Don't forget to change your strings!

[Mentaltossflycoon]

The flats on my '74 precision are old enough to obtain a driver's license. The rounds I took off of it were allegedly from the late 80's. 3 sets in 52 years.

 

[jessenator]

Maybe it's because I'm a greaseball, but I feel like I change bass strings far more often than six string. I think that may be why I switched to flats in college… maybe also why I don't play my bass as much… or play anything

Did get a three pack of power slinkys for some C# action, though.

 

[Passinwind]

Bass strings: every year or three, I am using pressurewounds on both my basses and both are fretless fours. If I use my slide on them a lot that wears them out faster, for sure. GHS 40-96 for the one with single coils., SIT Silencers in 45-100 for the one with sidewinder humbuckers.

Acoustic guitar: ~3 months seems to be about right for the coated D’Ad XS I’ve settled on, playing an hour or two most days. 12-53.

Electric guitar: a few times a year, maybe. I play mine very rarely these days though and it never leaves my house. Currently using NYXLs, 11-49. Great for clean jazzy stuff in standard tuning.

 

[HamishR]

When gigging I would change strings before every gig. Three 40 minute sets would wear them out pretty good. Probably more from sweat than anything else. But at home they last a few months usually. I used to use regular D'Addarios and they sometimes wouldn't last more than a set, but Ernie Balls held up better. I have tried coated strings but don't like how they sound on electric.

I just changed strings on one guitar because it was a pain to get in tune. And now it holds tune ike a champ and sounds great. Now I should do the next guitar.

 

[NickKUK]

In my youth I used to break more strings, perhaps this is down to less skill as a player

I now have four guitars (prices for a direct string supplier here in the UK):
* the strat is around £8-9 for a new set - I've pretty much stuck with Fender strings for that
* the acoustic is around ~£12 for a set of EB Earthwood Phosphor Bronze
* the solid body 7 string can be £22 for a set of EB Paradigm 10-62, £22 for Elixir Opitweb, or £10 for D'Addario EXL120-7 54-10 or EXL110-7 10-59.

The new build archtop.. 7 strings set £38 (51USD) D'Addario ECG24-7 flatwound chrome steel 11-65. Alternative is going with a 6 string set like the Thomastik-Infeld then add a TI single string (23+6=£29) or go with D'Addario EJ21+single string (£12+4=£16.00). Benson's strings are ... £45 for 6 plus the price for a single string
The initial stringing on the archtop will be a trash set anyway.

So it becomes a seriously expensive habit.. so now I'll replace the strings once a year, or if they've snapped and the set is cheap enough. Thankfully the 7 strings are the ones that get the most playing and hence the others don't need regular replacements.

Now don't get me started on the cost of replacing 12ax7s, ef80s and ez80/81s..

 

[Harry Klippton]

Unfortunately, I can hear old strings. As soon as I hear that sound, or they get lumps where the frets are, I gotta change em

 

[swelchy]

I go through about 6-8 sets a month.... I love NYXL 10-46 strings but lately I'm only using those on my tele I love the most... All the rest get Ernie ball 10-46...Really should be buying the 25 set bulk D'Adarrios.. I have around 8 electrics that I consistently play in rotation live every week.... It's usually two guitars that are being restrung per week consistently... I'll have around 3-5 hours of practice time on those two guitars and then play three sets on the weekend... after that I deem them for a change or rotate to one of my other guitars. I can stretch the timing out and practice/play the three sets again but I'm teetering on a string break during set... No way to make it a 3rd round . I will bust a string.. My pick angle/attack is pretty rough on a set of strings...

 

[Joben Magooch]

I'm probably about monthly on electric, maybe more like every 6 weeks. But I'm kind of picky-not-picky about strings... I don't want dead sounding ones but I don't really care for brand-new string sound either. I don't like coated strings or stainless steel and "warmer" strings like pure nickel always feel weird to my fingers. My favorites are good ol Daddario XLs; I've got a subscription for a pack a month but lately it seems like I am receiving more sets of strings than are actually getting put on guitars...

Bass is like....maybe yearly on rounds and pretty much never on flats.

Acoustic I actually do quite prefer "dead" sounding strings. I use Martin Monels which are already super mellow and they last in that state forever. I pretty much play them till they're ready to break. Although I couldn't tell you the last time I broke a string on any instrument lol

 

[andare]

At approximately CA$650 per set, I don't change strings unless I break one.

