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Post subject: How often do you change strings?
Posted: Mon Dec 21, 2009 4:30 pm
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With prices being sky high, I was wondering how often everyone changes their strings.

Also, do you ever get metal splinters in your fingers from the strings. I do. Was wondering how to stop this from happening.

Thanks to all for your help.


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Posted: Mon Dec 21, 2009 5:29 pm
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Boil your strings, it cleans the dirt off .Ok thats what i do i have had the same strings for about a year now and they sound like new.I will change them as soon as they start to sound bad.Splinters,bad strings i would guess.


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Posted: Tue Dec 22, 2009 3:57 am
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for pros i think they would change strings every live esp when they want to keep the round wound zing.. well if you're like James Jamerson, do they change strings? Never, Paul Turner who likes the played in stainless steel rounds, and some others...

Well for semipros I would say changing rounds in about 5-6 months or so... but there are strings which would last 8-9 months...

and flats well they age like fine wine..


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Posted: Wed Dec 23, 2009 8:01 am
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if ur gettin splinters id suggest changeing ur strings rite away!...they cnt be good strings at all....wat kind are they? ...and i boil strings all the time..ive been usein the same strings for a year and a half....just keep them clean and theyll treat you well


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Posted: Thu Dec 24, 2009 3:11 am
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buzzanr wrote:
if ur gettin splinters id suggest changeing ur strings rite away!...they cnt be good strings at all....wat kind are they? ...and i boil strings all the time..ive been usein the same strings for a year and a half....just keep them clean and theyll treat you well


+1
i had one bass where i haven't really changed the strings... and the bass at my friend's studio never changed too.. we'll they're dead but still sound good to me... i don't really like zingy strings


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Posted: Fri Dec 25, 2009 3:42 am
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I have heard of metal splinters from flats before from less expensive flats.

Wiping down your strings thoroughly after every session with an old but clean piece of cotton like an old sock will seriously extend string life. Not leaving the bass out of the case on a stand to collect dust will also extend life. I am in both of these habits most of the time except on my home practice bass which is on a stand most of the time. This might be why my strings seem to hold up so well, but mostly I think it is the string construction.

I use Thomastik-Infeld Jazz Flats, the JF344 set. They last for years. No kidding. I change them every two years or so and save the old ones for spares. But I've never broken one though.

I use Thomastik-Infeld PowerBass, the EB344 set. I've got one set on one bass that I know is nearly 3 years old. You can visibly see where I finger pluck the strings now as I've worn the finish off. Might be time to change those. But they still sound pretty good to me. I rotate these from gigging bass to a rehearsal/practice bass as they get about a year to a year and a half old.

About 6 months ago I started using the GHS Precision Flats, 3050 REGULAR set. Can't say yet how long they last. But seem to be good affordable flats with a more thumpy old school tone. Like them for Motown stuff.

I've heard of players changing after every gig. That is just crazy unless you have an endorsement deal that gives you 300 free sets a year and a tech on tour with you to do the labor. I guess those people DO have deals and techs.

As far as boiling goes, it does help with most strings but not with others. For example, boiling the TI Jazz Flats lets water into the silk layer between the outer wrap and the core which destroys the silk. The string will be dead in no time after boiling. Labella 760M Jamerson Set uses silk layer too.

Another method of cleaning strings is using denatured alcohol. I've seen a neat home made string cleaning gadget. Basically you buy about a section of 2 to 3 inch pvc pipe and two end caps, aquarium sealer, Duco Cement or similar glue, wine bottle cork, one cup hook like you use to hang cups in the kitchen cabinet and a gallon of denatured alcohol which is reusable for years. Then do the following steps.

1. Cut the pipe so one section is about 45 inches long.
2. Seal one end cap watertight to the tube with non-soluble sealant like aquarium sealer. This is now the bottom of your string cleaner.
3. On the inside of the end cap for the top of the tube cement (glue) the wine cork into the center of the cap and allow the glue to dry completely. 4. Screw the cup hook into the centers of the wine cork.
5. Once everything is dry, then fill the tube nearly full with wather and check for leaks on the bottom. Once satisfied it is watertight completely drain it and invert to dry until no water remains.
6. Once dry, fill tube with denatured alcohol to about one-inch below where the bottom cork will be when the end cap is seated on the tube.

