I wear out strings faster during rehearsal than practice

[Iristone]

I've found that, if I practise alone, I can play with one set of Rotosound for a long time. However it starts to sound noticeably duller after one rehearsal of 2 h.
I suppose iit could be due to more sweating during rehearsal. The rehearsal space tends to be warmer and more moist (the sound insulation material also keeps heat inside), and playing to the band demands a higher level of stress and concentration.

 

[GwenOnBass]

That's how Rotos work. Same experience: about two hours. Doesn't matter where.

 

[Dlew919]

My standard daddarios last months. I was going to try rotosounds but now I'm not so sure?

 

[buldog5151bass]

I've played Rotos for decades. They are not the longest lasting strings in the world, but 2 hours........?

But yeah, you generally play harder when playing with a band than practicing alone. Just ask your fingertips.

 

[Iristone]

I've played Rotos for decades. They are not the longest lasting strings in the world, but 2 hours........?

But yeah, you generally play harder when playing with a band than practicing alone. Just ask your fingertips.

This is true. It's not "dead witin 2 hours", since I use the same set for practice and then rehearsal. It's just that they sound noticeably less bright after the rehearsal.

 

[Dirk Diggler]

As stated above, this is a well known issue with Roto rounds for years.

Plenty of other longer surviving strings available these days.

I'd suggest you start experimenting with new sets.

Yep and it's certainly caused by physically playing harder with others, I'd blame the drummer. LOL

 

[Gilmourisgod]

I hadn't used Rotos for years, gave them a try recently. Came out of the sealed package with a light film of corrosion, weird "chorus" effect on the E string. Went dead in two weeks. Like stone cold dead. Meh. Back to D'Addario nickel rounds. Rotos are for people who can afford to change them after every gig.

 

[Pier_]

I hadn't used Rotos for years, gave them a try recently. Came out of the sealed package with a light film of corrosion, weird "chorus" effect on the E string. Went dead in two weeks. Like stone cold dead. Meh. Back to D'Addario nickel rounds. Rotos are for people who can afford to change them after every gig.

I use plenty of Rotosound sets every year (I have 15 basses, and most of them have Roto Swing 66), and it never ever happened to me.

As stated above, this is a well known issue with Roto rounds for years.

IMHO, having used Rotosound Swing66 since 2008 as my main strings, I still think that this is just a legend, and we read about it a lot simply because people use to write/talk mostly if they have to complain about something.

I've used probably every string and brand on the market, and Rotosound are still the longest lasting strings under my fingers, I can get months out of a set without the urge of changing them, even playing only one bass (I'm one of those players that, even with many basses, tends to use mostly one for a long period, due to habit).

I've had a lot of bad experiences with DR, for example, with strings that didn't intonate, strings that sounded dull, two-hours lasting (this in every set I've ever used, from Hi Beams to Lo Riders).

also, it depends on the sound you want from a string: Rotosound Swing are NOT bright strings like, for example, D'Addario Prosteel or Dr Hi Beam, they have mostly mid frequencies, not much highs, so once the "brand new highs" go away, they sound middy.

Dr/Prosteel are scooped on the mids, with more highs and more basses, and once they lose the highs, they sound hollow and totally useless (for my taste, I'm a "mid boost" player).
Rotosound, with the powerful mids, can last months with a clear and defined sound still full of frequency infomations.

 

[Brandon Shea]

Are you wiping your strings down when you're done? That can help a lot – I'm a certified string killer, and I've been able to prolong the life of some strings by taking a little better care of them. Haven't tried Roto rounds in particular, but I think wiping things down will help regardless. I also occasionally use Ernie Ball Wonder Wipes to get some of the extra gunk off, and those make a really nice difference.

 

[Wfrance3]

I play low tension flats on my P bass. Thru-body flats on my 32" bass and Dunlop flats on my 5. Each set is a few years old. EMBRACE the flats!

 

[trothwell]

I find most roundwound strings sound noticeably less bright after 2 hours of playing.

 

[Lo-E]

IMHO, having used Rotosound Swing66 since 2008 as my main strings, I still think that this is just a legend, and we read about it a lot simply because people use to write/talk mostly if they have to complain about something.

While I think it's great that you've had a good experience with Rotos, I gave up on them in the late 1980s because they didn't last and that was a long time before you could read about strings on the internet.

I, for one, don't especially like to complain about things and strings tend to last a long time for me but Rotos suffered instant death after several weeks every time I used them - and I used them for several years. I really like the way they sound even now but I don't see myself buying them again with so many other options on the market.

If they work for you, though, that's great.

 

[MrWolf14]

Are you wiping your strings down when you're done? That can help a lot – I'm a certified string killer, and I've been able to prolong the life of some strings by taking a little better care of them. Haven't tried Roto rounds in particular, but I think wiping things down will help regardless. I also occasionally use Ernie Ball Wonder Wipes to get some of the extra gunk off, and those make a really nice difference.

If the sweat is the cause, wiping the strings will help for sure.