Per string, that's about €105, £93, or US$125 for each string.


I liked Obligatos, but I kept breaking them, switched to Pirazzi and haven't broken any. Yet. Well, for more than a decade.


However, what I have on my most-used bass right now is Super-Nils, just below CA$250 for a set.

Wait are you talking about upright? That's a real bass!

 

[HamishR]

I assumed he was. I used to work in a music shop that sold a lot of strings to classical musicians. Some of those got really pricey. Some of them were sold in long tubes and were in the hundreds of dollars.

 

[anevilspar7an]

I screwed myself by playing a 6-string bass so I play the set as much as I can until EQ can't fix it. I actually have strings for it right now that I'm holding off on until I start playing live again as I have recently joined a local band.

 

[Feral Feline]

I'm not a classical musician, wish I was that good — I'm just a guy making noise with an upright; I've only ever gigged DB.

 

[andare]

I'm not a classical musician, wish I was that good — I'm just a guy making noise with an upright; I've only ever gigged DB.

I cannot comprehend how it's possible to play a fretless instrument. Playing the upright bass is my second musical wet dream, the first being playing the bassoon.
Maybe one day when space and finances are not tight.

 

[Feral Feline]

I cannot comprehend how it's possible to play a fretless instrument. Playing the upright bass is my second musical wet dream, the first being playing the bassoon.
Maybe one day when space and finances are not tight.

I play trombone, too.

 

[Mentaltossflycoon]

I play trombone, too.

The good ol' blatweasel. All the potential intonation challenges of a viol with the same social shunning that comes with playing the bassoon.

 

[Passinwind]

I cannot comprehend how it's possible to play a fretless instrument. Playing the upright bass is my second musical wet dream, the first being playing the bassoon.
Maybe one day when space and finances are not tight.

Fretted basses totally mess me up, but I started on fretless bass guitar in 1972 and was oblivious to how much I sucked! A few years later I ported to upright, but it was too impractical for my gypsy lifestyle. Then my only bass for a few decades was a fretless Travis Bean. Many years later I bought a nice EUB and gigged a ton on it for around 15 years. So I can do pretty well on friends' uprights when I get the chance, but I have to be careful not to hurt myself overdoing it.

 

[swelchy]

I have secretly wanted to learn Cello for over a decade but have never pulled the trigger on an instrument..

 

[andare]

I play trombone, too.

Does it come with a spittoon?

 

[Feral Feline]

I have secretly wanted to learn Cello for over a decade but have never pulled the trigger on an instrument..

If there's a darker corner of the Dark Side, cello is in it.
I can't wrap my brain around string-tunings in 5ths (cello, mandolin, etc).

Some of the Bass Greats I admire dabbled with fifths-tunings... Red Mitchell dedicated himself to it.
For classical I'm not as familiar, but from what I've read it's Joel Quarrington carrying the fifths-flag.

If I manage to get a cello I'll follow on down Oscar Pettiford's path of tuning it in 4ths an octave higher than DB.

Does it come with a spittoon?

Well, yes, mine does.


I'd really like to get a Sackbutt... also known as the Shagbolt...

The sackbutt is the precursor to the trombone.

 

[swelchy]

If there's a darker corner of the Dark Side, cello is in it.
I can't wrap my brain around string-tunings in 5ths (cello, mandolin, etc).

Some of the Bass Greats I admire dabbled with fifths-tunings... Red Mitchell dedicated himself to it.
For classical I'm not as familiar, but from what I've read it's Joel Quarrington carrying the fifths-flag.

If I manage to get a cello I'll follow on down Oscar Pettiford's path of tuning it in 4ths an octave higher than DB.



Well, yes, mine does.


I'd really like to get a Sackbutt... also known as the Shagbolt...

The sackbutt is the precursor to the trombone.

I played mandolin in a gigging bluegrass band for around 13 years here in Georgia.... Probably why my ears hear Cello the way it does.... I'm actually thinking about getting back into the group of folks I was playing with. I had to step out because of work got too hectic. They found a multi instrument guy pretty quick that played mandolin, dobro and guitar and they kept going. They are back at it again and practicing weekly and asked me to come sit in anytime during their practices.