extend life of slinkies

[SeizeTheKarp]

hey guys,

been a slinky user for a long time but i can never get more than a week or two of good sound out of them. it helps that theyre relatively inexpensive but id like to buy one set a month and be good. is there any tips you have about extending the "bright" tone life of them? i already wipe them off with a cloth after each use and wash my hands before i play. for reference i play a couple hours a day and gig weekly.

SIDENOTE: im currently trying cobalts because ive heard their tone lasts a long time but they are a bit harsh when fresh id like to switch back to super slinkies if i can.

SIDENOTE: im talking about bass strings

 

[beej]

Mine last a while, but obviously that varies with play time. The Cobalts definitely last longer, but they have a different sound (not to mention that the plain strings are the same).

Have you tried the Paradigms? They sound like the Super Slinkys, but last a lot longer.

 

[SeizeTheKarp]

sorry should have clarified, im talking about bass strings

 

[timtheshredder]

Not sure there is really any trick to extending the life. Some people wipe them down. Some people clean them with solvents. I've even heard of some people boiling them. If you are anything like me, your hands sweat a lot when you play. Nothing can really change that.

You could either test out the other strings that have longer life or just do what I do: buy in bulk and change them all the time. There's nothing like a fresh set of strings.

 

[MaxKlein40]

Consider cobalt flatwounds. Flats last longer because there is much less room for gunk to get in between the ridges of the winding. Flats normally sound dull but I have found the cobalt flats have more than enough "roundwound punch/tone" to get an aggressive sound.