Gear Maintenance Time

I don’t know what $51 CAD is in USD but it’s a nicely made set.

I think 2007 was the last time the dollar was at par.

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$51.40CAD is $37.32 US :slightly_smiling_face:

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idk yet. When I need to. When I started playing regularly/frequently and watched Long McClaud(?) videos on how to properly setup and maintain guitars, I gave mine a once over – twice.

So… many years ago I didn’t know anything about truss rods. My first bass was a 90’s Mexico made Fender Jazz. It had a buzz and the wiring had been fixed up a few times. The neck was bent.

I saw them everywhere and didn’t make much money at the time. Knew a couple guys from a band that were over for a party. They wanted a bass to mess around with for recording. I ended up selling it to them for an embarassingly low price.

This was back in, like…, 2009? I had no idea how much they were worth. They seem to be everywhere and I never realized the problems could probably have been fixed.

Back then, I pretty much just changed my strings when they broke. Lol. I couldn’t afford anything.

Now-a-days, I make sure to wash my hands before playing and wipe them down after I’m done abusing them. I’ve been switching primarily to DR strings and will upgrade any components that have room and need for improvement. I haven’t settled on any specific time frame for other stuff.

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I’m fairly new at this bass thing so i don’t really have “my brand” of strings. There’s DR (i like how they sound), Warwick (dirt cheap) and most recently individual D’addarios (they had the most comprehensive tension chart). I prefer an even tension across all strings so picked gauges based on tension for various non-standard tunings. They get replaced when i don’t like the way they sound anymore.
With every string change neck gets a good once-over with lighter fluid, then generous amounts of Monty’s instrument wax. Wipe off, then new strings on, a bit of lube at the nut slots before tuning, and i adjust things as necessary.

Also, i tend to wash my hands before playing, and then bass gets a wipe-down after playing. Sometimes even a quick wipe on the strings inbetween songs if i feel like my hand is getting sweaty. Makes for longer lasting strings, i hope :slight_smile:

Mostly using Music Nomad stuff, seems to work just fine. Well, except for the wax. I don’t think they make wax.

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These are the worst strings I have ever used, as a reference :slight_smile:

By a lot.

Oh wow… That’s something to look forward to.
Was going to change the DRs on the Yammie to Warwicks this week. Are you saying i’d be better off not cutting the old, worn, chipped, dull sounding DR Neon set that i’ve had on there for the past 4-5 months? :slight_smile:

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I would buy a set of D’Addario EXL170 instead

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I’d buy some DR Pure Blues. I find them superior to D’Addario in feel and overall quality.

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Or that. Or anything but the chalky grating garbage Warwick uses.

For generic general calculations I use:

So far it’s been alright. I figure I’m probably not going to notice if it’s off by a couple pounds. Especially considering how hard I hit the strings. :smiling_imp:

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Huh… I thought that Kalium thingy was accurate for Kaliums only?
I mean, sure, a pound or 3 here and there is not a big deal but don’t these tension values only apply for that specific manufacturer? Or, is it “close enough”?
I did plan on getting a balanced set from Kalium but what with living in Europe, there’s shipping, taxes, import fees, paperwork (or pay someone to do it for you), so the set came to around a third of the total package cost.

I haven’t tested it with any kind of weight scale but, I have re-stringed almost all of my instruments recently. Mostly with DR but, there’s some others in there. I use all different tunings. I have not done any sort of A/B tests but, they feel and sound good.

General things to keep in mind:

  • flatwounds and tapewounds are going to feel stiffer than rounds
  • tension feel advertised is often because the strings are thinner i.e. a 94 E instead of a 105.

Slapped on a set of Black Labels. I don’t know what your problem is with Warwick strings. They sound just as good as month-old DRs, and are the perfect tool to remove any and all traces of fingerprints.

Seriously though, maybe i’m just spoiled by coated DRs, but i don’t understand Black Labels. What with coated DR they’re much smoother but also grippy, Black Labels feel… idunno, less grippy, but rougher in terms of material, if that makes sense? Maybe it’s some crap alloy they use. Well, by “they” i mean whoever makes them. Doesn’t necessarily have to be Warwick.

Sounds… ok, i guess, but scooped. Like there’s something missing from what i’m used to in terms of “brand new stainless steel” sounds. Can’t really describe it. It’s just the lack of some frequency at the higher end of the mids spectrum.

Well, i guess it’s a good thing i only bought the one set to give them a shot.
The only nickel wound stuff i ever used was stock strings, which i did not like the sound of. Maybe due to sitting in a warehouse for too long. I’ll give nickel wounds a try, thanks for the suggestions.

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Ahh, those are better. I was talking about the Warwick Reds they ship all their basses with, which are garbage.

Well i still don’t like Black Labels. So there’s worse alloys in Warwick’s lineup? That’s… scary.

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Yes believe it or not. The Black labels are the better ones :rofl:

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Agree, that Amazon fret specific oil is good stuff.

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I wouldn’t trust anything sold through amazon. Only thing that place is good for is when they refund you for something you actually got that actually works. Lol

Not that I’m suggesting anything. :upside_down_face:

That’s reassuring. Just ordered some tuning machines. Reckon the Hipshots they sell there are janky?