Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
Join free Log in
Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.
wmhill
Inactive
- Aug 20, 2012
- 4,054
- 17,209
- Disclosures
- MTD basses endorsed artist Bartolini pickups emerging artist TECAMP bass players gear endorsed
usually I get about 15 gigs out of my strings (D'addario pro steels)- less if playing outdoors in the evenings.
(and you just know the mixed driver police are gonna kick the door in soon, if they haven't already
)
(and you just know the mixed driver police are gonna kick the door in soon, if they haven't already
)It d-pends!
9 years.
Roundwound ROUND CORE stainless steel, was it on my main axxe recently. First choice workhorse bass. Daily played for at least 2 hours. I thought it started to sound stiff, and a lot of false harmonics, odd overtones, and intonation had gone south really bad, then I thought "Oh dear, time flies, is it really...what !?!? nine years". BUT in the meantime I've ULTRASONIC CLEANED them each quarter a year. 4 times a year. Yes it's double ball end strings for headless.
On my other basses, which has Roundwound NICKEL on Hex core, it's once they become too out of tune or intonation gone south. Whenever that is. I e the dents and marks from the frets are making the gauge uneven. Whenever they need to be change I'll change. If it's one day, or nine years. Can be anything in between. I e when I HEAR and just HEAR that they are starting to go south and none of the cooking, boiling, cleaning, microwave, or ultrasonic cleaning will help. It's a lot of variation in time. If I still hear them right, and in tune, and intonates as if they were brand new, including "zzzing" I find no reason to change, other than if a string breaks.
Of course, the Stainless Steel, on Round Cores from NEWTONE lasts the longest. No coating, or any kind of scheiss at all!
Of course, Nickel, on Hex Core from Ernie Ball lasts the shortest. Way shorter than any other brand I've tried. They have no longevity at all. Sounds great for half a week, and better than most, but then dies a thousands of deaths, and can't be brought back to life, with any boiling or cleaning. Maybe they've changed their recipe by now, but once bitten...
The shortest amount of time I had strings on was those Ernie Balls. A week. Totally fell in love with immediately, but after a week, I hated them when they started to go south, and then I swapped. Cost me a bundle, and thought "never again". Longest time any string been on my bass is 9 years, from Newtone. I do think it has to do with that they're double ball end string for headless too. The metal fatigue ain't that huge on them, and there's only two points chewing into the string. At the zero fret, and the tangent "witness point" of the bridge saddle.
Cleartone, and others might last even longer. They have some mild coating/treatment.
As usual, YMMV.
9 years.
Roundwound ROUND CORE stainless steel, was it on my main axxe recently. First choice workhorse bass. Daily played for at least 2 hours. I thought it started to sound stiff, and a lot of false harmonics, odd overtones, and intonation had gone south really bad, then I thought "Oh dear, time flies, is it really...what !?!? nine years". BUT in the meantime I've ULTRASONIC CLEANED them each quarter a year. 4 times a year. Yes it's double ball end strings for headless.
On my other basses, which has Roundwound NICKEL on Hex core, it's once they become too out of tune or intonation gone south. Whenever that is. I e the dents and marks from the frets are making the gauge uneven. Whenever they need to be change I'll change. If it's one day, or nine years. Can be anything in between. I e when I HEAR and just HEAR that they are starting to go south and none of the cooking, boiling, cleaning, microwave, or ultrasonic cleaning will help. It's a lot of variation in time. If I still hear them right, and in tune, and intonates as if they were brand new, including "zzzing" I find no reason to change, other than if a string breaks.
Of course, the Stainless Steel, on Round Cores from NEWTONE lasts the longest. No coating, or any kind of scheiss at all!
Of course, Nickel, on Hex Core from Ernie Ball lasts the shortest. Way shorter than any other brand I've tried. They have no longevity at all. Sounds great for half a week, and better than most, but then dies a thousands of deaths, and can't be brought back to life, with any boiling or cleaning. Maybe they've changed their recipe by now, but once bitten...
The shortest amount of time I had strings on was those Ernie Balls. A week. Totally fell in love with immediately, but after a week, I hated them when they started to go south, and then I swapped. Cost me a bundle, and thought "never again". Longest time any string been on my bass is 9 years, from Newtone. I do think it has to do with that they're double ball end string for headless too. The metal fatigue ain't that huge on them, and there's only two points chewing into the string. At the zero fret, and the tangent "witness point" of the bridge saddle.
Cleartone, and others might last even longer. They have some mild coating/treatment.
As usual, YMMV.
8-10 gigs a month plus a heavy dose of hyperhidrosis which makes my hands sweat profusely (and it's like battery acid) doesn't allow for long string life... So I'm actually changing strings every 2 gigs or 10 hours of playing time.
