EB Power Slinky 2831 - .55-.110

[Groover]

I took the fat string plunge and decided to grab a set of Ernie Ball 2831 .55-.110 to put on my 77 Maple Precision today.

This partular bass must have a light ash body or something, don't know, but has always been much brighter than any other Precision I've owned, even swapping the pickups from this bass to another (to determine why brighter)...

Anyway, for now, I'm digging these strings. I've been missing the big thump (been using 7020ML strings), and doesn't seem to be harder to play so far. I pluck a little hard, so these are actually helping make things a little more percussive.

I also quickly tried an old set of Medium Deep Talking flats tonight, and those are next in line if these don't pan out in a live situation.

Has anyone tried the 2831 Slinkys? If so, what's your experience with them?

[FuManChu]

I just put a set of these on last night. The extra tension really changed the neck but after a throrough set up of the bridge and neck adjustments they seem to have settled in nicely. They are massive and they actually made my passive jazz much hotter and super resonate compared to the typical Fender strings I was using. I will be playing a 3 hour gig tomorrow night so that will be the first real test to see, but the bass is like a whole new beast. I always hated the G string because it sounded so weak but this has fixed that Fo' Sho. The only downside is that if you do many string bends, stay away from these strings. Probably not the best for slap either because the fullness kind of takes away from that sharp attack of thinner strings.

[Dave Siff]

Originally Posted by Groover

Has anyone tried the 2831 Slinkys? If so, what's your experience with them?

I tried them for DGCF tuning. They worked pretty well, but for that application, I preferred La Bella's M-70 set which is designed specifically for that tuning. The gauges are pretty close (the La Bellas are .054-.111.) I'm not sure how they'd work tuned up a whole step. The 2831 Slinkys are designed to be tuned EADG so if that's your tuning and you like heavier strings, the EBs are probably the better choice.

[Captain Simian]

I switched to these about 2 years ago and I've been quite happy with them. They do tend to get a little dull rather quickly but that's that's what I like about them. I like slightly dead strings. I have them strung through the body on my Laklands and I get a huge, warm, piano-y tone.

[FuManChu]

I played a 3 hour gig on Saturday night with these and I encountered a few problems that I have also read from other posts.

The strings sound amazing, but I did feel as if I was fighting them most of the night. I also play with a pick about 20% of the time and destroyed all three sides of a triangular pick by the end of the night. This has never happened before to me.

So back to the medium/medium light strings, but you don't know until you try. They also went pretty dead by as early as the 3rd set in the night so I would rate their longevity as really poor for sounding crisp. I will be working with the amp to get a thicker sound rather than beefing up the strings.

[Captain Simian]

If you're moving up a gauge it's always going to be tough at first. When I moved up a gauge I gave it myself a week of playing every day for at least 1/2 an hour everyday to see if I liked it or not. After 4 days my left hand got used to the extra tension. I shredded a few picks too so I ended up switching to a much heavier pick. That also helped with a beefier tone.

[Solarmist]

I use that gauge for DGCF - tuning to E standard would be too tight IMO.

[Captain Simian]

I tune standard and it was a bit tight at first. Now I'm so used to it everything else feels too light.

[dlegault]

I've used these for about 4 years, and really like the way they sound. I use a pick about 3/4 of the time I play, and I go between the Fender purple tortex 1.14mm picks, and the black brain picks (i think they're .88?), depending on the type of music, and these picks seem to stand up fine. I've considered recently going back to a lighter string on my fretted, based on wanting to do more bends and articulate playing, but I'll always keep these on my fretless, they really bring out the mwah on that baby.

[NewLaw83]

I have been using these strings for about 8 months now and they seem fine. I have my bass setup to drop c tuning and they work pretty good for that. I think they would work perfect for drop d or standard d tuning.

For picks I use brain picks 1mm they work great for me. I have never broken a brain pick and i play hard.

[FuManChu]

I rethought these after playing with a much lighter gauge. I now have placed EB Slinky Stainless Steel strings with a slightly lighter gauge 50-105 and so far so good. Playing another 3+ hour gig this upcoming weekend so we'll see. I'm also using heavier pics this go around. Hopefully this will end my search for beefier strings without putting too much strain on the neck and my wrist.

[bassist4dalord]

I've had the same set on my Squier Affinity Precision for about six months now, and I must say I really like them. They sound awesome new: a round, full sound that really compliments the P-Bass pickup very well. Now that they're six months old and dying, they sound really good. I recorded with the bass and now I'm playing praise and worship at my school. These strings are responsive to the tone knob: going from thumpy and fat (tone down) to gritty and bright (tone up; of course adjusting plucking hand location.)

These strings are making me fall in love with my P-Bass for real right now. I tune DADG, for the low-D used quite frequently in chapel. Tension is pretty great. All-around an excellent string for dimes and nickels.

EDIT: I forgot to mention that they do hurt my fingers at times, but that's because this is my first long-term use of heavy-gauge strings. Factor in the medium-high action on my P-Bass, and I'm gonna have fingers of DOOM