Why do strings hate me?

[arabassist]

Hiya,

After many of months of playing the same strings that came on my artcore, i realised they were getting too dull and thought i'd try boiling them. So i shoved them in some hot water and watched bits of camel crap fall off, i strung them back on and loved the fresh metallic sound they brought. As expected, after a couple of weeks of playing they lost that 'zing' and ended up sounding like rubber. I finally took them off and replaced them with ernie ball super slinkies and loved the new life they brought back to the bass's sound. However, after a few weeks they lost their metallic sound and became dull like my old ones, ive been forced to boil them a few times in order to bring it back. Why are the strings doing this? Ive noticed my fingers sweat an incredible amount when i play (too much RATM gets the blood pumping ), is that the culprit for making my strings dull?

Cheers

[Eight]

Maybe you're as grubby as Anne-Marie?

[url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=49587&hl="]http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=49587&hl=[/url]

[ahpook]

bass strings do get dull as time goes by - it's just what they do as they get played in.

if you like bright-sounding strings and want to reduce your outlay, have you tried warwick strings ? they're quite cheap on ebay and are very bright-sounding.

[Mr. Foxen]

Elixirs will keep you in the middle. Try soaking them in meths instead of boiling, doesn't age the metal so much.

[Jean-Luc Pickguard]

Flats don't get dull. They get better with age. They don't start with that horrible clanky harpsichord-like zing some people like though.

[clauster]

Boiling works, but the strings do seem to die again sooner. Ernie Ball strings seem to me to get dull quickly anyway (as do Rotosounds). Don't get me wrong, both are fantastic strings, but IMO need replacing regularly.

Elites seem to last a bit longer, but not the brightest sound from new. Warwick Black Label are similar, and with my hands at least, last longer still.

Elixirs sound a bit different to regular strings straight from the pack, but keep their sound for months. They get really fluffy if you use plectra though.

[niceguyhomer]

Try DR Hi-Beams - very bright, very long lasting.

[skankdelvar]

+1 on Elixirs. Mine sound OK for a few years, till the underside of the string flats out from fret wear. Did the calculations and it works out cheaper in the long run, even at undiscounted prices.

Of course, YMMV.

Edited June 14, 2009 by skankdelvar

[Buzz]

To reiterate something that's been said many a time on this forum:

Boiling is bad for the strings. Not bad bad, but not brilliant. Soak them in meths/medical alcohol etc... in order to clean the crap off them rather than boiling, they'll last a bit longer. It's fine to boil in a pinch if you need a set for a gig, but it's not a magical cure all, strings do lose their strechyness over time, and boiling doesn't help by heating up the metal and causing it to expand and then shrink. Cold meths soaks are much better. Do a search on the forums here for the plastic pipe method.

And as you've said you've got sweaty hands, wipe the strings down with a dry cloth after practice/gigs to remove the sweat and oils from them as you're correct, that will be what's killing them.
Or go coated.

Edited June 14, 2009 by Buzz

[GremlinAndy]

try warwick EMP strings...
Bit more expesive from the off, but the upshot is that although they start off a *little* less bright than other rounds, they remain constant for so many hours of usage you'll lose count. The extra cost soon pays for itself. I'm very keen on the new string sound, and mine last *months* of *daily* playing, before loosing the zing.

I'm so impressed with them I can't see me ever switching (at the moment, ...but you never know, with technology, what's around the corner)

Give them a try and I'll be surprised if you're disappointed.

[arabassist]

hmm alright cheers everyone. so which set of strings should i buy then? i wanna a good slap tone out of it.

These [url="http://www.stringsdirect.co.uk/products/582-elixir_nanoweb_electric_bass_"]elixirs[/url]? or these [url="http://www.stringsdirect.co.uk/products/1026-warwick_black_label_bass_strings"]warwick black labels[/url]?

oh and what guages would be best for slapping n popping? lower the better?

[GremlinAndy]

[quote name='arabassist' post='516626' date='Jun 17 2009, 05:04 PM']hmm alright cheers everyone. so which set of strings should i buy then? i wanna a good slap tone out of it.

These [url="http://www.stringsdirect.co.uk/products/582-elixir_nanoweb_electric_bass_"]elixirs[/url]? or these [url="http://www.stringsdirect.co.uk/products/1026-warwick_black_label_bass_strings"]warwick black labels[/url]?

oh and what guages would be best for slapping n popping? lower the better?[/quote]


Well, the nano coating on the Elixirs has a bad rep for flaking. (according to threads on this forum) ...However, I have no first hand experience with them, so you need advice on that from someone who has actual experience on that subject.
I [b]do[/b] know the Black label though. They were my string of choice before the EMPs They are very bright when new, and I would say, last a very reasonable length of time. Longer than most of the other strings I've tried. The EMPs [i]should you reconsider[/i], are nearly as bright as the black label, and have a surface coating which doesn't flake (1st hand experience, here) and last 4 times longer than black label. Makes the price difference seem easily worth it to me. Saves in the long run
Seriously, consider them as a contender.
As for slap tone, I'm afraid I'm a rock bassist and only slap both infrequently, and sadly, quite poorly... so again you need to listen to soemone who knows their slap tone better than I do...
Good luck whichever way you go. I'll be interested to hear you thoughts once you try!

Andy