Killing my bass strings too fast

[Arthur U. Poon]

I guess it's a non stop trial and error thing till i find the brand that fits my playing and has a fair lifespan for the price. The sad thing is that i already have tried A LOT of brands but still not all of them

Have you experimented with different eq settings on your amplifier?

Just a thought.

 

[ricardol]

Did not answer that previously but i think it's obvious. Although after some live shows i tend to leave it dirty but i don't think it matters so much for 1 or 2 lives every 2 months.The bad thing is that i get REALLY sweat while practising.

I have experienced that wiping the strings off with a dry cotton cloth actually accelerates strings aging. I also used to leave this cloth between the fingerboard and the strings when stored in the gig bag... I stopped doing it and strings last longer now.

 

[GIBrat51]

First post on this forum so nice to meet you all !
I play the bass for 10 years and always had a problem with string life due to my sweaty hands.The only strings that do the trick for me are from the brand Elixir but i do not like the way they sound and the feeling of steel in my fingers.
Any advice on how to keep the strings last longer or another brand like Elixir but not that harsh will be appreciated.

Well.. first of all - welcome to Talk Bass! And, welcome to the (sometimes) contentious Strings Forum, where the... discussion... about what strings are "best for Metal" (and everything else) goes on forever... But, about your strings;
- Your problem, sadly, is a pretty common one. Round wound strings all have the tendency to "die" pretty quickly - in the sense of losing their "new string" brightness and zing. It's just the nature of the beast. Yeah, you can try the boiling thing; I never do it myself, but it seems to work for some people. But even the biggest fans of this practice will admit that it doesn't work for long... If you just have the brightness of new rounds? Then I'm afraid there's going to be a lot of string changes in your future - and a lot of pain in your wallet. Sorry, but... that's Life - with roundwounds...
- As for you sweating all over your strings? While it certainly doesn't help them, to be honest? 2 or 3 weeks of use before you feel they need to be replaced, is really not that bad - around here, anyway. Yes, keeping your hands as clean and dry as possible; wiping the strings down ;and even using one of the string cleaner/conditioner products will help, but - new strings simply don't sound new forever.
- Yes, you could try using flatwound strings. They will withstand "normal" sweaty hands better than rounds; but if your sweat is really acidic - and copious - you can kill them, too. It'll just take a little longer... But, if you do switch to flats? There are some well known Heavy Metal bassists who do use them, but not many. And, if it's a really bright sound you "need"? Even the very brightest flats are... well, they're "bright" only in comparison to other flats. Compared to a set of new rounds - of any type/brand? Uh... no. But, the brighter flats might be bright enough to suit you.
- As for coated strings? I've only ever used them once; Elixirs on a baritone guitar. I was happy with them - while they lasted. Which, since I play that guitar with a pick most of the time, wasn't all that long. And, as for tapewounds? "Bright" is not a word that applies to Tapes - at all. Woody" and "Mellow" is about as good as it gets, with those. I doubt that's the tone you're after in a Metal band... I like and use tapes, 'cause sometimes that is a tone I want...
- Nickel/nickel coated vs. steel/stainless steel? Yes, the nickels usually do feel a little "softer", and for you? They might last a little longer, too. But, they won't be as bright as steels - even brand new. They're what I use - on the few basses I own that have rounds on them. And, for me? I like broken-in rounds; my hands almost never sweat (and it's a pretty neutral PH, when they do); and I can make those strings last quite a long time - for rounds. Mostly, though, I prefer flats - which give me the tone I want most of the time (and, trust me - it isn't "Bright"), and they last a VERY long time...
So, bottom line? If you just have to have the sound of new rounds? Keep them - and your hands - as clean and dry as possible, but... sorry; the only way to get that bright, new roundwound sound - is with new roundwounds. If you think you can live with "bright" flats? In descending order, you might try D'addario Chromes; Ernie Ball Slinky (formerly "Cobalt") flats; or Roto RS77 flats. There might be some others that people think of as bright, but these are the ones that I'm familiar with.. Good luck with whatever strings you find that work best for you, and again - welcome!

