TI Jazz rounds lifespan

[mambo4]

I have TI flats on my Lull and my PBass (off and on)
Many who dig TIJFs also seem to like TI Jazz rounds

But my Flats have been on for at least a decade (not steady gigging) and still sound fine

How long do TI Jazz rounds take to "go dead" , if ever?
Compared to other brands are they similarly more long lived?

 

[JRA]

i'll be interested in the responses, too.

(FWIW, i don't think i've kept a set of the jazz rounds on any of my axes for more than ~2-2.5 years. i've changed them when they looked cruddy --- IIRC, they still sounded fine. i've also changed them out after what i'd consider 'too many' string swaps: the tuning machine ends were starting to get fragile looking from repeatedly swapping them from one ax to another.)

 

[Silky Johnson]

Depends what you want from a string, for me they lasted about the same as any other roundwound before becoming a bit lifeless for me, maybe 2 months

 

[Gorn]

Mine are about ten years old. Maybe a little older. I'm not a working musician and I don't really play much anyway, but they are in no way dead or even dull.

 

[Killing Floor]

i'll be interested in the responses, too.

(FWIW, i don't think i've kept a set of the jazz rounds on any of my axes for more than ~2-2.5 years. i've changed them when they looked cruddy --- IIRC, they still sounded fine. i've also changed them out after what i'd consider 'too many' string swaps: the tuning machine ends were starting to get fragile looking from repeatedly swapping them from one ax to another.)

Same here. I don't like totally dead strings so once they get to looking and feeling old I'll change them. That said, I've got at least 5 boxed sets of TIJF in my drawer and I'm tempted to use a couple just for grins. But all my current basses still sound good. Maybe when a bass needs deep cleaning it's time.

 

[LetItGrowTone]

Mine never went "dead", but when I finally changed them after about two years I decided that I should have changed them sooner.
I thought the same about TIJFlats too.

 

[thisheregiraffe]

I have no first-hand experience with TI Jazz Rounds (or Jazz Flats for that matter). But from the reviews I've read about them -- a lot of folks on TB seem to really like them! -- it sounds like Jazz Rounds last longer than your typical roundwound strings.

Part of it will come down to the individual. How much you play, maybe how sweaty your hands get, if you clean your hands before playing, wipe down the strings / instrument after a practice session, etc. It's like Smokey Bear says: Only you can prevent forest fires dead strings! And I suppose only you will know when your strings are 'dead' based on your own definition of when a string is too dead for you. Keep an extra pack in your case. Maybe you don't need them for months and months from now. But you will know when it's time to change them.

 

[Brandon Shea]

Depends what you want from a string, for me they lasted about the same as any other roundwound before becoming a bit lifeless for me, maybe 2 months

I’m glad I’m not the only one who kills strings after a couple months. Have you had any better luck with coated strings?

 

[Silky Johnson]

I’m glad I’m not the only one who kills strings after a couple months. Have you had any better luck with coated strings?

Honestly I haven't really tried any coated strings because they cost about double and I assume the coating affects the tone somewhat, but I could be entirely wrong. My hands are fairly oily and even though I almost always wash my hands before playing, most rounds lose their edge quickly for me, and I like that fresh sound

 

[MVE]

I’ve had them on my fretless J for 5+ years.
They aren’t exactly “zingy” but they aren’t “dead” either.
I guess it depends on what sound you need to get out of them.

 

[ELG60]

I have them on a 4 string Fender and a 5 String Devon. The Fender was my #1 until early last year. They both still intonate and sound fine. They're at least 4 years old.

 

[biobass]

I‘ve written this before. This is my experience, after having been a Rotosound Swing Bass 66, 105 - 45, player for 30 years or so. I would need to replace Rotosounds after about 6 months. YMMV.

I get about 6-7 years out of a set of TI Jazz Rounds, whereas other rounds, I would have to replace after 6 months to a year. That is with daily playing and routine gigging. Even at 6 - 7 years, the TIs would still intonate precisely and have much of their original character. Usually, I replace them not because the sound deteriorates, but because the wrappings, especially the g string, show fret wear that makes me worry about the possibility of breakage. That said, in going on 20 years of using TIs on multiple basses, I have only had one string break. That was an E string that came unwound at the 6 year mark. Given their long life, they are among the least expensive strings on the market when the upfront cost is amortized over the playing life.

