Bass String Discussion

Bass String

  • Change Bass strings often

    Votes: 7 23.3%

  • Leave Bass strings on for extended period/permanent

    Votes: 23 76.7%
  • Total voters
    30
I

In Tune Audio

New member
Alright, I'm a piano guy and technician who's been hacking more and more on guitar and bass. I'm obsessive about changing strings on my acoustic guitar. I love getting a good tone, and liked messing around with different string makes and styles to get different tonnes.

I just bought my second bass, a Yamaha frettless. I quite regularly change the strings on my other bass, but when I picked up my new bass (that I bought used from a buddy) the strings were quite old, and I commented on that. My buddy (guitar player not bass player) said all his bass buddies told him never to change the strings on a bass. That it's better if you don't.

This goes against everything I've ever heard, or experienced in practiced. But as a piano guy I'm not an expert. Any thoughts on this? On a bass is it better to change often, or leave the strings on for an extended period?

Now that I think of it, I'll try starting a poll with this.
 
I guess that depends on whether or not you like the tone of new strings.
I'm sure you can go longer than you would on a guitar, but I don't know why you would let them go forever.
 
I say leave them on there because its a BASS guitar. Not only cost efficient, the tone won't change dramatically because the main purpose is BASS. If it does lose any tone it can be fixed with simple e.q., because you want a little treble, little mid, and BASS.



BASS! lol
 
I have to play bass frequently. IMO you don't have to change strings that often on a bass especially a fretless bass but you do have to change them once in a while due to fret wear. I usually change strings on my bass two to four times a year, depending on how much they are being played.
When I am playing guitar a lot I will change guitar strings one or more times a week.
 
i havent changed the strings to my fender 5 string jazz in 14 years or so.. they still sound fine to me.... they lose a little twang in the first month or so... but after that its all the same
 
I'm actually a piano tech myself.

Anyway ...... you change bass strings when they get dead. It's not just the tone as Anomoly mentioned ..... it's when they get dead and lose any sustain or don't ring out anymore.
But it really depends on how much you play and what kind of strings/sound you're going for.
If you only play occassionaly then I don't see any reason why you wouldn't get a couple of years out of a set. They go dead because of finger oils and such getting into the windings and dampening the string.
You know how some pianos will have 50 year old bass strings that still sound good? That's because nothing rubs up and down the strings like your fingers do on a bass. But the strings don't go dead just from time passing ...... that's why old pianos often don't need the strings changed.
 
I love the tone of new strings but if I changed my bass strings as much as my guitar strings...I would be going through enough of em' to wrap them around the earth three times over. Never mind the cost.
 
I know that you wouldn't change bass strings as often as guitar strings. I just meant regularly not leaving them on pretty much forever.
 
Last interval was actually six months, I'm the only person who plays it just to lay basic bass lines, a couple times a week maybe on my home recordings.
 
some like to let the strings get dead...depending on the model of bass you are playing, this can accomplish a certain sound...dead strings are great for jazz, or any style where you want a retro "thumpy" type of sound, and not a bright attack.

If you want to make your old strings bright again, take 'em off and throw them in a pot of boiling water for 10-15 minutes...it'll loosen up some of that dirt, and your strings will be close to new sounding again...
 
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I've got a steinberger bass (not a paddle shaped one), and i thought it would be nice to change those 20 year old strings. Ugh, now it sounds crap.
 
It depends on type and brand. Flatwounds seldom needs to be changed. Roundwounds need to be changed more often. Some roundwounds, like Maxima, last long time. Rotosounds seem to die fast. And it depends upon your own body chemistry. Some guys just eat strings up.
 
I change my strings about once a year. When I'm recording I like to have new strings for the crisp tone. When I'm jamming and gigging more often, I like the consistent tune of strings that have had about a month to acclimate to the bass.
 
I personally leave them on till they break or fall off... and that's always before they go dead. I actually still use the original 8 yr old E for my second bass (had a new set and broke the E). I guess it's just what you like and how much $$$ you got to burn. I can think of many more thinks I would spend $20 on than a new set of bass strings when my old set still good.
 
metalhead28 said:
I guess that depends on whether or not you like the tone of new strings.
I'm sure you can go longer than you would on a guitar, but I don't know why you would let them go forever.
Click to expand...

nicely said
 
It's a matter of tone preference.
I HATE the toppy twang of roundwound strings. I loved my flats but they're becoming harder to comeby & dearer to boot. As a result I kept my flats on for as long as I could get a good sound from them & that was, well, 10 years of weekly use.
Change when you don't like the sound anymore - assuming you do with what's on at present.
Cost is an important issue. As a student I used to buy used strings from the music shop as the prop. was a bassist who gigged almost nightly & could afford to change regularly. The used strings were in great condition & fitted my bass beautfully so I had no probs. That option doesn't seem to come around much anymore.
Oh, broken strings - I did replace my bass strings set when I broke strings. Almost always broke the A while playing in a band with no internal sense of sound balance & no one to sit at the mixer so I had to bang away to be heard.
 
Thanks everyone for the input.

I wasn't really happy with the tone so I tried changing them. Not an earth shattering difference but it does have a little more life now. NOt planning on changing them too often but maybe around once a year.

Thanks Again!
 
the longer the strings are on there, the more wear and tear and if you're a gigging muso, u probably won't want to take that risk.....but NEVER changing the strings on your bass would be a stupid thing to do, and if anyone argues they like the dead thud kinda sound, (i'm being serious for those who havn't heard of the technique) before you put the strings on, boil them in hot water, which takes the twangi new string kinda sound out of em :) that way you'll get the tone you're after, and you want have to be using rusty old strings. yuk....
 
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