How Do I prevent this from Happening?

[petrus61]

I was curious to read SLaPiNFuNK's views on the subject, but he posted one question and left the conversation.

He probably thought he was better off not saying anything than pointing out the obvious

 

[JustForSport]

Is anybody looking at OP's pic? Do you guys not see all the gunk on those strings?

Yeah, my first take, too- it's been commented on a few times, but...
From a prev post:
"Since the core is high-tensile steel and can be easily corroded/rusted even when the outer wraps look like new."
And when the outer wraps look like those do (I assume the photo's not playing tricks, like a pixel thing), I would never trust the core.

 

[petrus61]

Yeah, my first take, too- it's been commented on a few times, but...
From a prev post:
"Since the core is high-tensile steel and can be easily corroded/rusted even when the outer wraps look like new."
And when the outer wraps look like those do (I assume the photo's not playing tricks, like a pixel thing), I would never trust the core.

I agree that the likely culprit is corrosion...but under what conditions? Unless OP has some serious PH issues, these are not DR's that were purchased new and played for two weeks. Even then, I don't see them looking that bad.

 

[petrus61]

Also one thing to note, if the string snapped, the location of the break would have been pulled toward the headstock because of tension, so I don't think a fret burr is plausible here even though the break appears to have occurred directly over the fret.

 

[JustForSport]

I agree that the likely culprit is corrosion...but under what conditions? Unless OP has some serious PH issues, these are not DR's that were purchased new and played for two weeks. Even then, I don't see them looking that bad.

They may not have been stored well where the OP bought them- that would account for multiple issues.

 

[K.K.]

Ok, so to understand the conditions i've kept them

My first experience was in a gig bag. This one was E string.

Second to fourth was outside, on a stand as shown in the second pic.
And its all on different strings, in different places including pup area, inbetween the neck pup and bridge pup.

The way i string my bass is very simple.

1) cut old strings off.
2) slot new strings through body
3) put into post and done.
4) one string at a time.
I follow scott devine's way of stringing.

I think it might be grime and all. Imma get some isopropyl to see if it helps. At the same time i will trying playing with a glove on.

I also chanced upon an article that states "Popping a string will eventually lead to a string breaking, same goes for slapping but to a lesser degree"
- this is compared to finger style.

 

[JustForSport]

I'm thinking they may not have been stored well where you bought them in the first place. Had a major storm gone thru that may have compromised the storage? They could have been on the shelves there for years?

 

[Ric5]

bass strings usually break near the tuner or bridge ...

 

[crucislancer]

I've experienced this about 4 times, all at different areas of the bass. This one happened at the 5th fret in-between the 5th fret.
my frets are stock, never changed them before.
This set of strings are about 2 weeks old... Its really eating my wallet man and I thought it was time to ask for help.
I've long suspected the climate though, do you all think its possible?

Tropical climate, high humidity. But i do wipe my bass down with a soft cotton towel every time after I play.

So this is a new phenomenon i guess... gosh. When I do find a solution for this, I'll post it up here!

Edit: Its tuned to EADG, but my action is quite low... but no where low enough for fret buzzing. Do you all think it could be that the neck is putting too much tension on the string? But then again if that is true then the G-string should look like that instead of the D.

I think you got some from a bad batch. I've had problems like this with DR in the past, I broke two E strings from a pair of sets I picked up at the same time from the same store. Bear in mind that was 16 years ago, but it's the only string brand that has had this problem. Your best bet is to contact DR and see if they will replace the strings, and then find a new source for strings.

 

[AlexanderB]

While I have played for many years, I do not use a lot of strings (fingerstyle player, moderate attack, good basses and proper setup).
However, everytime I have tried a set of DR strings, I have had a mechanical failure of at least one string happening fairly soon after installation. Typically it has been the core of the A or E string going bad, yielding a dead string with out of tune harmonics. Every set, within maybe 20 hours of playing.
In general, I otherwise keep my strings for at least months.

 

[brendanbassix]

While I have played for many years, I do not use a lot of strings (fingerstyle player, moderate attack, good basses and proper setup).
However, everytime I have tried a set of DR strings, I have had a mechanical failure of at least one string happening fairly soon after installation. Typically it has been the core of the A or E string going bad, yielding a dead string with out of tune harmonics. Every set, within maybe 20 hours of playing.
In general, I otherwise keep my strings for at least months.

what strings are you using? I'm curious because I'm trying new strings at the moment and like DR but also like the idea of having a set that I can keep on there for months

 

[Honch]

Hi fellow bassists

I've recently changed strings, then after 2 weeks this happened:

Any idea how I might be able to prevent future occurrences?

But hey, here we go again. Pictures are ok, but there must be a emoji with "this thread is worthless without saying which kind of gauge/brand and model of strings you put on".