Note that I have never cared for the sound of brand new rounds. With Rotosounds, I didn’t really like them until after a week or so of playing. The TIs are good to go for me from the start.

Also, the folks at Connolly Music, the US distributor of TI strings, are great. I once had a Jazz Round B string that was out of character with the rest of the set. I contacted them and they sent a replacement immediately. As I recall, they included a prepaid mailer to return the original B string because they wanted the engineers to troubleshoot what the problem was.

Good luck with your quest.

 

[/\/\3phist0]

I’m glad I’m not the only one who kills strings after a couple months. Have you had any better luck with coated strings?

The new DR Dragon skins are on one of my basses, that I have played for many hours of home practice, and a couple really sweaty gigs. So far they are as crisp as the day I put them on. They aren’t as sticky as their previous formula.

Elixirs are nice but they have an odd feel.

Coated is not my general go to, but I do like DR Strings coated, esp the new formula.

 

[coreyfyfe]

I have TI jazz rounds on my medium scale as they’re one of the few medium scale round core round wounds I could find and liked. I like them settled in, not fresh out of the box zing, so after a couple weeks to a month they’re hitting the sound I want. I’ve had the same set on that bass for about a year and they’re still sounding good to me. It’s been my main gigging bass, but my gigs have also slowed down this year for various reasons.

For context my usual rounds are DR fat beams or hi beams, and I like those to be about the same - worn in but not worn out. I think the TIs have lasted a bit longer than the DR sets would have, but hard to say.

 

[jeffb28451]

On my bass, 15 minutes. Didn’t like them at all. I wanted to because I’d heard they last a looong time.

 

[tindrum]

On my bass, 15 minutes. Didn’t like them at all. I wanted to because I’d heard they last a looong time.

What specifically did you not like about them?

 

[nonohmic]

About 6 months of joy, 3 months of fun thud. Then time to move on. IME.

 

[GIBrat51]

I have TI flats on my Lull and my PBass (off and on)
Many who dig TIJFs also seem to like TI Jazz rounds

But my Flats have been on for at least a decade (not steady gigging) and still sound fine

How long do TI Jazz rounds take to "go dead" , if ever?
Compared to other brands are they similarly more long lived?

Well...
I put a set of TIJR324 Jazz Rounds on my '93 Gretsch Broadkaster, going on 8 years ago, now. They still sound - and feel - like they did when they broke in. However...
How is their life compared to other rounds? Hard to say, really. I quit using rounds altogether, and started switching to all flats and tapes about 10 years ago. My badly nerve-damaged, frostbitten hands reached the point where playing rounds was like running my fingers up and down a cheese grater. So, except for the Gretsch? My 29 other basses all wear flats - or tapes... Why does the Gretsch wear the Jazz rounds? Long, sad story that doesn't need telling here...
When I was using rounds, though? I had a couple sets of EB Hybrid Slinkys that lasted about 3 years. And, a set of short scale DR Sunbeams that lasted almost as long. Tore the bejeezus out of my fingers until they died, though... And, my '82 headless Kramer "The Duke" came to me with a set of 50-107 GHS Bass Boomers of... indeterminate age. I played them for about 3 years before they really did die. The Bass Boomers on my '13 Gibson Thunderbird were the last set of rounds I replaced with flats, about 7 years ago. They were... 3 years old, maybe? Still sounded good, though... And, the Rickenbacker Light Gauge Nickel Rounds I used on my 4003? sounded great, but they didn't live very long. usually about 18 months or so...
So, how long will TI Jazz Rounds last? Probably not as long as the Jazz Flats will. Aside from how well you take care of them? Rounds simply do not last as long as flats. And, how well you take care of them - especially how clean you keep them - does matter a great deal. When I play any bass or guitar I own? My hands are always clean and dry. And, when I finish, the instrument - and the strings - is always clean and dry when I put it away. But, I have a feeling that, just as the Jazz Flats can last for a couple of decades (a TB member recently replaced his after 24 years), the Jazz Rounds are certainly capable of outlasting any other rounds...