cases holds true. So if you want max string life, go with smoother feeling rounds. They will, in most cases last longer for you.

[Modern Growl]

has anyone else had such experience?

[Tbirdbassist]

My Highbeams last forever, usually around 3-4 months before I cahnge em. I alcohol my hand before I play and maybe every two weeks to a month I shake them in a jar of rubbing alcohol. Brightens them back up nicely.

[Fo' Shizzle]

I think that smoother roundwound strings are made by companies with higher standards than those that manufacture rougher strings.

DR and TI are among the "string elite" and charge accordingly. Their materials, workmanship, tolerances, and quality control are on a higher level than other manufacturers.


That's why they last longer..........

[4lPh4n0m3g4]

What do you man by string life? Retaining brightness? Being able to hold pitch?

My strings usually stay on my basses for years unless they break; ( at which point its is usually a year or 2 after I put them on.) and I havn't broken a single string since I stopped slapping

IME, Ernie Ball slinky's & GHS Boomers, have lasted just as long as my Ken Smiths & Dingwalls.

No cleaning other than a quick wipe of a string cloth.

[Modern Growl]

Originally Posted by Fo' Shizzle

I think that smoother roundwound strings are made by companies with higher standards than those that manufacture rougher strings.

DR and TI are among the "string elite" and charge accordingly. Their materials, workmanship, tolerances, and quality control are on a higher level than other manufacturers.


That's why they last longer..........

Not true. Just because a string isn't smooth feeling doesn't mean the company making the string has poor quality control or standards.
Example: DR's Low Riders are comparatively on the rougher side of the markets spectrum. Would you then consider DR to be a producer of low quality strings? Your previous post says no.

How a string feels/sounds is a direct result of what the manufacture had as a goal. Its a balancing act in sound vs. feel. I.E. Rotosound's Swing 66 sets have a world famous sound/tone. They are also one of the roughest strings on the market. In order for Rotosound to make them feel smoother, they would have to compromise that classic tone.
Again, its a balancing act.
It really just boils down to what the companies really wants in a strings. Smoother strings will be a bit more mellow sounding, rougher strings will have a bit more grit n' growl to them.

[Fo' Shizzle]

Originally Posted by Modern Growl

Not true. Just because a string isn't smooth feeling doesn't mean the company making the string has poor quality control or standards.
Example: DR's Low Riders are comparatively on the rougher side of the markets spectrum. Would you then consider DR to be a producer of low quality strings? Your previous post says no.

How a string feels/sounds is a direct result of what the manufacture had as a goal. Its a balancing act in sound vs. feel. I.E. Rotosound's Swing 66 sets have a world famous sound/tone. They are also one of the roughest strings on the market. In order for Rotosound to make them feel smoother, they would have to compromise that classic tone.
Again, its a balancing act.
It really just boils down to what the companies really wants in a strings. Smoother strings will be a bit more mellow sounding, rougher strings will have a bit more grit n' growl to them.

You brought up the strings I was thinking of when I posted.
Rotosound are world famous........ They were the first. And I love the sound of new Rotos...... I don't care for them when they're deader than Elvis a week later. They're also dirt cheap. Which was my original point.

As to Low Riders, I've never played them (probably the only DR's I've missed!!)

[cadduc]

the story i heard was that entwistle would change strings for every show

i have use rotosound exclusively since i got my first set back in 1969 (after i saw the who live for the first time at the fillmore, i wrote to rotosound and they sent me two sets for free, they did not have a u.s. distributor at the time)

through the years i used to break em at the bridge of my jazz bass pretty routinely, so i would change them then

and i found if i biamped my gear i could get the tone i wanted and needed out of one set for up to a year, if they lasted that long without breaking

now i just leave em on for years at a time
and i dont biamp my rig any more either
because i am old and lazy and most bands do not adapt well to the swing bass sound

[Modern Growl]

bump

[SGT. Pepper]

I get 4 months out of D'Addario Xl nickels!
I get 6 months out of DR's.
I could probably go even longer but I do enjoy buying strings and changing them. I got a set of Slinky's in the waiting. Im going to put them to the test.

[pickles]

Makes perfect sense, but the strings you mention are also designed to be growly, where lots of the rougher strings are designed to be crispy ... so they rely more on their initial brightness.

[j.a.e.r.i.p]

all rotosounds all the way

[xparis001]

I have a pickle jar full of denatured alcohol, and always have a set of either lo-rider nickels, or ernie ball slinky's in there. I have two basses, and I'll swap the strings on whichever one's going to the show with me with the strings that have been soaking in alcohol. doing this, they last for a few months before weirdness like kinks start happening and they start to not wrap quite so well.

I personally like new strings. usually 2 shows are the absolute max i can go before changing.