1. Stainless Steel?
2. Nickel?
3. Round core or Hex Core?
4. Round Wound or Flats or anything in between?
4. Coated?
5. Gauge?
6. Brand?
7. Plating? If any?
8. Tapered, or open core?
9. String through body, or ball end anchored at bridge?
10. Anything else?

This occurs mostly on bad strings, if they're ROUND CORE. You must've come across a very bad batch of sets, and should return it to the manufacturer or wherever you bought it. It's a Lakland bass, which means it's professional to a tee, and no sharp edges at either nut, tuners, bridge saddles will ever cause this. It has not been wounded tightly enough round its core, and or if it's a hex core, the "hex" has been lost in the middle of the string. Definitely a manufacturer gaffe. Or a material metal fatigue PRE production. If they're round core strings you might have a hard time getting replacement strings, and or warranty, but most major brands, couldn't care less, and sends you a replacement without asking any questions.

I've never experienced it, save for very old eastern state basses and strings, decades ago. I mean instruments that had strings on the from the 50's still and so on.

MIND YOU THAT DR STRINGS are the only major company out there doing ROUND CORE strings these days, which needs care when putting them on, or even before putting them on. Watch your package and see if it says "round core". If it does, it's that!

 

[Honch]

If you could send a pic of your bass, please a pick of the cover of the string package, so we all can read. Bet it says "round core" somewhere.

 

[Honch]

It's definitely not the frets. The frets are not of stainless steel, and nickel content, and thus will never wear down to a sharp thing that will kink the string in that way. Even if the fret would be filed "sharp" the material is way too soft to produce such things on any string really. If it's DR, send it back to them and say "hey *** !?!?". They want you to send them back the batch number so they can go and check. Some QC gaffe here for sure.

If sets packages has been laying around in a store for ages (I mean YEARS) in a humid environment like most of the southerns states, and it's not stainless steel, risks are that they've slowly started to corrode inside the package. May look bright and shiny when opened up, but as fast as tension is put, the oxidation, corrosion has started to wear on the metal fatigue.

 

[Honch]

1) cut old strings off.
2) slot new strings through body
3) put into post and done.
4) one string at a time.
I follow scott devine's way of stringing.

I think it might be grime and all..

No grime will ever cause this. Not finger gunk. See, Scott Devines way of strings is with 90 percent of all bass strings which will have HEX CORE. See this:

Now 5) If it's a ROUND CORE string, which can only be detected by looking at the package cover, some kinks and bends with pliers must be careful carried out BEFORE putting on any string, and you shouldn't cut it to length before it's tight and surely tuned up to pitch. Funnily I have yet to see any YT instruction video on this particularly. It would save people a bundle. Don't forget too, that DR insists still on real and actual HANDMADE strings, which you can believe or not. But if it is so, chances are that the QC aren't up to snuff always, and they have a greater deal of "scrappage" into account. Sometimes these HANDMADE strings makes it through the QC and ends up in the stores.

I'd rather want reliability and consistency instead of hunting down THAT tone. No one in the audience can tell anyway if it's handmade or not (even roundcore or hex). They DO detect when the string starts to unravel as it does in the pic in the middle of a tune. And they're as annoyed and ***:ed as you are.

I do use roundcores myself. But ONLY on double ball end strings, and headless basses. Because they're tightly wrapped up and sealed at both ends. Nowhere to creep out, no exit so to speak. Never unwounds, or unravel. They're from NEWTONE England. If at a gig and I need changing strings (for whatever reason) the round cores (for regular basses) are a PIA to put on. In studio, or at home, where you have all the time in the world to be anal retentive about things, no problem. It will probably turn out right. You do the math.

 

[AlexanderB]

Brendanbassix, I have tried many of the top selling brands and have had mixed results. My favorite string for fretted Jazz basses is the old Fender 8250, tapered E string. Once they stopped their own production and outsourced the manufacturing, sound and quality dropped immensly. The new Fenders have different color ball ends.
What I have seen so far, strings from Elixir, EBS (older US made ones), Warwick and Sadowsky have given me good tone, consistency and long life.
DR, Rotosound, Fender, Trace Elliot and Newtone have been disappointing with short life and/or inconsistent production and QC.

GHS, D'Addario, Dean Markley etc have been in the middle of the road, and I buy them if I can not get the better ones, or if I need short scale strings.

 

[JustForSport]

Fodera also makes round-core strings, as well as GHS, and aren't the EB Cobalt Flats round-core? And maybe some TI's?

 

[Honch]

 

[Ric5]

I have good success using D'Addarrio strings ... they are my favorite brand

 

[Honch]

And don't ever never do anything like this! Can't get why this ain't a put on videon, or people are ironically sarcastic about it. I think it's a joke channel, but it doesn't come across like that so beware!



Or maybe, it's too late? You already seen that vid, and made it like that, and you had this string unravel?