flat or round

[bloodshot sun]

if i'm going to play mostly hard rock and metal should i go with roundwound or flatwound strings?and stainless or nickel?+I play a BEADG tuned 5 string

[Floyd Eye]

Round, steel.

[tekdiver500ft]

Go with what feels good to you. There are people using every type of string in every genre. I play hard rock and metal with Sadowsky Black Label flats, for instance. Of course, on the same bass, I also play Motown, and disco, and country, and...

[panamonte]

Originally Posted by tekdiver500ft

Go with what feels good to you. There are people using every type of string in every genre. I play hard rock and metal with Sadowsky Black Label flats, for instance. Of course, on the same bass, I also play Motown, and disco, and country, and...

What he said. The 'right' strings for you depend entirely on what bass you're playing, how you play it and what sound you want to hear. Different strings can make a dramatic difference to a bass, for instance the DR Sunbeams that sound great (IMO) on my Thunderbird don't work for me at all on my P Bass. Tried the LaBellas that I like on my J on my P - no. D'Addario Chromes on the P - perfect. And I've got TI flats on my fretless J.

What I'm saying is that there's no straightforward answer - you need to find out what works for you. Have fun with your quest!

[bloodshot sun]

well the thing is i can't afford tryin different types much... I have a schecter stiletto deluxe 5 should i go with ghs contact super steels or boomers?

[Deaky]

If you like flats try the Rotosound Jazz 77s but if you like rounds I would recommend Rotosound Solo bass 55. These strings are pressure wound and sound and feel great.

[Root 5]

Originally Posted by bloodshot sun

if i'm going to play mostly hard rock and metal should i go with roundwound or flatwound strings?and stainless or nickel?+I play a BEADG tuned 5 string

Stainless steel roundwounds all the way, dude!

[panamonte]

Yeah - I do appreciate that trying out different sets of strings is an expensive business, but it really is a question of personal taste. For instance I've tried the Roto flats that Deaky recommends and really didn't get on with the feel of them - rougher than the other flats I've tried.

Ultimately I guess for the kind of music you're playing you'll be better off with rounds and DR produce the nicest rounds I've played, but, as they say, YMMV. Good luck!

[Floyd Eye]

Roto 66 or Blue Steels.

[Reaper Man]

Roto 66 is a good string- bright and "articulate". I'm sure I'll be owning a pair of those again sometime

right now I'm on a DR kick- on my L2000 I have fat beams and on my modified squier and ATK I have highbeams. I like them both

as for flats- I've always used and loved chromes

[madmatt]

Rounds. I do not think I would use Stainless Steel tho, it eats frets.

[AmadeusXeno]

I think it depends on personal taste. I mostly play rock and I've used flats and rounds. With rounds I've used stainless and nickle. For flats I like Rotosound (although I haven't tried many different flats). For stainless rounds I like DR, and for nickle I like D'addario.

[Ric5]

Originally Posted by Floyd Eye

Round, steel.

I prefer Nickel rounds.

[tekdiver500ft]

I have to amend my previous. Decide what sound you want, then get the right string for that sound.

[darkstorm]

Roundwound of course. Other then that, is strictly personal pref. Most of the name brand roundwounds have been used by some of the pro metal bands bass players. Though I'm partial to Dr neon and sunbeam along with rotosound swing 66. GHS boomers are a great choice to.

[bloodshot sun]

annybody has anything to say against contact core super steels on a 5 string?besides it not being too gentle on the frets...

[jmattbassplaya]

What are some of your favorite bass tones? That would help us narrow down strings instead of having everyone give you their biased opinion.