D'Addario strings on a Lakland

[ethompson2]

Will the D'Addario 170-5 Long Scale nickel wounds fits a 35" scale Lakland? I will be stringing it through the bridge not the through the body.

Thanks

Evan

[JTE]

No. You'll need to get a set of EXL-170SL. The "SL" at the END means "super long" and will work on a 35" scale bass. They may not fit through-body however, if that's a factor to you.

BTW, it shouldn't be a concern- there's a lot of discussion on TB, but the general consensus among people who've done rigorous comparisons is that there's little if any difference between STB and top-load. I know on my Lakland Deluxe 4-94 even with two strings top-loaded and two strung through the body, there's no difference I can either hear nor feel. And before I did that real authentic side-by-side comparison I was a proponent of STB because I THOUGHT it made it feel a bit different and THOUGHT it made the bass sound a bit richer. Facts trumped my preconceptions.

John

[ethompson2]

Thanks for the answer!

Just so I'm understanding you... I would have to get the Super Long set of strings even when stringing it through the bridge not actually running it through the body of the guitar?

[JTE]

Yep- D'Addario's standard long-scale sets are for 34" scale top-load. They won't fit a 34" scale STB bass.

John

[lazyone2]

I have a 55-02 you do need the SL strings even through the bridge. The Chromes are fairly high tension you may need a truss rod adjustment but they do sound great.

[ethompson2]

Ok cool thanks guys I ended up going with D'addario 170-5 super longs Nickel wounds. Should be putting them on this weekend.

[DelsFan]

I sent a friend two sets of the D'Addario EXL170-5 Long Scale 5-String 45-130 strings for his Lakland 55-01 Skyline bass.

He said they "fit" through the body but a couple of the strings buzzed - when he took them off and strung them all through the bridge they supposedly worked fine. But he is a beginner when it comes to doing anything other than playing (18 y.o., plays really well but not experienced in changing strings, etc) so:

Is it that the EXL-170-5 strings can be strung up on the Lakland but don't function properly?

I know this isn't that complicated, but it certainly is a much discussed topic.

(Next time will be trying Circle K's, 37-136 I believe, and we'll string the bottom strings through body and top two through bridge. But that is a different story, unless I am told there is something inherently wrong with using the D'Addario's that "seem" to work - then I'll order the Circle K's for him right away.)

Thanks very much for any assistance with this topic!