I hate B and E strings ...where is the promised land??

[Groove Doctor]

Use liquid string cleaner & a lint-free cleaning cloth every single time you touch the strings.

I changed to Stainless Steel strings (rounds and flats) as they sounded brighter for longer. Slower to react to acidic sweat & oils coming from my hands.

The reason my E and A strings go dead faster than my D and G strings is that I simply play them more. They're the go to strings when grooving.

I suspect t that if we gave all the strings the same amount of use over the life of a set, they'd all go dull around the same time

This.

 

[two fingers]

I'm not well versed in metallurgy. However, it stands to reason that the larger the string, the closer that string gets to being a metal rod. As such, it likely yields to the laws of physics regarding stress more quickly than would a smaller string.

In other words, ain't a whole lot you can do about it.

 

[iiipopes]

Suggest get extra (or two) single B and E string on each new string set purchace.

That's what I do. In addition to the above, the E and B strings dying quicker has to do with:
1) E and B strings are less flexible to begin with, due to the larger core, so that they don't have all the overtones as the GDA strings; and
2) The wrap wire on round wounds is usually a larger diameter on the E and B than on the GDA strings, which actually causes a greater gap between and inside the winds, which collects more finger funk and deadens the strings even more.

 

[Smooth_bass88]

I've never had this issue with D'Addario strings.

 

[eriky4003]

You can try the Dean Markley offshoots with former DM designers creating Apex and MJC Ironworks. BrentSimons has tried both. You can get an idea if they are similar to the old Blue Steels from him.

 

[Nashrakh]

+1

Since I got my first 5-string bass two and a half years ago, I've been experimenting with the idea of mix and matching for the low B. For example, a 4-string set of GHS Round Core Boomers (NPS rounds on a round core) with a GHS Pressurewound low B (Alloy 52 rollerwound on a hex core), which actually balanced better tonally with the rest than the RCB low B that came in the factory 5-string set.

I also had a 5-string set of GHS Progressives (Alloy 52 roundwound on a hex core) on my Yamaha at one point, and when I decided to replace them after 5 mths, I replaced the E-G with a 4-string set of the Pressurewounds and kept the Progressive low B as an experiment to see how they would match up. When I finally took them off, the E-G were 11 mths old, and the low B was 16 mths old, and they still sounded pretty good together.

Makes me wonder why mixing strings is common if not ubiquitous in the DB world, but on bass guitar it seems to be a novel idea.

Never tried this myself, but I see nothing that speaks against doing so.

I've thought about mixing La Bella DTFs and TIs on a six, like half and half, one half for the money zone, one for the more melodic passages, but that would be quite the pricey experiment.

 

[Arthur U. Poon]

TI strings will last considerably longer than any other brands and they sound great too. I honestly don't understand why people bother with some of the vastly inferior "usual suspects". Just do some research into which TI strings will be best for you. I'm guessing the "Infeld Superalloy" would be a good place to start. These are the TI strings that are most middle-of-the-road.....

+1 on Infeld Superalloys. I bought a set some years ago. I loved their very balanced sound, and their lifespan was longer than any other brand of strings that I'd tried at that time.

My plucking hand is a bit heavy, and I found Superalloys didn't have enough tension for me, but a player with a lighter touch than mine, looking for a very balanced sounding, high quality, roundwound string should try a set. I had the set on my main bass, which is a 6-string, and even the B and E strings kept their fidelity longer than I was used to.

IIRC, Superalloys use an outer wrap of Alloy 52. I'm a big fan of it.


GHS also uses Alloy 52 outer wrap on a couple of their sets, one being Pressurewounds. They also have an incredible lifespan, and they're my favorite set of strings. But IMO they're not an overly bright sounding set of strings, compared to the stainless steel roundwounds that I've used.

 

[Ric5]

Outside of old Dean Markley Cryo Steels strings I have not been able to find a brand/pack of strings where all the strings degrade equally over time. The Es and low B get old and flubby first EVERYTIME! I use the Daddario NYXLs and EB Cobalt for rounds (I don't have this issue on the basses with half rounds as they are 2 years old). Ideas folks? Cheers

I have found that on most of my basses they sound better with a .125 B and a .95 E and it also seems fatter D and G strings sound batter ... so balanced sets may be good for the neck in theory ... unbalanced sets of strings seem to sound better. Also angling the pickups where the poles for the B are closer to the bridge and the pols for the G are closer to the neck improves tone.

Fat B and E strings often produce more low overtones and fundamental and the mids get lost making it seem floppy and unresponsive.

I prefer D'addario and DR strings

I have at ay time 12 to 20 different 5 string basses, active, passive, different body styles, different pickups, different bridges, and I have tried a lot of different strings thru the years. I have tested these basses at home, in a studio, and live.

 

[michael_t]

Maybe a lighter gauge? I get better results from 40-120 than from 45-130.

The GHS Boomers 40-120 on my Yamaha are almost 2 mths old now and they're still sounding pretty good. In fact, this is the best factory 5-string set I've tried to date for tonal balance.

 

[mr80htz]

That's what I do. In addition to the above, the E and B strings dying quicker has to do with:
1) E and B strings are less flexible to begin with, due to the larger core, so that they don't have all the overtones as the GDA strings; and
2) The wrap wire on round wounds is usually a larger diameter on the E and B than on the GDA strings, which actually causes a greater gap between and inside the winds, which collects more finger funk and deadens the strings even more.

I think you are on to something here i would say that I play mostly on the GDA strings when at home and the E ab B playing gigs...and there's no gigs so I don't think it's unbalanced wear. Are there E and B strings that have the winding of GDA strings?

 

[iiipopes]

I think you are on to something here i would say that I play mostly on the GDA strings when at home and the E ab B playing gigs...and there's no gigs so I don't think it's unbalanced wear. Are there E and B strings that have the winding of GDA strings?

What do you mean as the same winding? If in number of wraps, GHS and possibly others have sets with core-one wrap for each string. DR has the same or similar diameter internal windings between the core and the final wrap, and some folks like the way DR's play and how long they last. Fender 9050 flats (possibly others) have different width ribbon wrap per string (including narrower E string wrap) which may help the E string stay more flexible, and thereby have more overtones and consistency of tone from string to string.