[JeffZTB]

I guess i'll throw a few cents in...

My advice is to just sort of wail on your strings to sort of speed up the process. Good time to work on slapping. If you really want to speed the process up, just sit around playing bass nonstop, or sit down and watch tv while gently stretching the strings out. Just be sure to tune after you do that because it will probably knock it slightly out of tune no matter how worn in the strings are.

[notreligus]

Originally Posted by Sean.thomson

WARNING: Dumb question

Is there a way to speed up the wearing in process on new bass strings? I just changed the strings on my bass after not changing them in about 5 years, and I find that I'm missing that worn in tone. Also, sorry. My knowledge of bass strings is almost none. I've only done it about 2-3 times ever since I started playing bass (8th grade)...

You'll get different opions on this one. Here's mine:

You're probably too young to know who this is but Joe Osborn played bass on most of the classic pop and rock hits heard on the radio in the 1960's and early 1970's. He used old strings on his Fender Precision bass. One time he finally changed a ten year old set to a new one and immediately reinstalled the old ones. Tim Drummond, who played bass for Neil Young's band, Crazy Horse, as well as for Bob Dylan and some others, used to buy old basses just to get the strings off them. He never used a new set of strings as he couldn't stand the sound or the feel.

Strings are basically too old when they just don't sound like you want them to sound, and especially when they won't stay in tune. When you do change strings, do not tune them up to a higher than standard pitch because that stretching might contribute to their being hard to keep in tune. It's better to tune a guitar or bass on the low side of standard pitch and break them in naturally by playing. Don't just pull on them to stretch them. I've learned the hard way that is not a good thing to do.

[Rainer.]

Originally Posted by notreligus

Don't just pull on them to stretch them. I've learned the hard way that is not a good thing to do.

Why's that? I've been pulling on strings to stretch them for years, and I've never run into a problem.

[martinedwards]

me too........