When to change strings

Diablo · #1 02-02-2002, 03:43 PM

How do you know when to change your strings

Diezel420 · #2 02-02-2002, 03:51 PM

When they don't sound good no more.

Diablo · #3 02-02-2002, 08:45 PM

Thanks for the advice

basswilli · #4 02-03-2002, 06:53 PM

it's nice to know that the people here are so helpful, with all of the "whatever sounds right" and "do what you wanna do" it is amazing that everybody can walk away from these threads with a satisfied feeling.

SuperDuck · #5 02-03-2002, 11:55 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by basswilli
it's nice to know that the people here are so helpful, with all of the "whatever sounds right" and "do what you wanna do" it is amazing that everybody can walk away from these threads with a satisfied feeling.

What would you like to hear? "Well, for Rotosounds' only last for 3 weeks and 2 days, while Fender Flats will last for 6 weeks 4 days and two hours."

As the strings age, they lose their treble response. That is, all the high end will go away, gradually. It's up to YOU to decide when you want to change them. It could last from one to four weeks, to longer. Some studio players change their strings every day.

**Hategear** · #6 02-04-2002, 12:10 AM

When I was gigging, I changed mine every three months or so. I use stainless steel strings and I kind of like the sharpness of new strings. Also, I thought the chance of breaking year-old strings was greater than breaking two-month-old ones.
Knowuddamean?

ldiezman · #7 02-04-2002, 03:00 PM

I usually change my strings when they start to show alot of wear.. disscoloration and what not. I guess about 2 or 3 months is how long I keep my strings on.. but I do keep them after I have changed them.. just in case I break one or something.. ya know

LiquidMidnight · #8 02-04-2002, 04:08 PM

I also keep an old set of strings when I change them. I've never broke a string, but better safe than sorry. I would like to change my strings every 3 months, but fundage problems sometimes make them stay on for 6 or 7 months.

macool · #9 02-04-2002, 04:17 PM

I usually replace mine every couple months or so unless I break one. Which I have broken a B string before. actually I've broken every string except a G string. That's pretty funny now that I think of it.

bizzaro · #10 02-07-2002, 09:27 PM

Yea, I broke a B string once also. I was using it to pull a car out of a ditch. I doubled it up and it yanked it right out.

macool · #11 02-08-2002, 05:06 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by bizzaro
Yea, I broke a B string once also. I was using it to pull a car out of a ditch. I doubled it up and it yanked it right out.

Good point

It was during practice and I was slapping pretty hard and it just popped right off. Gave me a pretty good whack in the arm and left a bruise too. I have since changed me technique a tad so as not to slap my bass to pieces.

bizzaro · #12 02-08-2002, 06:53 AM

Macool. Glad you have a sense of humor and weren't offended. Did you use to use iron gloves to slap??

Oh! Diablo. Changing strings. Their is no standard. Everyone wears them out differently and has different desires in as far as tone etc. Each different brand of string has its own endurance etc., etc. The variables are endless.This is why you got sarcastic remarks to the question. It is so arbitrary. With experience you will know when you want to change them.

ChaosGwar · #13 02-11-2002, 11:00 AM

I actually like the way old strings sound. I hate the sound of new strings... it grates my nerves. I still have the strings from my Squier P I bought five years ago. They are not currently on the bass, and only around for back ups. But the ones currently on my Squier are somewhere areound three years old. Granted, the bass kinda sat and did nothing for several months at a time up until about 4 months ago. The strings, old as they may be, still give me the tone I like. I change strings about every two or two and a half years.

downstairs · #14 02-11-2002, 02:03 PM

change strings only when they rust

nah, just change strings when they stop going ping when you pop them, unless you have flats, then really change them when they rust, or when you break a string, or when you hate the strings.

FunkThumb · #15 02-11-2002, 02:21 PM

i change strings whenever i run into the local shop complaining about a lack of sustain and "punch", and proclaiming that i demand a new bridge, it's about this time that the tech says "when was the last time you changed your strings?"

Mike88T · #16 02-11-2002, 02:26 PM

I just changed my strings last month, as far as I could tell they were factory Fenders that came on the Bass, 95 MIM. Granted I have only owned the Bass for three years and been playing it regularly for about a year , but nobody who played it mentioned that it sounded flat. The DR Lo Riders I put on made it sing though, and even though I kept the old strings I would not use them, as a spare cause the difference is quite noticeable.

red-hot-bassist · #17 02-14-2002, 03:34 AM

i played with the factory setting strings for almos 1 year,
i thought the bass sounded good, i just changed no so long ago to a set of standard gaugae elites, they are very high, sortof metallic, nice for picking and slapping, i dont really know about stirngs but my bass dosent sound to bad,
i say, change them when you have monye to buy new ones and fancy trying a new brand