New String Tone

[Gorn]

Sure, elixers last a long time. But the sound that's lasting for so long sucks, in my opinion. But if you like the sound and want that sound to last, then it's a great option.

 

[DavC]

short answer - NO

if you keep them very clean top/bottom , tone will last a bit longer ... but they will always get a bit flattened out/dented on the bottom side where they meet the fret .. ! coated or not ... the dents/flat spots affect the harmonic structure of the string . un-avoidable ( unless it's a fretless )

 

[ofajen]

Funny, I regard the new string sound as an annoying phase to be endured until the strings settle down and behave properly.

Otto

 

[bikeplate]

I go through a set every two gigs approximately. I prefer a new set. Nothing worse than old dull strings. Makes for an old dull bassist

Elixirs are coated. Try those. I do my best to wipe them down between sets. I also boil my strings a couple times before I trash them

 

[Bassnomer]

Haven't tried Elixir bass strings yet, but if they're anything like their acoustic guitar strings, you'll get lots of life out of them. I had a set on my acoustic for 2 years that never lost its brightness!

 

[songwriter21]

Must be something I'm incapable of hearing then.

...But I'll try and listen for it the next time I change strings in 2017 or 2018

I'm so jelly of people getting "weeks" of newness. I'm lucky if my strings still zing at the third rehearsal

#toxicsweaterlivesmatter

First, new strings are clean, so they sound amazing, AND they're basically unstretched from no playing wear, so they're going to sound more brilliant out of the gate.

Second, if you like Elixir tone (have heard/played it), then save up the extra cash, and they will pay for themselves, believe me.

 

[Funkmabassup]

The strings you want is Elixir!! They keep the fresh metallic "newstringsound" month after month after month even tough they are not the brightest of them all too begin with. Phenomenal strings, in my book nothing even comes close

 

[Funkmabassup]

I had a set of Elixir stainless steel on for about 18 months with plenry of gigging, practice and rehearsals, never cleaned em or wiped em down or even washed my hands before playing, even after 18 months they had plenty of bite left.

 

[Runlikegregg]

DR Highbeams have a pretty good shelf life for retaining a new clean tone for good long time. to me.

 

[Bluebard]

If you're looking for that new string tone and don't want to buy new strings regularly, try soaking your strings for 24-48 hours in denatured alcohol.
The alcohol will clean your strings, removing the oils and gunk that dulls the sound, making them sound similar to how they sounded out of the package. They may not sound exactly the same, but close enough; they'll sound like pretty new strings, night and day compared to how they sound after they've been played for a three months. If the original sound of the strings when new was bright and zingy, this soaking will make them bright and zingy again.

Make sure the alcohol is denatured, otherwise it may have water content which could rust your strings. You can buy denatured alcohol at your local Home Depot, Lowe's, or (I imagine) any hardware store. I coil mine up and put them in a tupperware container, filled deep enough with denatured alcohol to immerse the strings.
Good luck!

 

[Coolhandjjl]

Roto 66's are one of those. It's reported that Geddy Lee and Chris Squire used fresh sets for every gig.

 

[Coolhandjjl]

If you're looking for that new string tone and don't want to buy new strings regularly, try soaking your strings for 24-48 hours in denatured alcohol.
The alcohol will clean your strings, removing the oils and gunk that dulls the sound, making them sound similar to how they sounded out of the package. They may not sound exactly the same, but close enough; they'll sound like pretty new strings, night and day compared to how they sound after they've been played for a three months. If the original sound of the strings when new was bright and zingy, this soaking will make them bright and zingy again.

Make sure the alcohol is denatured, otherwise it may have water content which could rust your strings. You can buy denatured alcohol at your local Home Depot, Lowe's, or (I imagine) any hardware store. I coil mine up and put them in a tupperware container, filled deep enough with denatured alcohol to immerse the strings.
Good luck!

i wonder if anyone has tried attaching an ultrasonic cleaning device to one of those home-made PVC string cleaning tubes? That would really clean out all the skin cells and detrius!

Funny, I regard the new string sound as an annoying phase to be endured until the strings settle down and behave properly.

Otto

Chromes are too ringy to me right out of the box.

 

[johnson79]

I use Ernie Ball Slinky and while they don't always sound new they have always lasted the longest for me.
Since I'm not currently gigging they stay on for a while and still sound good after the zing dies off.

 

[sikamikanico]

Don't have much to add, but i saw this the other day... Didn't try it yet, so not sure how it works, but worth a try...

 

[Benjamin Earl]

Dead strings are usually caused by dirt & grime from your fingers. Keep your strings clean and they will "last" longer. I've heard boiling them can clean them up, but I usually change mine every few months to ensure I don't break a string at a gig.

 

[Chef]

I've always changed my strings about every year or so and sometimes longer... However, recently, for the first time ever, I changed my strings the day before a gig. As a result, I absolutely loved the tone that I had during the gig and during the days following... due to the newness of the strings. Are there strings available that always have that new tone or similar tone for the life of the strings?

Your profile doesn't say waht bass you use....

For me, one of the reasons I like an active J5; as as the strings lose some of that new tone, I can add a little treble back with the bass's eq. ymmv.

 

[RichardW]

I've read John Entwistle put new strings on before every gig. I've read that James Jamerson never changed his strings. Something tells me maybe the fingers are more important than the strings.

 

[Chef]

I've read John Entwistle put new strings on before every gig. I've read that James Jamerson never changed his strings. Something tells me maybe the fingers are more important than the strings.

those are two radically different tones

 

[ofajen]

Your profile doesn't say waht bass you use....

For me, one of the reasons I like an active J5; as as the strings lose some of that new tone, I can add a little treble back with the bass's eq. ymmv.

I also find that I can get a lot of bite in the tone on roundwound strings that are broken in by cranking the presence control on my amp. Ok, it's actually labeled the high dynamic range expander, which was probably Pete Traynor's cute idea of how to avoid a lawsuit from Fender.

Otto

 

[amusicalperson]

Woah, I didn't know we got string discounts!