Ensure also that you are loud enough from the amp: in my case I often find out that I am digging way harder that I should do just because I am not loud enough. Not sure how much this could affect the life of your strings, but it may be a factor as well.

 

[Pier_]

If they work for you, though, that's great.

the thing everyone forgets or doesn't know is that string's longevity is not a magical factor, is only related to our single and personal body chemistry, and also what we consider to be a "dead" string.

Ernie Ball nickel are one of my longest lasting string sets ever, and sometimes to me they sound too harsh, and D'Addario die too quickly, for other players is the opposite.
I can make guitar strings last for months, a friend of mine kills them in a minutes. one day I borrowed him my guitar for ONE song, and the plains strings RUSTED.
ONE SONG, 4 minutes.

I play entire sets of an hours and a half and the plains are still shiny... he plays 4 minutes and rusts plains.

same for wound strings: I can get months on most sets, of most strings, but some don't stand my body chemistry, and die immediately. DR for me are a big NO, they are the only string I can use for only a 2 hour set.
I recorded a few months ago this track:



the bass is a Yamaha BB3000 (only neck pickup) with Rotosound RS66LD that I mounted... probably in 2023... this bass is one of my most used basses, I gig with it a lot, record a lot, and here's how the Roto sound.

do they die quickly? probably for someone yes, for me no.

 

[RattleSnack]

Just to be precise, they don't "wear out", because it would take years of playing to have them mechanically damaged. The dirt from the air and/or your hands sticks between winding, making them less flexible and diminishing harmonic content, thus making them sound "dull".
In that context, all you need to do is keep them clean and they will sound "fresh" longer.
There are numerous threads on this forum how to do that, or how to clean them. Nothing wrong in cleaning strings, in any way it works for you.

 

[Pier_]

here are numerous threads on this forum how to do that, or how to clean them. Nothing wrong in cleaning strings, in any way it works for you.

that's also a thing. I know a lot of people complaining of strings that don't last, when they play with dirt hands, dirt instruments with dirt on the fretboard and frets...

 

[trothwell]

the thing everyone forgets or doesn't know is that string's longevity is not a magical factor, is only related to our single and personal body chemistry, and also what we consider to be a "dead" string.

Ernie Ball nickel are one of my longest lasting string sets ever, and sometimes to me they sound too harsh, and D'Addario die too quickly, for other players is the opposite.

True. I thought Ernie Ball nickel sounded superb ... for a few weeks. After that, they sounded so dull to me that I took them off and haven't bought any more since. Whereas I might have the same set of Rotosound 66 on for a year.

There are probably a variety of factors that go into why Rotosound seem inordinately picked on for string longevity issues. I think part of it is that they have been making roundwound strings for so long, there have been more years of stories, both true and exaggerated. They were probably also directly compared to flatwound strings, more than is usual today. I think also, Rotosound strings sound especially good during their brief brand-new period -- whereas many other roundwound strings sound excessively bright and metallic for the first hour or two -- so people feel like the "Rotosound magic" is gone and the string is dead, when actually it's just broken in.

Plus, as you say, strings react to different people differently. For some people, maybe they really truly are dead in a few hours.

 

[FullumMusic]

How loud is rehearsal?

- Could be the strings. Rotos wearing out quickly seems to be a consensus.

- Could be your ears are fatigued or damaged after rehearsal. After 2 hours of high volumes even brand new, unused strings will magically sound duller.

 

[Gilmourisgod]

IMHO, having used Rotosound Swing66 since 2008 as my main strings, I still think that this is just a legend, and we read about it a lot simply because people use to write/talk mostly if they have to complain about something.

It's clearly not a "legend", it's inconsistent QC. Sometimes where there is smoke, there is, in fact, a raging fire. I don't have any need to "complain about something", if my experience were good, I'd have said so. My experience replicates what many others have found, as I did myself back in the late 70's when I used to string my Ric with Roto Swing 66. They sounded great for a couple weeks and then... pffffttttt. Dead. You could temporarily rejuvenate them by boiling them, but only once or twice. Count yourself lucky you didn't get the short end of the QC stick like I (and many others) did. I can't think of another set of strings bought brand new that came out of the SEALED package slightly corroded. That's just sloppy QC. Chris Squire changed his for every gig to keep that "piano" trebly bite, but he was getting them for free by the case from Rotosound. If I had that deal, I'd probably keep using them too. The D'Addario Nickel Rounds I've gone back to start out sounding like week-old Rotos, but they keep that tone MUCH longer. Much easier on the fingers and frets too. rotos are highly abrasive.

 

[Lobster11]

How loud is rehearsal?

- Could be your ears are fatigued or damaged after rehearsal. After 2 hours of high volumes even brand new, unused strings will magically sound duller.

I was thinking the same thing. Are you hearing the "duller" tone at the end of the rehearsal, or the next day while practicing alone at home? After two hours of loud music pretty much everything will sound duller because your hearing system is fatigued.