Luckily I've found some strings that I really love and they aren't too expensive. Plus, the better paying and higher profile the gigs get, the easier it is to justify the cost of a new set strings even if it's just for one gig.
Luckily I've found some strings that I really love and they aren't too expensive. Plus, the better paying and higher profile the gigs get, the easier it is to justify the cost of a new set strings even if it's just for one gig.
Not at all excessive. If the gigs pay well and the sound requires fresh bright strings, then what's the big deal? If you like bright tone from fresh strings and that tone is paramount to you, then what's the big deal? What's $20-$30 for a pack of strings if you're making $300, $400, $500 or more for a gig?
You may not (and likely are not, from the sounds of it) in the same situation as he is. It's probably just right for him, not excessive.
It's a lot more like changing your oil at 2,500-2,800 miles but just that you put those miles on in a matter of a few days because you drive way more than most people that just casually drive a couple of blocks to work and back 5 days a week.
You may prefer a darker sound. You may not gig and play your bass as often as he does. Different strokes for different folks.
Rounds- about every two years. Flats never unless they break. Tape wounds only if they wear out.
I like to change them monthly, more if I could afford it (5 string sets get expensive) (I used to boil 'em, now I just buy 'em). I use D'Addario Pro Steels - I play at least 4x's a week. They seem to last longer during the winter months. I wish I could change them daily during the summer ( outdoor festivals, rodeos, etc.) Oh well, it gives me something to put on the expense schedule at the end of the year for taxes. ****here's some advice- every chance you get, move your bases into some sort of air-conditioned environment, especially during the summer- Always get your instruments out the trailer, and into the club/venue, or hotel room
I use two 5 string Jazz basses and put a new set of round wounds on both basses about every six months usually before an important outdoor gig where I want good sustain and sound. I play about six shows a month, plus 2 to 3 band practices a month.
Depends on the tone you want and everyone is different. I play 3 to 4 gigs a month plus rehearsals and never change my flats. That's just my preference and determined what works best for me after years of playing. Some players need that bright new string tone and there is nothing wrong with that either.
For flats, I leave them on until I get the urge to try rounds again...then I realize I don't like rounds as much and put my flats back on. I'd say that maybe happens a couple times a year. I'm really happy with my Labella Deep Talkin 43-104's though and they are the one string that pretty much killed my string GAS, at least for my Precision bass.
Jamerson did not use round wounds. He used Labella's Original Flatwound set, which are now named after him. It is true he never changed them until they wouldn't tune properly.
I have a set of the Pressurewound ML7200 that's been on and off my J bass three times for a total 6 mths of play time and they are showing no sign of needing to be changed yet. What I love about them is they start out sounding like well-broken-in nickel rounds and stay that way for a very long time.
Flatwounds: I leave on until they break or will no longer tune properly. I have a set on my Danelectro that I put on in 1978 and have never changed them.
Roundwounds: I change every six months (Christmas and 4th of July) if gigging the bass regularly.
Roundwounds: I change every six months (Christmas and 4th of July) if gigging the bass regularly.
I don't change them, I soak them in denatured alcohol every few months (I haven't been playing often lately). Other than that, I won't buy new strings unless I get a new bass or the ones I have broke. Pretty amazing to me players and the ends of the string changing spectrum. To each his/her own, eh?
Change them when they start to sound bad. It just depends how often you play that particular bass and it depends on variables like how sweaty you get, how acidic said sweat is, what kind of strings they are, what do you consider a dull sound, etc. I change mine roughly about twice a year I guess.
- Oct 22, 2015
- 21,151
- 256,441
- Disclosures
- I am an affiliate for Ari Cap.
My recollection is Tom Tedesco said: "never" when asked how often he changes his strings. He said tinkering with his sound was tinkering with his paycheck. NotGunnaDuit.
Dude, this is just bizarre. You don't know whether your strings are five years old...or 10 years old? Your bandmates are telling you that you need to change your strings...but you're not convinced that's a problem? Whoa.
If your strings are five years old, then they likely died close to four years ago. And if they're 10 years old, they probably died close to nine years ago. Yes.
Not only do dead strings sound muffled, dark and thuddy, but sooner or later they become impossible to correctly intonate. One would think you'd at least notice the dead notes and/or wolf tones, as well as the likelihood that your open "A" no longer intonates with your 12th fret "A" and/or your 24th fret "A".
Even when I'm playing only occasionally, the longest I'll typically go between string chances is six months. And when I'm performing and/or rehearsing frequently? Every four to eight weeks or so, depending on how long my current set is holding up.
MM
