Best flats for ric 4003

skinzz · #1 09-14-2011, 12:41 AM

Hi I have a new ric 4003 ,i would like to change they strings for flats, I have pyramid gold flats on my hofner violin bass and I love the feel and sound of them as a novice I'm not that confident on changing the strings on a ric any tips or advice for me on strings ,setup adjustments etc these are the strings http://www.thomann.de/gb/pyramid_gol...ten.htm 

PBnJBassist · #2 09-14-2011, 01:00 AM

Every Ric I've heard strung with La Bellas just melts me wickedly. I love how those two can pair up and completely produce an arrangement of angelic tones and sounds. This is just my ears doing the talking though. I could be hearing things differently.

skinzz · #3 09-14-2011, 02:57 AM

Great I'm just wondering which la bella string, gauge etc they do so many flatwounds

PBnJBassist · #4 09-14-2011, 03:15 AM

I've heard and seen nothing but good things about their FL (regular light) set. Balanced (not just wording on the package), flexible tension with that not-floppy-but-not-stiff feel, and a good amount of thump without being overbearing or thin. I have only had experience with their FX (extra light) set and, from my experience, I should have went with the FL set. The FX set was a bit too thin for my harsh playing style, which is probably why my "G" string snapped after 2 hours of intense playing... Totally different from the resistant .050-.055 cables I'm used to.

skinzz · #5 09-14-2011, 09:22 AM

I'm prob gonna go with the pyramid gold, which gauge the ones I was looking at are 40_55_75_105 long scale ? Is that correct?

PBnJBassist · #6 09-14-2011, 01:57 PM

You can't go wrong with that set. From what I scoured, it seems to be the only set available for standard scaled basses. Thumpy but not too thumpy, smooth feel with a hint on the mids (more highs than lows), and a solid tension that's ballpark rounds and a smudge of flats. Nothing but love for those that bought them, and for $70, the general consensus is that you are indeed getting what you pay for with Pyramids.

u84six · #7 09-14-2011, 05:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by skinzz

I'm prob gonna go with the pyramid gold, which gauge the ones I was looking at are 40_55_75_105 long scale ? Is that correct?

I hope you have better luck than I did with those strings. I went through 3 sets of those and all 3 sets had a string unwind on me. First the D string, then the G, then a year later I took a shot thinking I might have had a bad batch, and the D string unwound on me.

As much as I love their sound, I can't use them anymore because they break on me after just a few months. And the crazy thing about it is that they broke while I wasn't playing. All 3 times they broke in my case. Another interesting thing is that they break in the middle of the string where no metal is touching them. I just think they have a serious flaw in their winding.

Also, if you use La Bella, go with light or extra light. Anything thicker won't fit in the nut!

So now I've been experimenting with different strings in my RIC. I'm currently using TI flats and they're pretty good, but not great. They seem unbalanced to my ear. The G and D strings sound like they're from a different set of strings from the A and E. Go figure.

I'm really disappointed about the Pyramids. I want to use them but just can't take the chance because I gig often. And not to mention, they are really expensive!!