# Do All Nickel Strings go Dead Faster?



## Robert1950 (Jan 21, 2006)

After a couple months of having a honeymoon with my strat, I pulled out the Hamer P90 Special. It just wasn't the same. I thought, maybe I'm just not into P90s. A month later, I thought "I should change the strings". I had a set of DR Pure Blues (all nickel) that had been on since last September). I put on a set Of Dean Markley All Nickel Jimi Hendrix strings. Well,.. talk about coming back from the dead. The mini humbucker idea is defintely desceased now.

What I couldn't get over over, was just how dead the all nickel strings sounded after about 7 months. I know I should have changed them sooner, but man, all the life had been sucked right out them.


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## zontar (Oct 25, 2007)

Well 7 months, right?

I've always used nickel of some sort (either Ernie Balls, Super Bullets and for the last 20 some years-GHS Boomers. I've used other brands here & there, but none of them were all nickel. So nothing really to compare that way. (I tried stainless steel strings once, but they lasted less than a week--I didn't like the sound or the feel of the wound strings.)

As for how fast they go dead, I've heard the best that way are gold strings. But I've never tried them. 

But how fast a set will go dead depends on several factors including how often you play, how much your hands sweat, what kind of sweat/body chemistry you have, how often you wipe down the strings, and playing style. (I'm sure I missed some.)

The only way to find out is to try a different type of string and play exactly the same way, etc for 7 months and then compare.:smile:

Okay--just change your strings.


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## LowWatt (Jun 27, 2007)

Robert1950 said:


> After a couple months of having a honeymoon with my strat, I pulled out the Hamer P90 Special. It just wasn't the same. I thought, maybe I'm just not into P90s. A month later, I thought "I should change the strings". I had a set of DR Pure Blues (all nickel) that had been on since last September). I put on a set Of Dean Markley All Nickel Jimi Hendrix strings. Well,.. talk about coming back from the dead. The mini humbucker idea is defintely desceased now.
> 
> What I couldn't get over over, was just how dead the all nickel strings sounded after about 7 months. I know I should have changed them sooner, but man, all the life had been sucked right out them.


No, it's because Hamer P90 guitars are crap. Not to worry, I will trade you several boxes of nickel plated strings for that guitar. I will even let you pick the brand and the gauge. 

In all seriousness, strings go dead when you let the sweat sink in, like in your situation with a played guitar left to sit. I think nickel plated lasts slightly longer than pure nickel (which seems to develop fret dents quicker), but either way my steel unwound strings always go to crap first, so to me its a moot point. I prefer the sound of pure nickel and the fact that it isn't as hard on my frets.


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## Greg Ellis (Oct 1, 2007)

7 months? Geez. I'm surprised your fingers didn't bleed.


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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

I can't begin to tell you what strings sound like after 7 months. Mine sound like hell after 2 weeks, regardless of brand or composition.


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## Robert1950 (Jan 21, 2006)

Milkman said:


> I can't begin to tell you what strings sound like after 7 months. Mine sound like hell after 2 weeks, regardless of brand or composition.



I am mostly a noodler. I generally change around every three to four months. (That's what I've always been told to do at music stores) That's when just start to sound a little off. I really don't sweat from the fingers. They aren't really oily either. I have left a couple guitars sitting a few months - just retune them - mostly they sound ok, sometimes they say "change me" but they have never sounded so completely dead the all nickels did.


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## zontar (Oct 25, 2007)

One advantage of having more than one guitar is I can leave them longer between string changes--I just play a different one--I stagger the string changes.


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## CocoTone (Jan 22, 2006)

Seven months....speaks volumes.


CT.


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## Robert1950 (Jan 21, 2006)

Okay. I rehire my &*%$#@! guitar tech and see that the strings are changed every 3.1475 weeks. Now, all I want to know is,....DO ALL NICKEL STRINGS GO DEAD FASTER THAN REGULAR NICKEL WOUND OR STEEL STRINGS.


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## pattste (Dec 30, 2007)

Robert1950 said:


> Okay. I rehire my &*%$#@! guitar tech and see that the strings are changed every 3.1475 weeks. Now, all I want to know is,....DO ALL NICKEL STRINGS GO DEAD FASTER THAN REGULAR NICKEL WOUND OR STEEL STRINGS.


I would say no. In fact, people who use Snake Oil Brand strings (all-nickel) often report that they last much longer than other brands. In my opinion, they last pretty much the same as the D'Addario nickel-wound that I used before, maybe a little longer, but not less.

I have no experience with other brands of all-nickel strings, however.


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## NB-SK (Jul 28, 2007)

Milkman said:


> I can't begin to tell you what strings sound like after 7 months. Mine sound like hell after 2 weeks, regardless of brand or composition.


Yeah, I noticed my strings have lost most of their sparkle after about 2 weeks. I still wait up to 3 months before changing them since I just noodle at home. But, I always wonder why I waited so long when I change them.


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## NB-SK (Jul 28, 2007)

pattste said:


> I would say no. In fact, people who use Snake Oil Brand strings (all-nickel) often report that they last much longer than other brands. In my opinion, they last pretty much the same as the D'Addario nickel-wound that I used before, maybe a little longer, but not less.
> 
> I have no experience with other brands of all-nickel strings, however.


Pure nickel strings do seem to last longer than the steel-nickel strings, quite possibly because nickel has a good resistance to corrosion.


