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How often do you change your strings?

How often do you change strings?

  • Every gig I get

    Votes: 1 1.0%

  • Every week

    Votes: 3 2.9%

  • 1-3 months

    Votes: 32 30.5%

  • 4-6 months

    Votes: 27 25.7%

  • Yearly

    Votes: 18 17.1%

  • Changing strings? What's that?

    Votes: 24 22.9%
  • Total voters
    105
#21
Every gig - but they are not new strings, just "clean" strings. I have been using the PVC tube with denatured alcohol, that works very well for me. Four sets of strings in rotation at the moment.
Also, I just bought an ultrasonic cleaner. No verdict on it yet, results are good but the strings I've cleaned thus far weren't very dirty.
 
#25
1-3 months on the bass that I'm playing primarily at that time. Have gone longer between changes though when I was more broke. Last year I bought about 10 sets of strings all at once and then bought some sets by another maker to compare, so I've been able to change as frequently as I like :)
 
#29
F-Clef-Jef said:
Every gig - but they are not new strings, just "clean" strings. I have been using the PVC tube with denatured alcohol, that works very well for me. Four sets of strings in rotation at the moment.
Also, I just bought an ultrasonic cleaner. No verdict on it yet, results are good but the strings I've cleaned thus far weren't very dirty.
Click to expand...

I made a PVC string cleaner a few years ago and have been very happy with it. Why did you decide to try and ultrasonic cleaner?
 
#30
I also do the PVC denatured alcohol thing! It really works! A lot better than boiling my strings did back in the late 90s ;)

I can only attest to this working on stainless strings though, and you can't do it indefinitely - strings get deformed by the frets and constantly being attacked and bent, and that kills them too. But when they're just dampened by your funk, the tube o' alky can be a good way to go!
 
#31
No one has said it yet, so:

You can't change your strings. They have to want to change themselves.

My story: I bought a new bass in 2008 and put a new set of TI Flats on it. I play it an average of 8 hours per week for practice, rehearsal and gigs; over 2,000 hours so far. Nothing further to tell.

The bass I used to play - which is now my backup - is strung with with DR Sunbeams. When it was my main bass, I changed them every 6 months or so; about every 200 hours of playing. Now, I just make sure to clean them real well after each infrequent use.
 
#32
Main bass has a Kahler trem that gets used = string breaks after about 20 shows. They get replaced about every month.
Others get replaced when one of the strings starts going dead or the set no longer sounds even across all strings.
 
#34
How often do you change your strings?

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I change them as needed ... Strings can go bad in a few hours if your fingers are sweaty and oily ... or strings can last a year or more if the bass is played infrequently and your hands are clean and dry.
 
#36
I'm using Ernie Ball flatwounds in BEAD tuning. I buy them as singles, so I only change the strings which are dying. The A string has to be replaced about every 8 weeks, the D as well. The E string may last for 3 months. The B string lasts for about half a year, I guess because it has a little less tension and I play it less frequently.
 
#37
New strings are always nice but because of the expense $40-$50 a pack it's a pretty big deal when you've got a wife & child to feed - lucky because before I started a family I realised I don't crave the piano-like clang of fresh strings anymore. I change the roundwounds on my main player about every 1 to 2 years. Every week I usually wipe them down with some lemon oil to freshen them a little bit.
 
#40
bassbully said:
I play flats...its a total crime to change them.
Click to expand...
Exactly. The deader the better. Fatter fundamental.

That being said, I never understood how in the world does one manage to break a bass guitar string? In my 22 years of playing various styles in various venues and many outdoor gigs in cold or hot, dry or humid conditions, I've never ever broken a single string. And I'm not one to play too softly, either! I guess you have to chop through them with a super heavy metal plectrum... But then again, you're gonna sound like crap! Can someone please explain to me the secret to breaking bass strings while playing?
 

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