My E strings always die quickly while my A, D, G strings are bright and fine

[Krisfield]

On the inside of a packet of DR Hi Beams, in big bold lettering:

Prevent Dead Strings

Avoid Loss of Intonation

"If you need to cut or trim your strings, carefully and severely bend or crimp your strings.
The bend will provide an anchor for the round core."

 

[micguy]

Heavier gauge strings tend to get thumpier than lighter ones.

I agree with the above.

Heavier strings should give more overtones, so they should be brighter sounding.

I respectfully disagree. I use very light gauge strings because of the twang and brightness.

E strings go dead faster than the other strings. I think that's a simple fact. I think there's a lot of good advice above, but my advice would be to listen to all of it - keeping your E string alive is a combination of things. not just one factor. Some string models do last longer, and how you wind them does help - the advice about bending strings, then cutting them, then winding then by turning the tuner, not winding them around the post by hand is good regardless of what strings you're using.

And..wash your hands before playing.

Some folks have better luck with nickel plated strings, some do better with Alloy 52 - personally I find Kaliums ( a nickel alloy, not plated IIRC) to be pretty long lasting. I thing some of the variability is the chemistry of your sweat/hand oils, etc. I do know that, since we switched to LED lights on stages, my strings last a lot longer, as I don't sweat on stage anymore.

 

[DaveAceofBass]

I respectfully disagree. I use very light gauge strings because of the twang and brightness.

This has been brought up in other threads, it’s not my theory. Yes, heavier strings will have more thump/attack and fundamentals, louder in general, but they are tighter than light strings, so harmonics will pop more. Maybe I said it wrong, perhaps it’s not overtones, maybe there are more overtones on lighter strings...perhaps someone like @daddarioorch631 or Jon Moody (don’t know his username) could chime in and give us more accurate info.

 

[michael_t]

Jon Moody (don’t know his username)

@Jon Moody.

 

[tallboybass]

I am having an issue with the E string specifically. Every time i get a brand new set of strings, the set usually sounds nice and fresh for a few days, then the E string loses a lot of its sound while the other 3 strings still sound fine. (The A string also loses a bit of its sound but it doesn't sound as dead as the E string). What can i do to prevent this?

I have the same problem with E strings. It lead me to trying the denatured alcohol string soak...sometimes the whole set but sometimes just the E. It really helps balance the set tonally!

 

["Q"]

This has been brought up in other threads, it’s not my theory. Yes, heavier strings will have more thump/attack and fundamentals, louder in general, but they are tighter than light strings, so harmonics will pop more. Maybe I said it wrong, perhaps it’s not overtones, maybe there are more overtones on lighter strings...perhaps someone like @daddarioorch631 or Jon Moody (don’t know his username) could chime in and give us more accurate info.

Regardless of what you heard in some other thread that's not how it works. Stiffness and tension is what's doing things here not gauge. Gauge and tension don't go together. Flats of the same gauge are usually way more tension but not all flats of a certain gauge are the same either. The higher tension flats do seem maybe a little brighter but I have no way of saying if it's because of that specifically.

Also, try a lighter gauge set of strings sometimes or ask a guitar player how light strings sound. We all know light strings have more high end and that high end doesn't come from the fundamental, it comes from the overtones. The thinner the string, or in the case of other instruments like a piano, the longer the strijg, the more easily it can vibrate in more complex ways and the higher up the overtones go. With the same gauge string, making it longer increases it flexibility, tension and mass. Tonal ratio will probably be about the same but with a conspicuous extension at the high end. Which is what a piano sounds like to me compared to bass strings.

 

[HazyMan]

I appreciate the discussion going on here. Btw, if you guys know anything about the ibanez SR basses, can you help me here? Ibanez SR500 faulty electronics?

 

[Wulfensteiner]

One trick (actually a valuable step) is to make a kink in your fresh string with your pliers, and then snip the excess off just on the very apex of the kink you made. And then feed it into the hole and ensure you wind WITH the string windings. This should put an end to all of your "my strings die too quickly!!" problems, my dude. Also, I'd shop around some more. D'Addario (I really really like the pinks!) sounds awesome for a half a week then that sizzle is gone. IMO a money drain. They are kickass for a little while though.