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When Do You Change Strings

#21
RASHOSS said:
I remember when I was a "kid", I snapped a string mid-gig. To this day I'm a bit petrified that I'll break a string and not know how to respond. With that said, I've been changing my strings every 4-6 months, not knowing what the life of them actually is :rollno: After reading these posts, I'd say I've been spending too much money on strings...
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This happened to me too, just once, back in 1975. I had no spare strings and got through the gig on just 3.

I now carry a spare bass to every gig just in case. I have never had a string break at a gig since. If you have a spare bass then maybe take it to the gig if you have the space. Over the years it will pay for itself on not buying all those new strings!
 
#23
BassNeo said:
Unlike guitards and their $5.00 strings, I only change mine when I can afford it.

*kicks cat*
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*kicks cat aswell* im the same. plus theres a pecking order with my basses as to when they get there strings changed.
jazz bass
p-bass
aria pro-ii xrb
peavey milestone 3
stingray copy
thunderbird copy

the jazz and p-bass are the main 2 so i change them alot more. mostly when the rounds on them dont feel like they have much left in them. for me there is no feeling worse than old slack rounds
 
#24
never

Labella flats on the P basses
Chromes on the Jazz
TI Jazz Flats on the short scale hollowbodies

I don't bang on my instruments and I'm not worried about breaking them. I always carry an extra instrument to gigs, but I worry more about electronics going bad than I do string breakage. I do like to keep a good coat of Dunlap 65 on them. Maybe it's all in my head, but I like to keep my strings, the way I like my women - supple and a little greasy.
 
#25
On my gigging basses, about once a month - the rest get changed when they're absolutely beat, and sometimes get the take-offs from the gigging basses... If I played flats, it would be different, but I'm a nickel round player...


- georgestrings
 
#26
Getting into fivers, none of my present basses are more than a few years old.

I gigged my Jazz V for a while, then changed just to put DR nickel low riders on it, and my ATK that I’ve had less than a year has the original Elixirs on it. Between the two, I have at a couple hundred four-set gigs plus jamming on them, and theysound fine.

My Squier Jazz V music-room beater has a lot of hours on the original strings with no issues.

I thought I had a problem with the strings on one bass, put it up for a while, then when I took it back out, cleaned the strings a bit, and it sounded fine.

I wonder if it’s just a psycho-acoustic thing sometimes, we just think they hear a difference.
 
#29
I don't have a hard and fast rule. Some strings seem to last a long time, others seem to go rubbery after a few months. I prefer strings broken in a bit, but if they get too old it seems to me that the lower strings lose more tension and the output becomes inconsistent across the neck. If I feel or hear a significant change I will replace the set.
 
#30
Wow! Some of you guys have a real contrast to what I do with my strings. Would I be right in guessing you guys who never change your strings play Jazz?

I love a bright tone, and consequently, I change my strings as often as I can afford, and when my strings go dull.

Sterling Stingray: D'addario Prosteels 100 - 45 ~2-3 months
Ibanez Iceman: D'addario Prosteels 110 - 50 ~3-4 months

I play Rock and Metal with bands, a lot of funk on my own.
 
#33
doomdude said:
Wow! Some of you guys have a real contrast to what I do with my strings. Would I be right in guessing you guys who never change your strings play Jazz?

I love a bright tone, and consequently, I change my strings as often as I can afford, and when my strings go dull.

Sterling Stingray: D'addario Prosteels 100 - 45 ~2-3 months
Ibanez Iceman: D'addario Prosteels 110 - 50 ~3-4 months

I play Rock and Metal with bands, a lot of funk on my own.
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I don't play jazz, my cover band plays everything from Floyd Kramer, to classic and modern country to classic and modern rock to funk and disco - it depends on the room and the crowd.

My Labella flats do everything I need with just a turn of the tone knob, no string changes required.
 
#36
When I'm about to record something, otherwise, I rock them for about a year. Sometimes if there's a fancy new string or a cool looking package I'll pick up a pair on a whim, too. :D

Strings make such an impact on sound it's almost insane considering how much we obsess over tone and gear surrounding it.
 
#37
Wow. I'm new to the forumn and to bass playing, but I have to change acoustic steel strings on my guitar every two weeks (if I'm playing more than a few hours a day). Four weeks max. After that, the DiAdarrio's are dead. When they go dull, the entire guitar suddenly sounds like a cheap banger (it's an Eastman). Sets are only $6 however.

I just put my first set of DiAdarrio's on my P bass ..... Sounds like I won't have to worry about changing them so often. But, years??? That'll save some money.


Turtle
 
#38
Flats on my MM Sabre have been on there going on 5 years but it's not my gigging bass. The P-Bass gets a new set almost monthly - round wounds, as i sweat like a pig which kills them pretty quickly even though i wipe them down and do my best to get the most out of them before they sound like sticks.

John Illsley, the bass players from Dire Straits has his tech call for the Brother in Arms tour. He asked if he could get (and i'm totally serious about this) one set of strings for the tour. He hadn't broken a string in forever but wanted a back up set, just in case.
 
#39
Pilgrim said:
P-bass.jpg
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That's one nice lookin' bass you got there, Pilgrim. I even love the strap!

I'm with everyone else who said I change strings when they break--which is never, so far.

On the other hand, I've been thinking about trying flats on one of my basses, just to see if I like them.

Otherwise, just keep 'em clean, boil them every now and then, and they'll last for years.
 
#40
D'Addario Half-rounds on my fretless Lakland
D'Addarion EXP Nickels on my fretted Lakland

Both are about 2 years old, and aren't going to be changed any time soon. I love the tone I am getting out of my fretless, and the EXP's brighten back up (just enough) with good use of GHS fast fret.
 

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