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Strings: Old or new?

How old do you like your strings?

  • UInder a week. If they're a week old they're DEAD!

    Votes: 23 12.3%
  • Under 3 months old.

    Votes: 70 37.4%
  • Under 6 months old.

    Votes: 41 21.9%
  • Under a year - I change Annually.

    Votes: 26 13.9%
  • Jamerson style - 2 years old is fresh to me.

    Votes: 27 14.4%

  • Total voters
    187
  • Poll closed .
I was wondering if anyone new how to possibly revive strings. I've heard somethings but never tried them. to revive i heard to wipe your strings with Brute,that sounds stupid! But if it works I guess I would try it? I also heard that if you boil'em they will last longer? I don't know? If you do let me in on it...........
 
Originally posted by Moe84
I was wondering if anyone new how to possibly revive strings. I've heard somethings but never tried them. to revive i heard to wipe your strings with Brute,that sounds stupid! But if it works I guess I would try it? I also heard that if you boil'em they will last longer? I don't know? If you do let me in on it...........

Rubbing alcohol, my friend.
 
Hello Moe84: Welcome to Talk Bass and greetings from a very sunny, lil' ole England.

Renovating strings does work. Boiling them wrecks the nylon (or whatever it is) binding @ the tuning post end of the string. (You should have seen the look on my missus's face when I stood at the stove "cooking" my strings in pan.....")

One of the guys on here, quite recently, advocated getting some plastic tube - say plumbing pipe or electrical conduit - blocking off one end then filling it with some sort of cleaning spirit then putting the strings into it for a while. Sounds like a good idea.

I'm a bit against removing the strings from the bass frequently, then puting them back. I've had a bash @ cleaning them on the bass but have been very frightened of ruining the bass' finish with solvents etc.

I think the bottom line is that refreshing strings is a very temporary thing.

Rockin John
 
Thanks for the welcome Rockin John, and the reply, I agree withyou on not going to the hassle to take the strings off,clean them and back on they go. You might as well put on new strings.Well I hope everything is well in jolly ole' England, Hope to talk shop with you real soon
 
always new string the new sound is the best clean and heavy alive not dead i used to use dadario 45 stainles steel is f**in great and if he get over the two weeks i put them in(idont now the name of this liquid in englis but you use this liquid to start up fire no and is in 2 color white and blue well in greek we call them ionopnevma)
 
Brand new strings are a little too bright to me. After I change, I have to beat the hell out of them for a day or two before they sound right. But my bass is very bright.

There was a time when I was in college I was playing in the school jazz band, the basketball pep band (same band, different folder of music), rock ensemble (don't ask), private bass lessons, a metal band outside of school, working on things on my own that had nothing to do with any of that, and some studio stuff (I was in a sound technology program, everyone had recording projects to do, bassists were in short supply and I was usually in the building, so... ) I was playing thirty to forty hours a week! During that time, I changed strings about every other week when I could afford it. But usually strings will last me at least a couple months, often more like six. Just depends on how much I play.
 
Originally posted by bassvirtuoso13
I use custom gauge (yep they give em too me)
D'Addario strings on my 4,5,6, and 7 string basses. I change them every week, because I play atleast 7 hours a day and they feel awful (from all the sweating) after 5 days. By the way I go to Berklee so I have the right to play 7 hours.

What's a matter dude, They would not let you into "eastmen" Nah man we did not forget;)
 
Your polling options are too simple.

Strings have a natural progression from the brand-new-out-of-the-packet through to sweat-covered-lines-of-iron-ore-arranged-on-a-bass.

Each position on the continuum has it's own unique appeal (except for broken). I dig 'em all. The sproinky, fresh, vibrant sound fades into a biting growly rumble. Over time thump and boom grow and mature, and the ringing and pinging treble mellows into a pleasant soothing icing on the sonic cake.

Then, you clean them and it starts again, a little bit different.

Ahhhhhhhh, Bass.
 
This one time I bought a set of D'Adadario (how ever the F*** you spell it) Slowound Med Lights and the F***in' G-string snapped in only 6 days which would equal about 6 or so hours on 'em...I was mad, that set had cost me like $40...I've now since avoided them and went to Ken Smith Steel Rockers Roundwounds oooooo:eek: dang, those be good strings!!! I suggest everyone try 'em, cuz they are only about $25 a set (5 string, cheaper for 4 and a little more for 6).