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You mean eventually reusing strings you took off? You will probably be fine…but…taking them on and off increases the risk of killing them. It’s not a forgone conclusion - lots of people do it. But it is a risk.
Correct, I have a set of TI flats I have restrung my bass with a few times. I like them alot but don't want to ruin them.
Does your bass have the type of bridge that allows the ball end to be freed and re-seated without the whole string having to be threaded through a little hole like the traditional Fender bridge?
This is the question - a bridge with quick release slots allows you to gracefully take the string off at the tuner end, without bending anything more than necessary going through the bridge - that greatly increases the number of times you can change strings before things go south. You also need to store the strings not being used in a manner so that the curled up tuner end doesn't get bent.
I have two, one active and one passive. I like the passive sound with both types of strings so I switch back and forth. My active bass I only like with rounds.
That can be a problem switching back and forth between two sets of strings. The coiled ends off of the tuner posts can be a pain threading through the hole. Trying to straighten them too much can result in metal fatigue and eventual breakage at the tuner end.
If I were in your position, I would look into investing in a bridge with quick-release slots.
Just by another bass the same for your other set of strings.
But another bass!
But another bass!
Buy another bass!
But another bass!
Buy another bass!
Every time you change the tension on a string, you deform its crystal-lattice structure. There's a permanent component of deformation and a temporary component of deformation, both of which work together to create an overall difference in the same set of strings. This happens in small, but hugely additive, amounts as we play... which is why strings eventually wear out. With repeated loosening and re-tensioning as you swap string sets back-and-forth, you are making significantly larger deformations all at once, which will most definitely cause your strings to wear out faster.
Thanks everyone for your input, sounds like I will keep one set on. Also buying a new bass is certainly the fun option lol.
I own a couple of sets of string that have been on most of the basses I own (only 10) and have been on a number of them twice. If something happens to them in the process, que sera sera.
If there is any sharp bend in the string, such as where it goes in the tuner hole and then bends over to wrap around the pig, do not try to straighten that kink!
I think removing and replacing strings probably works a little better if you always take off and replace on the same instrument, since you don't have to change to bends in order to accommodate different headstock configurations.
I think this is exactly what the OP is talking about... Switching back and forth between rounds and flats on the same bass.
IME it’s the tuner wraps that are the problem. Can only be removed and retightened a handful of times before they break.
Take it from @tb-player. Buy another bass.But another bass!
But another bass!
Buy another bass!
To put the former responses from other Tbers in layman's terms: strings are made of metal. Metal gets fatigued the more it gets bent and stretched. Changing strings bends and stretches them more than playing them does. This leads to premature wear. Some sets are more prone to breakage and deadening than others. You may or may not win at this form of Russian roulette. Hope this helps.
I take strings on and off all the time. Top loading bridges make it easy, no holes to thread the already wound ends through. I try to keep flats and rounds cut for each, and switch whenever the mood strikes. No problem.
My TI flats go off and on many times and from bass to bass if the strings will work with the headstock.
Rounds go into a tube with denatured alcohol and soak, then get wiped down. I’m always experimenting with gauges and different rounds, I’ll mix sets looking for that perfect feel.
Strings get used until they are dead. I used to play much harder and boil my strings to stretch between sets. I would occasionally break strings. It’s been decades sinceI broke a string.
My TI flats go off and on many times and from bass to bass if the strings will work with the headstock.
Rounds go into a tube with denatured alcohol and soak, then get wiped down. I’m always experimenting with gauges and different rounds, I’ll mix sets looking for that perfect feel.
Strings get used until they are dead. I used to play much harder and boil my strings to stretch between sets. I would occasionally break strings. It’s been decades sinceI broke a string.