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## Peter (Mar 25, 2008)

I don't know what they're made of but I just switched to Elixir recently and my god they just don't get dirty it's insane. They last forever.


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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

The thing about strings is that they don't suddenly go dead. It happens gradually and your intonation goes for a crap gradually as well. It's not like you wake up one day and your guitar sounds like shite.

BUT, change an old set of strings (even a month old) and tell me there's not a profound improvement.

Anyway, perhaps someone else has first hand experience with pure nickel strings. I've always used Ernie Ball Slinkies.


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## thechamp96 (Jan 16, 2008)

Robert1950 said:


> Okay. I rehire my &*%$#@! guitar tech and see that the strings are changed every 3.1475 weeks. Now, all I want to know is,....DO ALL NICKEL STRINGS GO DEAD FASTER THAN REGULAR NICKEL WOUND OR STEEL STRINGS.


haha... I don't think there is much a difference between all nickel and nickel wound, but I bet that both would outlast steel.


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## dwagar (Mar 6, 2006)

well, I agree 7 months is way too much to expect.

But, regarding all nickel strings, I've been using the Hendrix strings for awhile now, and really like them. I prefer Snake Oils, but they are a pain to bring in from the US (well, actually the pain is that I forget to order them).
I think they make 2 Hendrix winds though, all nickel, and nickel wound. I'm using the all nickel.

I think all nickel tends to drop into a warmer zone, I think that's what you're hearing.


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## Robert1950 (Jan 21, 2006)

dwagar said:


> well, I agree 7 months is way too much to expect.


When I think about it, I didn't really touch the guitar for the last three months due to the honeymoon with the strat. So When I did pick it up, the difference was really, really noticable.



dwagar said:


> But, regarding all nickel strings, I've been using the Hendrix strings for awhile now, and really like them. I prefer Snake Oils, but they are a pain to bring in from the US (well, actually the pain is that I forget to order them).


I replaced the dead strings with Hendrix all nickel. Guitar totally came alive!


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## dwagar (Mar 6, 2006)

Robert1950 said:


> When I think about it, I didn't really touch the guitar for the last three months due to the honeymoon with the strat. So When I did pick it up, the difference was really, really noticable.


sure, it depends how often you play it. I change my R9 strings about once a month, but the others that I rarely play, nah.

In S Ontario, you probably have humidity to deal with that we don't have out west. I suppose they could start to oxidize a bit? You could try cleaning them with a bit of naphtha (lighter fluid) to see if that helps.


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## RIFF WRATH (Jan 22, 2007)

some one somewhere, sometime told me that they used to boil the nickel strings for a while. this would clean them up but also somehow refresh them. may be a lot of bulloney, I wouldn't know.
It sure does work with copper gaskets though.
how's that for muddying the waters.(no pun intended)
cheers
Gerry


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## dwagar (Mar 6, 2006)

I knew some bass players that did this in the 60s, but guitar strings are so cheap, who would bother?


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## thechamp96 (Jan 16, 2008)

dwagar said:


> well, I agree 7 months is way too much to expect.
> 
> But, regarding all nickel strings, I've been using the Hendrix strings for awhile now, and really like them. I prefer Snake Oils, but they are a pain to bring in from the US (well, actually the pain is that I forget to order them).
> I think they make 2 Hendrix winds though, all nickel, and nickel wound. I'm using the all nickel.
> ...


Where did you get the Hendrix strings? I always see them advertized in guitar magazines but I haven't seen them in the shops around Ottawa (Steve's, L&M, a couple ma and pa shops I've checked out).


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## Robert1950 (Jan 21, 2006)

[email protected] said:


> Where did you get the Hendrix strings? I always see them advertized in guitar magazines but I haven't seen them in the shops around Ottawa (Steve's, L&M, a couple ma and pa shops I've checked out).


I got them at Steve's in Toronto, so they should have, or should be able to get them in Ottawa.


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## shad (May 4, 2006)

RIFF WRATH said:


> some one somewhere, sometime told me that they used to boil the nickel strings for a while. this would clean them up but also somehow refresh them. may be a lot of bulloney, I wouldn't know.
> It sure does work with copper gaskets though.
> how's that for muddying the waters.(no pun intended)
> cheers
> Gerry


Hey Gerry, you're taking me back to days of yore. We used to boil our strings and it did make them brighter for awhile, we were broke in those days so.... whatever worked eh? These days it wouldn't be worth it, all things being relative I think that todays strings are probably a lot cheaper.

Cheers,


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## NB-SK (Jul 28, 2007)

Milkman said:


> The thing about strings is that they don't suddenly go dead. It happens gradually and your intonation goes for a crap gradually as well. It's not like you wake up one day and your guitar sounds like shite.
> 
> BUT, change an old set of strings (even a month old) and tell me there's not a profound improvement.
> 
> Anyway, perhaps someone else has first hand experience with pure nickel strings. I've always used Ernie Ball Slinkies.



To me, the strings still sound good (but not great) after a week and relatively dead after 2 weeks. I just put some 10-52 Curt Mangan on my Epi LP. It sounded great for 3 days... I don't seem to have intonation problem...but I'm not an experienced musician. My ears are probably not as keen as some of you guys'.


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## bogoboy (May 21, 2006)

Try webstrings twelve sets (pure nickel) for $42 taxes, shipping etc. ALL IN! They are as good as anything mentioned here (I've tried most brands). If the strings go "stale" after a month- who cares, just change 'em they are as cheap as "borscht"!!


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