16 years old strings

[Roger2]

Dont play old strings they will age you.

My 10 year old strings make me look 10 years older than when I bought them.

If you like the dead sound then go with it....if you want to sound like a piano then replace them.

 

[Geri O]

If you like the dead sound then go with it....if you want to sound like a piano then replace them.

 

[Sixgunn]

What do you mean by "the tone will die off"?

It means if they're flats, they'll sound like worn out rubber bands instead of new rubber bands

 

[FranF]

The VC Squier factory flats on my 44 year-old '74 Precision are, um, 44 years old. Still play in tune, still make harmonics, play and sound fabulous.

 

[GTHintz]

Dude, 1st if your church has a Ric for you guys that's freaking awesome!!! Second, who the hell let it just sit there so long that the strings rusted? That beauty needs to be played and enjoyed and thank god someone put strings on it and its getting enjoyed!!! Rock on guys!

 

[Michael Schreiber]

What do you mean by "the tone will die off"?

As pointed out before, new strings tend to sound crisp and bright, at the beginning.
Usually, after a while they settle in; sound less bright and crisp - it's a matter of taste what's the intended string sound;
A: strings XYZ sound good after the break-in phase;
B: strings XYZ only sound good from the start - until they change.
C: don't care

In case of A, the break-in period is the time you may want to play with the tone knob; to take away the excess brightness.
In case of B, and since the break-in phase is usually only a fraction of a string's lifecycle, buying new strings regularly is not within everyone's budget. So, if one likes/needs the brighter sound, it may be worth trying nanocoated strings, such as Elixir roundwounds which indeed keep their brightness long; I am using mine since last year's summer, and comparing the practice recordings, they still sound the same. Though, my Rotosound still sound the same since maybe the 70s - and hopefully much longer

Just saying, it depends what you want / need.

 

[deste]

I bought my Danelectro Longhorn MIK in 1999. I didn't play it too much, I admit, but the original roundwounds are still on, and I still like the sound, 18 years later.

 

[Wasnex]

My strings were never changed since 2002. Does very old strings can affect the sound, playing, or create unwanted noises compared to new strings?

What is the average lifetime of strings? And what is the sign that tell you to change them?

A few months back I changed the strings on a bass I bought around 1996. No idea how long the strings were on the bass before I got it. I have used the bass for daily practice and 15 or so gigs, and there was no indication that I couldn't have continued to use the strings for several more years. I mainly changed them because I wanted to try a non-tapered B string. Obviously the new strings were brighter when I first put them on, but after a couple of months playing they sound almost as dead as the old strings. So the answer depends upon the sound you want. New strings sound drastically different than old strings, but not typically for long. Some sets last for a matter of hours, others last for a week or two at most. The only time they absolutely have to be changed is when they break, won't tune/intonate properly, or if they are damaging the frets or making weird noises. YMMV

 

[74hc]

I measure the length of time for strings on my bass in years, not weeks or months. The only strings I felt the need to change frequently is the Dunlop super brights. Dunlop does not ship free cases of those to my house, but instead I have to pay for them to give free strings to others. So I switched to GHS. A brand I know I'll get a couple of years out of.

 

[GrapeBass]

if they sound good to you then don't worry about it... keep 'em clean and get on with your life.

If you do decide to change 'em you will inevitably be greatly surprised or sorely disappointed with your new strings.

Personally, I leave strings on my basses but do change 'em when I get some work done (like a new bridge).

 

[eddie16]

Dude, 1st if your church has a Ric for you guys that's freaking awesome!!! Second, who the hell let it just sit there so long that the strings rusted? That beauty needs to be played and enjoyed and thank god someone put strings on it and its getting enjoyed!!! Rock on guys!

Yeah, a guy moved away and donated it to the church. After the new strings and a quick truss rod adjustment, I may have to find a reason to play it myself.

 

[MrLenny1]

Yes, to all the questions.

 

[Hounddog409]

I will assume, and since you didn't say, that your strings are flatwounds?

If they are, you might never have to change them.

James Jamerson NEVER changed his strings, unless, "one of them broke"- In his own words.

Now if they are roundwounds, I think we need to have an intervention with you...

I change my rounds once a year at most. not sure twhat the big deal is

 

[justdroppedin]

My strings were never changed since 2002. Does very old strings can affect the sound, playing, or create unwanted noises compared to new strings?

What is the average lifetime of strings? And what is the sign that tell you to change them?

I've had my bass since 7th grade. I had the same strings for years and when I had them finally changed, I found it had affected my playing, especially the slides.

 

[dindinbre]

New roundwound strings (dont know about flatwounds, they are hard to find here and if you do they are expensive) have that "ding ding" sound for like 7 days and then they start dying slowly. I change strings when I need to eq more than usual to get sound I want, once in 8-10 months. Rotosound 45s, they sound cool.

 

[saltydude]

It’s as if this thread has become a “Oh yeah? well I’ve had my strings on for 60 years.”
Great, fantastic you’ve proved they still work and play. I just find it fascinating that people don’t for once just sit down and say to themselves “hey it’s been 50 years now since these strings have been on. String technology and materials have come leaps and bounds in the past few decades. I wonder what a different set would sound like? Or perhaps I’ll get a really nice tone I never thought was possible on this instrument. I think I can spare $25 to find out.”
I mean don’t people ever ponder this?

 

[gln1955]

16 years old...pffft...I have socks older than that.

 

[Wasnex]

Great, fantastic you’ve proved they still work and play. I just find it fascinating that people don’t for once just sit down and say to themselves “hey it’s been 50 years now since these strings have been on. String technology and materials have come leaps and bounds in the past few decades. I wonder what a different set would sound like? Or perhaps I’ll get a really nice tone I never thought was possible on this instrument. I think I can spare $25 to find out.”
I mean don’t people ever ponder this?

It's exactly why I changed mine. Sadly no happy surprise. It did exactly what I expected and nothing more/nothing less. It would be more interesting if I could roll a bunch of different strings...like rolling tubes in an amp. But that could quickly get expensive and all of the associated setup changes make string rolling a bit impractical.

 

[saltydude]

It's exactly why I changed mine. Sadly no happy surprise. It did exactly what I expected and nothing more/nothing less. It would be more interesting if I could roll a bunch of different strings...like rolling tubes in an amp. But that could quickly get expensive and all of the associated setup changes make string rolling a bit impractical.

Well at least you put your inquisitions to rest, for if you didn’t you’d never of known.

 

[Hand slap]

My strings were never changed since 2002. Does very old strings can affect the sound, playing, or create unwanted noises compared to new strings?

What is the average lifetime of strings? And what is the sign that tell you to change them?

You fine, they should be good for another 5-10years easy!