You are now ready to clean strings for a few years. Hang all the ball ends of the used strings on the cup hook. Slip the strings into the tube, push on the top end cap and let them soak in the alcohol overnight. Next day remove strings and push top cap back on. Dry strings with a clean rag and hang them to dry completely for a few hours. The alcohol can be reused over and over for years. Some will evaporate out while the top is off, just refill. Keep the tube with the sealed end down in the corner. Best to store this in an outbuilding due to flammable nature of the alcohol. Don't smoke while the cap is off either. Label the tube as POISON. And KEEP children away from it for they will be curious. The person who showed me this method claims it works just as good as boiling and is more environmentally responsible because you won't be using electricity. The used alcohol will need to be disposed of properly however after several years.


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Posted: Sun Dec 27, 2009 8:26 am
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Metal Splinters - just one of the reasons that I switched to GHS 45-105 Flatwounds on all three of my Fender basses...

Good quality, long life, excellent tonal quality with no unwanted 'slide' sounds or squeeks. I have over 100 hours on two sets and about 65 hours on the third and I have yet to have these GHS F/W's come apart at all.


Hey Dave - Happy New Year !!

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Posted: Mon Dec 28, 2009 12:55 am
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PaducahLuke wrote:
Metal Splinters - just one of the reasons that I switched to GHS 45-105 Flatwounds on all three of my Fender basses...

Good quality, long life, excellent tonal quality with no unwanted 'slide' sounds or squeeks. I have over 100 hours on two sets and about 65 hours on the third and I have yet to have these GHS F/W's come apart at all.


Hey Dave - Happy New Year !!


Hey Luke, Happy Nude Year!

Battle Creek, MI is famous for a couple of things. Boxed breakfast cereal and guitar strings.

I'm using the same GHS strings you are, but in the fatter on the high side 55-70-90-105 gauge which GHS designates as "3050 REGULAR Precision Flatwound Stainless Steel" on a Fender 51 RI. I'm really happy with these Battle Creek, Michigan metals. I like them better than the TI JF344's that cost way over twice as much made by a bunch of Austrians that all probably think I'm Amero-trash living in a trailer park. (I live in a house on the 13th fairway of a country club, which is contrary to popular opinion and a constant annoyance to the country club geeks. I dress like Hugh Hefner unless I have somewhere to go. I sit on the front porch with a Freon powered air horn waiting for someone to try to tee off.)

I like these GHS Precision Flats better than the Labella 760M's too, because while they are not exactly low tension they are decidedly lower tension than the Labella 760M's and yet have the same vintage flavor.

The GHS set's tension is higher than the pricier TI flats, but OMG do they sound vintage correct for Motown and Auld Skool which frankly are precisely the categories where the TI Jazz Flats fall short.

Did ya'll know that the V.C. Squier Company was also based in Battle Creek, MI back in the day? I'm talking about when V.C. Squier was the number one violin and string maker in the world? In addition to making some pretty good violins, V.C. Squier also made strings for EVERYTHING.

I'm wondering if at least some of the people that used to work at V.C. Squier wound up abandoning ship and starting up GHS when Leo Fender bought V.C. Squier out and then he almost immediately sold out to CBS? Mr. Fender's sale to CBS was an event almost immediately followed by CBS laying everyone off at V.C. Squier in Battle Creek and shutting down the V.C. Squier operation completely a few months later in the mid 1960's? This all happened really fast. We are used to this sort of thing now, but in 1965 it would have been completely baffling to the workers.

The GHS website makes no mention of any of this. But the odds of two major string makers both springing up out of one medium sized town makes one wonder why it would all happen in that one town.

