best strings for fingerstyle?

awa · #1 04-11-2006, 04:16 PM

anyone have suggestions for good strings to reduce finger noise and fret "clacking". i play a fbass custom 5 string with thomastik superalloys. i rarely slap and find this setup to be too bright and shrill for me until the strings deaden a couple weeks. however, the "dead" sound only stays good for a few more weeks. i'm looking for a string that is smooth, deep, not too bright, and keeps its tone for a long time. i'm thinking about trying sunbeams, dr coated, or thomastik jazz. should i switch to flatwounds? i wish i had the money to try all these strings.

LoveThatBass · #2 04-12-2006, 05:38 AM

GHS Boomers

markjazzbassist · #3 04-12-2006, 04:42 PM

try flatwounds, d'addario chromes

flatwoundfender · #4 04-12-2006, 04:55 PM

flats, I prefer labella or fenders, but those may sound to
"flatwoundish" if you aren't a flatwound person
The GHS boomers I've played made a lot of fret noise, I have none with my Labella Jamerson's, though it was the same with Fender 9050m. Also higher action helps keep the frets out of the noise. If you want to hear how the Labella's sound check out some motown with James Jamerson on bass. I'd recommend Marvin Gaye's "What's Goin On".

LoveThatBass · #5 04-13-2006, 06:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by flatwoundfender

flats, I prefer labella or fenders, but those may sound to
"flatwoundish" if you aren't a flatwound person
The GHS boomers I've played made a lot of fret noise, I have none with my Labella Jamerson's, though it was the same with Fender 9050m. Also higher action helps keep the frets out of the noise. If you want to hear how the Labella's sound check out some motown with James Jamerson on bass. I'd recommend Marvin Gaye's "What's Goin On".

I have experienced this fret noise with Boomers too lately. My J-retro magnifies it. I am working on technic that has all but eliminated it. Use my left hand to mute the strings where possible.

flatwoundfender · #6 04-13-2006, 07:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LoveThatBass

I have experienced this fret noise with Boomers too lately. My J-retro magnifies it. I am working on technic that has all but eliminated it. Use my left hand to mute the strings where possible.

The only time I really played was when I bought my current pbass, they were on there, but were replaced by a set of fender 9050m pretty quickly.

awa · #7 04-13-2006, 03:10 PM

thanks for the replies. i actually have some experience with the boomers. they do have significant string noise when they are new but a couple weeks and they mellow quite nicely. my problem with the boomers was that they didn't last very long once broken in to the point i liked. maybe a month or so. i understand that flats and some of the dr strings last a long time retaining their tone. so maybe i'll try the daddario chromes. does anyone have experience with the dr sunbeams?

rhythm · #8 04-16-2006, 09:56 AM

My personal favourites are Elixir's.

ebladeboi123 · #9 04-16-2006, 05:09 PM

I've used DR Sunbeams, Bootzillas and Fatbeams. Personally my favorites are the Bootzillas. While they have that nasty white crap on them, after a few weeks I got it off (just by playing, and then after I finished playing, like normal I wiped down my bass), and the Bootzillas are still going strong. I've had them on for almost 4-5 months, and their great still (but I'm using them more as a "slap tone" but they have a good degree of mellowness). I have a pair of TI Powerbass on my modj. which are real nice, took them a while to break in, but now that they're broken in, it gets a real good mellow sound (as good as mellow can be on a Modj, it's more of and aggressive mellowness, despite how that contradicts itself).
I would try the powerbasses (Im pretty sure they are dif. than the SuperAlloys, but they may not be for all I know)