45 year old strings!!

[Tim Skaggs]

In a recent Bass Player segment, Phil Chen said the LaBella strings on his P-bass he used to record Jeff Beck's 1975 album "Blow By Blow" are 45 years old and still going strong. I have a Carvin 5 string with active electronics, a Gibson T-Bird with some kind of stainless steel roundwounds, a '62 Jazz parts bass (reissue parts) w/rounds, a Peavey Foundation "S" w/rounds, a MIJ Mustang w'flats, a Carvin 5 fretless w/half rounds, I even have a 1952 Kay M-1 upright, but I don't have ANYTHING CLOSE to as cool as a '63 P-bass with 45 year old flats.

That must be one of the coolest basses of in existence.

 

[ashtray9]

I'd love to give it a spin. I'm guessing the fingerboard is super grimy though... that's kind of off-putting.

 

[RickenBoogie]

There's another thread close by, and apparently, Mr Chen responded personally. How cool is that?

 

[Mr. Mig]

45 year old strings? Wow!!!! I wonder if he does a James Jamerson and boils the strings in vinegar to clean them and clean down the bass while they boil?

 

[One Drop]

45 year old strings? Wow!!!! I wonder if he does a James Jamerson and boils the strings in vinegar to clean them and clean down the bass while they boil?

Qué?

I've never heard about JJ cleaning his strings. He never even cleaned his fretboards and he used to say the dirt kept the funk in!

 

[LilRay]

Qué?

I've never heard about JJ cleaning his strings. He never even cleaned his fretboards and he used to say the dirt kept the funk in!

A big +1 ?


BTW Rick, Chen posted on TB? Got a link?


God Bless, Ray

 

[wyleeboxer]

How does the metal keep from getting completely worn down after 45 years of plucking? I had big flats on my Azola electric stand up and after 2-3 years of playing they were like dental floss! But either way Phil is one of favorite players

 

[Thuddy Waters]

In a recent Bass Player segment, Phil Chen said the LaBella strings on his P-bass he used to record Jeff Beck's 1975 album "Blow By Blow" are 45 years old and still going strong. I have a Carvin 5 string with active electronics, a Gibson T-Bird with some kind of stainless steel roundwounds, a '62 Jazz parts bass (reissue parts) w/rounds, a Peavey Foundation "S" w/rounds, a MIJ Mustang w'flats, a Carvin 5 fretless w/half rounds, I even have a 1952 Kay M-1 upright, but I don't have ANYTHING CLOSE to as cool as a '63 P-bass with 45 year old flats.

That must be one of the coolest basses of in existence.

That's pretty impressive but when I hear about a bass having strings on it for many years, I always wonder how much that bass actually gets played. I'm willing to bet that bass is not Phil Chen's main playing/gigging bass. So the question that comes to mind is, how many hours of playing time do those strings have on them?

 

[spiritbass]

My uncle bought a precision bass with flats in 1963 because he could not take his upright with him to serve in the army. It never has gotten played much and I think it still has the original strings.

 

[AndreasR]

45 year old strings? Wow!!!! I wonder if he does a James Jamerson and boils the strings in vinegar to clean them and clean down the bass while they boil?

JJ never cleaned his strings.

But more importantly don't expose strings to vinegar unless you want them to oxidize.

 

[heynorm]

I bought this new 1965 Vox Cougar while in high school. Original flatwounds give a nice woody thud. Not much of a player anymore, but was rehabbed a few years back for some extended life. I've also had that strap since the 60's.

 

[southpaw723]

Question for those of you who have old strings: do you guys clean them? How often if you do? I've had a pair of flats on my bass for a year and a half and the only thing I've done was wipe em down with a cloth, the cloth was soooo dirty afterwards.

 

[hotbass57]

Question for those of you who have old strings: do you guys clean them? How often if you do? I've had a pair of flats on my bass for a year and a half and the only thing I've done was wipe em down with a cloth, the cloth was soooo dirty afterwards.

I use GHS fast fret on my TI flats. Mainly for playing purposes, easier on the fingers. It does clean them off. I apply for every new set in a 4 set nite and after I'm done for the evening. I use a rag to wipe off strings then apply FF and lightly wipe.

 

[40Hz]

Question for those of you who have old strings: do you guys clean them? How often if you do? I've had a pair of flats on my bass for a year and a half and the only thing I've done was wipe em down with a cloth, the cloth was soooo dirty afterwards.

I generally give my hands a quick wash before I play, and I wipe things down when I'm done playing. So it never really gets that grungy on me.

I'll periodically hit my flats with with either some FastFret or Dunlop Ultraglide 65 string conditioner. I don't need the lubricant per se. But the strings hold up a lot better with a little protection from the environment. And I tend to only replace flats when I need to. (I dread the break-in period for a new set.)

For rounds it's not so much a concern because I replace those a lot more frequently.

 

[DavyR]

I may have yinz beat? I found a 1966 Harmony H22 several years ago in a small town about 1 hour from here. It looks to have its original strings. If so, 50 year old strings. They still sound reasonable. I'm afraid to take them off! Ha!