Does anyone know if there is a connection between V.C. Squier and GHS? There almost has to be. I've tried to find one, but unless I actually go to Battle Creek and talk to the real old timers working at GHS, I'll probably never find out for sure. There is no mention of where GHS came from, or how GHS got started on their website.

GHS is making good strings though, no matter whether or not V.C. Squire people had anything to do with it.

I tried the GHS Boomers years ago and I was not impressed at all. Just average rounds. I found more "Twang" than "Boom."

The PRECISIONS though were an "AH HAH" moment! The Precisions are a string I will always have around! The same can be said for their nylon wrapped strings. I just want them around me. Quality, consistency, reliability and a feel second to none. GHS Precisions might be one of the best kept bass string secrets around.


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Post subject:
Posted: Mon Dec 28, 2009 5:28 am
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boomers tend to be tight and snappy... well more like larry graham's tone on his custom bass..

ghs precision flats, never tried them, still no stocks around... but from brotherdaves records and some demos i found around the net makes me want to try them.. as well as ti flats loved that "Pino tone"

currently I'm using D'addario Chromes, i just placed them in so i'm not sure how long they last but if ghs would be available i'd swap them immediately..

Chromes sound more close to half rounds to me.. they have middle tension and well defined tone..


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Posted: Mon Dec 28, 2009 5:45 am
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If anyone would like to chat with Marty at GHS about any 'engineering' connection between GHS and V.C. Squier, here is the URL for GHS contacts:

http://www.ghsstrings.com/contactus.php

Let us know what you find... Thanks -


Dave - GLAD that you are using GHS flats, too.

With the Custom Shop '59 pickup configuration on my Mike Dirnt Artist Series P-Bass and GHS flats, it really gets the job done!!

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Posted: Tue Dec 29, 2009 5:17 am
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PaducahLuke wrote:
If anyone would like to chat with Marty at GHS about any 'engineering' connection between GHS and V.C. Squier, here is the URL for GHS contacts:

http://www.ghsstrings.com/contactus.php

Let us know what you find... Thanks -



Good idea. Thanks. I will contact a couple of people there and see if anyone knows. Looks very likely since Leo Fender bought V.C. Squier in '64 and GHS was founded then. However, I would seriously doubt any of the "founders" of GHS are still there after 45 years.


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Posted: Fri Jan 01, 2010 11:00 pm
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Thanks for all the help! I have been eyeing the ghs flats and will give them a try.
I have been getting splinters from the Fender 9050m 55-70-90-105 strings. Also pinch sensations in my index fingertip.
Should I try a lighter guage string?
Are the fender strings considered good or junky?


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Posted: Sat Jan 02, 2010 8:12 am
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Fender 9050s are good strings, but i wouldn't want to use the medium ones.. they're pretty much high in tension... well you could try 9050L 50-95, they have the same tension as most medium roundwounds... what i like about the fender flats well they do sound dead, less clarity and all... same with GHS, love them both...


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Posted: Mon Jan 04, 2010 10:17 pm
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I have a leftover set of 9050ml with the 50-100 low e string. Feels much better.
Been playing the 9050m set for a year now and my left hand is starting to revolt. Especially my left index finger. I want to try the ghs 45-105 set, but my left index finger can't take a 105 low e, just like in the 9050m set. The only other ghs set I have found is too light of a guage. So I will keep looking around for sets with a 100 low e. I want to try something other than fender to get away from splinters.


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Posted: Mon Jan 04, 2010 10:33 pm
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john11.2526@gmail.com wrote:
I have a leftover set of 9050ml with the 50-100 low e string. Feels much better.
Been playing the 9050m set for a year now and my left hand is starting to revolt. Especially my left index finger. I want to try the ghs 45-105 set, but my left index finger can't take a 105 low e, just like in the 9050m set. The only other ghs set I have found is too light of a guage. So I will keep looking around for sets with a 100 low e. I want to try something other than fender to get away from splinters.


Thomastik-Infeld JF344's fit very well on a P-Bass.


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