Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

All,

What is ``the life span`` of RIC factory strings ?? I have a May 2006 4003 ( bought new ) that seems to have lost it's bite in the last week or so....She gets about 15 hours of playing weekly ( yes I do like it !! ) One of my guitarists suggested that ``strings are gone`` because of the regular weekly use...

On a different note, I just got a P Bass set up with strings I cant ID...They have a trebly bite, roundwounds with a silver silk end. Low tension & easier to bend than DRs ( which I find very easy to bend ). I dont have much else on these to help ID....Somebody has an idea ??

Quite a bizarre situation with those 2 basses at the jam last night. The P bass was actually brighter sounding with a greater bite than the 4003...figures...

As usual a great thanks for the help...

I've found that RIC strings will usually last a year or so and still sound pretty good.

Marc, it possible that the P-bass has stainless steel roundwounds on it, which would explain the extra bright sound with greater bite. The RIC strings are nickel roundwound, which are not as bright or loud as stainless steel. The last time I saw bass strings with silver silk wrap, they were GHS Super Steels.

I've still got the original RIC set on my '06 4003FL that I got about 10 months ago. They still sound good

wow a year with the same strings! now that'll save you some cash. I like to change mine every couple months at the most. haven't used Ric factory strings for a while, but I don't remember them being much different from other strings as far as life goes. with pretty much any brand of strings, it comes down to whether you like the bright snap of new strings (where you have to change them fairly often), or the warm thud of older strings (where they get better when you don't change them). most brands will lose that bright sound around the same time, like it or not.

Double wow....when I used rounds (stainless or nickel) I had to change them after every gig......Ric strings included. They'd just be dead...even after cleaning with alcohol. With flats I'm going on about a year and they still sound nice and bright.

I use Rick brand strings and I change them once every couple months or so, myself, and I play probably around six hours a week, not including shows. But I don't need my strings to have that brand-new snap to them that whole time. I like the low, buttery growl that I get when they're nice and broken in.

When I got my 4003, I kept the factory strings on for two years before changing to flats.

When I need to change some equilisation on my preamp, I know that it is time now for a "string washing procedure" (ultrasonic bath, see earlier postings). Then I reuse the strings until I see flat areas on the strings at the fret positions.
Then it is time for a new set. As I play 3 basses for different purpose (sound and notes, e.g. 5-string) that is usually within about a year. In order to be nice to the frets I only use nickel round wounds.

The original RIC strings lasted me about 6 weeks or so before they sounded off if I remember correctly (was about 6 years ago).

I found Rotosound's Swingbass 66's lasted me a month on average, much less in the heat of summer (well, as hot as it gets in the UK !) That was rehearsing/practicing about 10 hours a week and one gig a month at the time.

I've since switched to Elixir's coated strings, practice a little less but gig about 6 times a month under hot, sweaty lights and they last me about 5-6 months easily. I like the sound, I love the slightly slick feel and they've saved me a small fortune in the long run to boot.

I usually get at least 2 or 3 months out of a RIC set. I've found other brands to have a shorter life span generally, but there are many factors contributing to string life, so it's hard to pin down.

I've got D'Addario's nickel rounds on my 4001 right now & I find them to have good longevity. They do sound different than the RIC strings, they have a nice snap to them, while the RIC strings bring out more mids.

I've never had much luck with stainless rounds, they sound great for two weeks, then go dead, but everyone's got different chemistry.

Thanks for the many opinions on this...Time to do a string change on the 4003 JG...

I am using mostly DR Hi Beams, with great results, but recently bought a set of stainless Lo Riders. They sounded quite similar to the Hi Beams, almost the same !! So I was wondering ?? But I did not know that there was a difference in tone between nickle & stainless rounds...A special thanks to Joey for this info.

I guess next time I'll buy a set of nickle Lo Riders to get a smoother sound on a P bass...I really like Hi Beams on the RICs ( that trebly clank...)

My first bass, a Washburn XB-100... I had no case, just lugged it around as-was, in the back of the Geo Metro. It came with flat-wound strings on it, and for the 8-odd years I had that thing (as my only bass) I NEVER changed the strings. By the time I sold it they were turning green. I don't even know what brand they were, but damn, they lasted! Were they ever thick-sounding and dead, though. Funny thing was, it didn't sound that bad.
My Ricks don't deserve such treatment, though. I'm all finiky and nuts about them.

Flats can last as long as you want them too. I had flats on my 4001 and I thought they sounded like garbage unamplified after about 3 years, but when I plugged in - WOW! I had bottom end for days!

I have cheapo Musician Friend bulk RW's on my Laredo now. They've been on for over a year. They are brighter than the flats ever were (well maybe brand new flats were brighter for a week or so), but they essentially have that flat-wound vibe tonally. For me, they work fine.

One thing about really old RW's is that they stay consistent. They're not going to get any less bright after a while. But it's a really personal thing, everyone has a different opinion about what they want/need on their bass, and when they think their strings are "dead".

Yeah, I change the strings on my 4003 way more than my 4001 because I like the warmer tone I get from the older, mellower strings, whereas I like my 4003 to stay crisp. Plus, I'm recording w/ the 4001 now and the strings are at what I consider to be a great "peak warmth", between bright and dead- I guess "ripe" is a better term", so if I broke one now, I'd be pretty bummed.

I'd still like to know if anyone thinks putting GHS pressurewounds on my 4003 would be a good idea.

I've found Rotos stay bright for about a week or so then go slightly dull for a few months then really dull. RIC strings stayed almost new bright for close to a year. I got a set of the MF RW strings (got me to free shipping cheaply) and I found them inferior - they were inconsistient diameter down the length of the string winding. Presently trying D'Addario EXL170 RWs and they seem to be holding up pretty well - haven't had them on very long.