Red thread around Fender bass strings

[Mirosh]

I know nothing about electric bass guitars but a colleague from Germany helped me buy a Fender Bullet Bass about 20 years ago. The strings have red thread wound around them from the nut almost up to the tuning posts.

Do these strings have value despite their age? Are red-wound bass guitar strings still available?

It's kind of a cool look and maybe worth retaining, IMO. I play this guitar very little and might sell it, and wonder if new strings would be a good idea.

[warfrat73]

You can still get strings with red windings (Thomastik-Infeld comes to mind, and maybe a couple of others).

Bass strings tend to have a longer life than guitar strings, but 20 years is definitely pushing it (even just sitting in a closet).

I don't see much point in putting new strings on it if you're going to sell it. 90% of folks in the market for a decent used bass are going to put their preferred strings on it as soon as they get their hands on it. And you're unlikely to get any more for it with new strings (partly because preferences vary so widely).

If you are asking whether the strings have monetary value, the answer is pretty certainly no, especially if you don't know what kind they are. If you mean, can you still play them, the answer is yes, though they'll not be at their best.

[nostatic]

Originally Posted by Mirosh

I know nothing about electric bass guitars but a colleague from Germany helped me buy a Fender Bullet Bass about 20 years ago. The strings have red thread wound around them from the nut almost up to the tuning posts.

Do these strings have value despite their age? Are red-wound bass guitar strings still available?

It's kind of a cool look and maybe worth retaining, IMO. I play this guitar very little and might sell it, and wonder if new strings would be a good idea.

Zero added value for the string. Agree with above, little reason to put new strings on. The Bullet was a “student” level bass when introduced. I assumed it wouldn’t be worth much but asking prices on reverb are around $1k plus or minus. Whether they are selling for that is an entirely different matter. They were made in US for awhile than Japan. I don’t consider an 80’s bass to be vintage or collectible but my opinion doesn’t matter - it is worth exactly what someone else is willing to pay.