Old Strings

I don't replace mine often, every 5 years or until it breaks. As long as you keep em clean they're fine. Apparently Bernard Edwards never replaced his strings either.

 

because he, like most of the bass players until the 80's, played with flatwounds, and flats don't need to be changed, because they don't get dirt in the windings and don't have a metallic/bright tone.

 

If you want to get overly pedantic they are half rounds as came standard on sting rays at the time and which he never changed. Bernard Edwards himself confirmed this.

"The Bass Player article on Le Freak a few years ago had Nile Rodgers confirming that, for that particular recording, Bernard plugged his Stingray directly into the board. There's also a video clip on YouTube where Nile confirms that during an interview in their prime the journalist asked Bernard:

"Bernard, you have that fantastic sound - what kind of strings do you use?"

To which Bernard replied:

"I dunno - what kind of strings come on a Musicman?"

 

I don't know, are the 42-year-old flats on my '63 P considered "old"? What about the 14-year-old strings on my Univox Coily? Are the 5 to 10-year-old strings on most of my basses "old"?

If so, I'll give a tentative yes to "Do any of you play a bass with old strings?"

 

I just like the sound. Truthfully, that kind of analysis is far beyond what I'm focused on. I dislike the bright sound of all new strings, but I find older strings much more pleasing to my ear. I do have a couple of basses with rounds, but the strings are at least two years old before I like them.

Supportive? Sonic space?

Nah, they sound good.

 

I'm trying to, but not having luck picking the right strings...

My EBMM with Roto Jazz77 are at 2-3 years and I'm finding that they are loosing their sustain and tension in a bad way. I'm all for floppy, but this is just not musical.

On my P I have standard D'ads that are 2 years old and they are now just beginning to sound right. Hoping to get ten years out of them.

I'm looking at TIs, EB flats, Labella White coppers & Chromes for the EBMM currently. Be nice to hear others with aged strings!!

 

With flats, the older the better. I only replace a string when it breaks, and that hasn't happened for me in many years. Most of my basses wear strings with ten or more years of use on them with no adverse effects. I wipe them down after playing and use GHS Fast Fret now and then...that's about it.

 

There's probably nothing in music more personal and subjective than what YOU like in terms of your sound as you play.

To me, the important things are that you be happy with what you hear, and that it function well within the music you play. The rest is window dressing.

 

Those would have been Brite Flats. They have plenty of room for dirt to build up. Guess the funk's in the gunk then.

 

The Fender 9050 flats on my E-series P are coming up on 2 years old, and IMO they've only gotten nicer with age. These new Fenders are bright, almost too bright for my liking, when they're new but they dull down very nicely and they still snap well when slapped. I can't wait to get a set on the Jazz bass I've just started paying on...

 

Meh.. I'll spend the $25 and replace mine every month or so...

 

The old string sound and the new string sound both appeal to me, but I tend to stick with new string zing on most of my basses because I can get fat tones with new strings but I can't get new string zing with old ones. I do keep a couple with flats on them, but I don't have more than 3 years on any of them. At one time I had a bass with flats that were 7 or 8 years, but they got a little too dead for me by then.

What can I tell you? I started playing bass in the mid-70's when roundwounds started to become all the rage.

 

I love the 27 yo rounds on my P bass. I play it and as soon as it's no longer needed, it goes back in its water-tight case. Tuned DGCF. Very fat low-end.