 

[Vinny_G]

Someone mentioned musician practice gloves. If I had sweaty hands this is the solution I would choose. In fact, I will probably try them anyway.

https://www.amazon.com/Guitar-Glove...Musician+Practice+Glove&qid=1597434492&sr=8-2

 

[Eddie LeBlanc]

Just got my new Dr Coated Neon Blues installed on the Bird. They sound great, and feel pretty good too.

 

[TexasEdition]

Did not answer that previously but i think it's obvious. Although after some live shows i tend to leave it dirty but i don't think it matters so much for 1 or 2 lives every 2 months.The bad thing is that i get REALLY sweat while practising.

I'm a sweaty dude too... But I'm also a bit of a germaphobe... Walking into a guitar store and seeing all those instruments hanging on the wall and people just walking up and grabbing one to play.... To me it's like sharing toothbrushes...

It's just habit for me to wash my hands before I play because I don't like the way it feels to play with grimy hands, and after I play because I don't like that metallic smell on my fingers and the sweat. Then when I am done, everything get's wiped down with Mother's quick detail spray and a microfiber cloth. Play at least an hour a day almost every day. I also do a wipe-down between live sets... Basically anytime I put it down for a while.

 

[Eddie LeBlanc]

 

[gigetto]

I have a corrosive fingers for srtrings. They don't last me longer. But a collegue bassist told me that one thing is important. Playing. If one play witouth thinking bad looking of strings or others the strings long lasting more.
About six months for a bass used not too much and not somewere, about two hours a day for example is the correct long lasting of the strings, for example Stainless steel. Thin strings last less than normal, nickel strings decay faster than stainless, hours duration in live or at home is different, my gig bass the strings during a live with the band are most sulecitates than the home bass. Slappers change strings before because hang up decay before the core of the strings.

 

[Vinny_G]

If one play witouth thinking bad looking of strings or others the strings long lasting more.

It's like magic, actually. And what happens if you sacrifice a chicken?

 

[Luckydog]

Other than wipe-downs, there ain't much you can do to make strings live longer. I've tried boiling, submersing in solvents, ultra-sonic cleaning... just doesn't work.

IMHO coated strings are a waste of money. They look pretty, and those coatings fail (at least in sections) within a couple of weeks.
Elixir is one of the greatest marketing-programs in the history of musical equipment. They are made in the Dunlop factory, on the same machines that makes the Dunlop branded strings that can be bought for $14/set.

It might be worth looking at a set of [Invalid or Expired Link Removed]. They are ground-wound strings and don't tend to collect crap in them as badly as true round-wounds

What is the source of this information? The only info I have found about the manufacturer of the actual strings was when years ago, someone provided an unverified opinion that the strings were D'addario rounds. How did you determine they were made by Dunlop? Not disputing your statement, but would like to know the source.

 

[getBAK]

I can't really talk about my source. Let's say that it's someone who's been in the 'string business' for decades.

 

[Vinny_G]

Elixir is one of the greatest marketing-programs in the history of musical equipment. They are made in the Dunlop factory, on the same machines that makes the Dunlop branded strings that can be bought for $14/set.

It seemed to me that Elixir existed long before Dunlop started making strings.

 

[getBAK]

I'm not sure if that's true or not... but consider that any company can start outsourcing production at any time. Even if Elixir started off making their own strings, it doesn't mean they still do. (PRS Guitars, I'm looking in your direction... in Indonesia, at the Cort factory).

 

[KJMO]

I've seen people authoritatively say Elixirs are made by SIT, D'Addario, etc. I personally don't believe they are dunlops because dunlops are wound sloppily, and I haven't seen that on the Elixirs. I have noticed they don't say anywhere they are made in the U.S.A., so I wonder if they are made by someone altogether different. Ibanez sells coated strings for their short-scale basses that are made in China, but they don't feel like Elixirs (though they sound pretty good).

Bottom line is that they are coated, and they last a long time. They are not "just repackaged dunlops", even if they are coated repackaged dunlops. I do wish they made a short-scale version though ;-)

 

[gigetto]

Nowadays there are a lot of strings than before and the quality increase. When I started playing nickel was the all round of core and was not too resistant.