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I killing my strings in two gigs

#41
P Town said:
At one time, I could hear a sine wave up to 21 kHz. The last time I was tested, my hearing started to fall off at a little over 15 kHz. Maybe this is why I don't get all the cork-sniffing over strings, pickups, and fancy speaker cabinets. It could be why it makes it easier for me to be satisfied.
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great point,... maybe if my hearing was better i could appreciate the subtle nuances every else seems to be drooling for. or maybe i'll channel my inner rockstar and buy a case of tubes and strings to up my "whatever it is"!???... :cool:
 
#44
OK. So, if Anthony Jackson made a recording, where he did not change his strings after three hours, would listeners think to themselves, "I can't believe they released a recording made with worn out strings. It sound horrendous."
 
#48
DieselKTM said:
I'm getting two/possibly three gigs on a set of strings.
I like a bright snappy tone and my Eden gear exploits that.

But its expensive. Anybody else have the same issue.

I've used stainless and get a bit more life but they are more suited to my old hair metal days, and are too aggressive for retro stuff.

Anybody else have the same experience? Any cool tricks you can share?:hmm:
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That is normal in my experience. I have boiled and done the Marlowe plucking in the past and they work for a short time. If you can get three gigs out of a set, that is darn good, imo. I like to have a fresh set for every show but that does not happen as often as I would like, that is for sure.
 
#49
P Town said:
I don't think I would ever try to emulate the tone Entwistle had in my feeble attempt to play bass. He is a famous bassist, and I am not. Draw whatever conclusion from those facts as you may.
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Well that may be, and I don't emulate his tone either, but I don't think it makes Entwistle's string changing invalid. Some people like the sound of new strings, some don't. Entwistle and Anthony do. And when I get as good as Anthony, I'll tell him that he's wrong ;)
 
#50
It is interesting that one person hears a string that has become "broken in", while another hears it as having lost something.

It would be interesting to plot the change in output that occurs in a new string during its life span. I suppose the number, and amplitude of overtones, (harmonics?) would mostly go down, or maybe the frequency bands where they are prominent may shift with use.
 
#51
SAME HERE DIESEL..I get maybe 3 gigs out of my strings- (Ernie Ball Super Slinkys 45-105 and D'Addarios-typically-Nickels-Stainless last longer but eat up my frets more) Really hasn't mattered what brand- They go dead sooner than Id like for sure! Ive been on a "musicians" budget lately and now BOIL my strings- I don't care who says what about this my friend- Been doing this long enough to KNOW it simply works.. Im in a cover band- play a solid 3 hours a night every weekend.. When theyre dead I drop in in boiling water for about 15 min..all the dirt floats to the top- take em out- wipe em off and BOOM snapy sounding strings once again...EASY PEASY..I only boil em a couple times and then grab freshies but Im telling you it works like a charm for at least a couple of times..That saves me about 50$ boiling a set twice! Do that by my 2 basses and Im saving a lot of dough in my eyes..and my tone is not compromised. Ive had great results with such a simple task..boil some water. try it..post the results. Theres been a few debates on this process. Best of luck~
 
#52
If boiling a string rejuvenates it by removing contamination from the windings, why is it only effective for a limited number of times. Would a pre-soak in alcohol make the process more effective? What about one of those ultra-sonic cleaners jewelers use? I suppose string manufacturers have no interest in doing any research that results in prolonging the life of strings.
 
#53
I have seen a couple of players play with gloves. Maybe that would help to keep the acidity from your hands from gunking up the strings, although it might take some getting used to.

My first choice would be to try various coated strings. There are several manufacturers making them now and that seems like easiest and cheapest (in the long run) solution.
 
#55
DieselKTM said:
I have several instruments..
Fender Stu Hamm Urge II ( very bright tone) is my favorite, a custom pJ with EMG pups and preamp, music man stingray, music man sterling, Kramer neck through with EMG set up. Love em all, same issue with all...I get a bit more life on the MMs, as they're tone is not as edgy as the others. I play finger style.

Real acidic body chemistry. I've perspired on the fret board and forgot to wipe it down once..... Turned the frets green.
Been using EB slinkys ( nickel) cause I like the tone when new. Perhaps I need to go with a much brighter string and let them wear down to the desired tone.

Thanks for the input.
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Holy hell,
I've had a set of Super Slinkies on my 5er for a year now...
Then again I don't sweat while playing.
Waaoooow. Scary stuff.
One way far out suggestion from me...
Gloves? Or keep a towel handy to dry your hands during gigs?
 
#56
P Town said:
It is interesting that one person hears a string that has become "broken in", while another hears it as having lost something.
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I play my strings for about 3 hours to "brake them in" before using live.

Dug2 said:
i like circle k strings, i used to use dr fat beams. i think the circle k"s sound brighter
and last longer, i also like the balanced tension and custom gauges. try em
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Good boy Dug2.
Now just let me through in one of these Link Removed and maybe two more for good measure Link Removed
Link Removed
__________________
damn kids and their Link Removed
 
#58
Yeah, I've never played any brand of roundwound that lasted any longer than 3-5 days before the low strings get noticeably duller. It just is what it is. Basically, change your strings how often you can afford to change them.

If you have to do 2 weeks (or more) of gigging on the same strings than I'm sure no one will demand a refund at any of your concerts. The sad truth is, it's usually only us bassists that notice or care about this stuff.
 
#59
Jaco Taco said:
Yeah, I've never played any brand of roundwound that lasted any longer than 3-5 days before the low strings get noticeably duller. It just is what it is. Basically, change your strings how often you can afford to change them.

If you have to do 2 weeks (or more) of gigging on the same strings than I'm sure no one will demand a refund at any of your concerts. The sad truth is, it's usually only us bassists that notice or care about this stuff.
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I learned a lot with this post. Most of all I learned that others have the same experience.

Getting this kind of info is invaluable. Positive or negative information is a gift.

Gonna try a couple of these remedies and I'll post the results.

Thanks to all.
 
#60
Jaco Taco said:
Yeah, I've never played any brand of roundwound that lasted any longer than 3-5 days before the low strings get noticeably duller. It just is what it is. Basically, change your strings how often you can afford to change them.

If you have to do 2 weeks (or more) of gigging on the same strings than I'm sure no one will demand a refund at any of your concerts. The sad truth is, it's usually only us bassists that notice or care about this stuff.
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It's our job to care, not the audience's. Not a fan of taking the easy way out and using the audience's alleged lack of sophistication as an excuse. If that's the case, I wouldn't even bother to practice the bass. Shoot, I wouldn't even show up ;)
 

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