the longest time period you kept strings on a bass(be honest)

[leatherfingers]

I tend to like to change my strings every three months, unless I break one which i often do , usually an A or a D depending on what we practice the most or where my head is at practicing

[slapdogchicken]

I was a road musician in the early 70's and played a Fender P bass and have had the same set of strings for thirty years. Recently I have been played a few gigs with the same old strings and they still sound good. However I thought I probably ought to purchase some new strings because of their longevity. Mistake! I bought two new sets of bass strings(used to be about $6.00 back then) and tried one set out. Didn't feel right and didn't like the sound. So I boiled my old strings,...got all the old grimey out,...and put them back on my Fender. They sound great. For those of you who don't want to purchase a new set every month try boiling the old set. Get an old pan, fill it all the way up with water,...put the old strings in there and let them boil for 20 minutes or so. The pan will have a greenish skim line on it and will be unusable for cooking food,...but you'll have a fresh new set of bass strings that sound great. Try it,...you'll like it!,....slapdogchicken