Double Bass Survey: How do you break in your new strings after installation???

[Don Hergert]

While I'm a relative newbie, I've changed double bass strings quite a few times by now, including just recently... And I've read of more than one way to break the strings in.

Hence the question.

I'd really be interested in hearing method preferences -- and also how successful in speeding up break-in those methods are.

 

[TroyK]

Play normally + some extra arco practice.

 

[Mark_T]

I am a pretty firm believer in metal core strings and they tend not to stretch too much. I'm pretty diligent about winding them under tension, so after the initial tune I don't generally have to adjust them more than once or twice.

The thing I do get really careful about is watching the bridge to be sure that winding the strings on didn't pull the top towards the fingerboard. I usually adjust that after each string goes on, and then snug things up at the end, and I'll probably check it the next day too (although it's usually stable by then).

 

[garrett2]

Flex -- just put it on. Gut A, it never stops stretching so really no point in trying.

 

[sean_on_bass]

i just play them normally and re-tune as needed. so nothing special.

 

[Chris Fitzgerald]

Just play them and try to wear them in while adjusting technique to try to get the best sound out of them when they are brighter than I might like.

 

[SVT4001]

Yeah, Garrett2's got it.
Steel, just get on with life.
Gut, for the first couple/few weeks you'll spend half of your time tuning, and the other half playing out of tune! lol!

 

[Tom Lane]

I installed a full set of spiros a couple of months ago and found myself tuning two or three times in an hour's practice and that continued for about a week, though less tunings as time went on, less than a quarter step off. I tried to practice a bit longer since they seemed intent on going flat when I wasn't looking and an out-of-tune open string tweaks me much more than when I'm a bit out of tune because it confuses me. I think I'm wrong but no, I'm playing in tune until I strike the open string and it's off! Usually, it's the other way around, I'm a bit off for a few notes, hit the open string and adjust.

 

[TroyK]

The Spirocores on my bass are so stable that sometimes after moving it across town, I pull it out of the case in tune.

 

[Chris Fitzgerald]

Dominants are so stable that I’ve gone close to a month without having to retune. About a decade ago, I had a tour that went to Philly and NYC, including car travel and multiple hotel stays, and I never had to tune the thing even once the whole trip. Other strings, not so much, especially when new. I’ve had students with guts that go out every tune or so. I could never quite understand why anyone would want to go through that, but different strokes.

 

[Sam Dingle]

Haven’t changed my strings in a few years now but last I remembered I swap them durring a slow week and make sure to up my practice.

 

[trseal]

OK, I picked #6 becuz that was the closest answer. But the true is-- and not that difficult-- 1. Install 2. Tune 3. STRETCH, STRETCH, STRETCH the living s---* out of them 4. Tune 5. Repeat #3 and #4 until STRETCHING no longer requires retuning 6. Retune and enjoy for the life of the strings (usually 20+ years). Maybe takes 10 minutes.

Tim

*snot

 

[Kevin Hailey]

OK, I picked #6 becuz that was the closest answer. But the true is-- and not that difficult-- 1. Install 2. Tune 3. STRETCH, STRETCH, STRETCH the living s---* out of them 4. Tune 5. Repeat #3 and #4 until STRETCHING no longer requires retuning 6. Retune and enjoy for the life of the strings (usually 20+ years). Maybe takes 10 minutes.

Tim

*snot

This seems like terrible advice, a good way to damage strings or the bass. The only strings I’ve ever used, Spiros and Evahs are stable in their tuning after a couple of days max, No big deal. Break in to get past the new string sound just requires lots of playing.

 

[Anne Millington]

I ignore them, and expect them to behave themselves.

 

[Don Hergert]

Just for transparency, I'm the currently single "4) obsessed: ..." poll participant. I installed the new strings on Thursday evening and literally re-tuned them every couple of waking hours plus whenever I was up during the middle of the night. Today I played it in a jam/practice session and the new strings are now stable for tuning, although there may still be some more tone related changes.

I'm really surprised no one has selected choice "5) abusive: ...", since we have a number of almost purely arco folks here. In my limited experience, the bow tends to settle new strings better than any other exercise, but I only use the bow a little, not enough to provide that exercise constantly.

 

[PBandJazzBass]

I seem to have forgiving body chemistry as far as how long it takes bright strings to lose that “new string zing.” Round wound BG strings have lasted me for years in some cases. So my go to method is to not wipe down bright upright strings for at least a few weeks to a couple months, depending on the string. Sometimes I’ll even let rosin build up.

For synthetic core strings, I’ll intentionally tune them a little sharp in between gigs/practicing when new. Seems to help them stretch quicker.

 

[Shenron]

9) what are "new strings"?

 

[garrett2]

Using a pick and whammy bar will stretch them faster. For some reason an overdrive helps.

On a double bass?

 

[Chris Fitzgerald]

On a double bass?

Folks, the "DB" prefix on all threads in the Double Bass forum stands for Double Bass. Please check the thread title of the thread you are replying to before typing a reply. We don't want to keep non double bassists from replying to threads in the DB forum, but when they do, we would like for them to be doing so intentionally.

There are areas like music theory where the topics need not be DB specific, but for things like strings, setup, basses, etc. the topics do actually relate to two very different instruments.

 

[Earl]

I can't answer your survey, because I use rounds on all my basses and I've never noted having to tune new ones 'every 5 minutes'. They play pretty much as normal right away, in my experience.

What are rounds?