The guy at the music store commenting on my dead strings

walknbluez · #1 07-29-2008, 03:13 PM

I went to my local mom and pop type music store, they're very community oriented and really try to help people rather than just sell them something they don't need. So I brought my MIM Fender Jazz in to play through some amps, telling him I was frustrated with my tone and wasn't sure if I should get a new amp or new pickups or whatever. He said, first of all, try new strings. As he played my bass, he said "these strings are killin' me!" They were very dead. They hadn't been changed in probably 7 years. His opinion was that you lose the character of the sound of the bass and he said it just sounded "muddy".

I told the guy I wanted more of a classic rock sound and he and another guy almost at the same time said "you need a sansamp". $189 but they didn't have it in stock so they had to order it.

The setup guy then suggested some D'Addario flatwound chromes. Today is Tuesday and I have a gig on Friday. He is also making some adjustments.

Bad idea considering I only have 4 days until the gig or good idea considering I've been frustrated with my sound?

magickbass · #2 07-29-2008, 03:16 PM

It is a good idea. So what you only have 4 days until your next gig. Getting your bass back sounding sweet will be all the enthusiasm needed to rip it up on stage.

Good luck and let us know how the gig goes.

stflbn · #3 07-29-2008, 03:19 PM

Try the chromes first with your existing rig. Then decide what you need, want, or are specifically looking for.

Then consider/try out a Sansamp.

stflbn · #4 07-29-2008, 03:20 PM

By changing 2 parts of hte puzzle at once you won't know for sure which you like or do not like and it will end up confusing you.

walknbluez · #5 07-29-2008, 03:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by stflbn

By changing 2 parts of hte puzzle at once you won't know for sure which you like or do not like and it will end up confusing you.

True. Well I'll get the bass back tomorrow in time for a rehearsal but the sansamp doesn't come in until Thursday and its not like I pre-paid for the sansamp, they just had it transferred from another store because they were out. So I can re-evaluate after tomorrow's rehearsal.

The tone I'm after is similar to the bass tone on Bryan Adam's "Run to You" which you can hear:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pZmDkuhWy_o

I've just never played flats before and so I have no idea what to expect.

Pilgrim · #6 07-29-2008, 04:03 PM

Tell them NOT to throw out the old strings!!!!!!!!!!

Many of us wait eagerly to get strings that well seasoned. You may very well like the chromes, but you may not. If you get back the old strings you can always re-install them.

I'm a flats player and the Chromes are good strings, but they're going to be really "zingy" for the first month or so after you install them. They will sound different (much better, in my opinion) after 2-3 months.

And Behringer makes a copy of the SansAmp (BDI-21) that sells for about $30. You might want to get one and compare before paying for the SansAmp.

walknbluez · #7 07-29-2008, 04:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pilgrim

Tell them NOT to throw out the old strings!!!!!!!!!!

Many of us wait eagerly to get strings that well seasoned. You may very well like the chromes, but you may not. If you get back the old strings you can always re-install them.

I'm a flats player and the Chromes are good strings, but they're going to be really "zingy" for the first month or so after you install them. They will sound different (much better, in my opinion) after 2-3 months.

And Behringer makes a copy of the SansAmp (BDI-21) that sells for about $30. You might want to get one and compare before paying for the SansAmp.

Great, and I have a gig on Friday! I hope their not too "zingy". Another person said they will be "clacky". I'm getting nervous now.

walknbluez · #8 07-29-2008, 04:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pilgrim

Tell them NOT to throw out the old strings!!!!!!!!!!

Many of us wait eagerly to get strings that well seasoned. You may very well like the chromes, but you may not. If you get back the old strings you can always re-install them.

I'm a flats player and the Chromes are good strings, but they're going to be really "zingy" for the first month or so after you install them. They will sound different (much better, in my opinion) after 2-3 months.

And Behringer makes a copy of the SansAmp (BDI-21) that sells for about $30. You might want to get one and compare before paying for the SansAmp.

Yeah, someone else mentioned the Behringer BDI-21 however I can't find it locally.

CapnSev · #9 07-29-2008, 04:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by walknbluez

Great, and I have a gig on Friday! I hope their not too "zingy". Another person said they will be "clacky". I'm getting nervous now.

...or you could be pleaseantly surprised. You might actually hear something besides 7-year-old-string-muck out of your bass

.

jsm81 · #10 07-29-2008, 04:35 PM

I don't think you can go wrong with a SansAmp. I got mine about 3 years ago and haven't played without it since. If anything, it's a great DI box. It gives you the option of line or instrument levels on both the 1/4 and XLR output. I think it's just a great box. Personally, I just don't trust Behringer's stuff anymore. IMO, you typically get a good year or 2 out of them before they start crapping out. Like I said, I've had the Sansamp for 3 years and no issues at all.

walknbluez · #11 07-29-2008, 04:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CapnSev

...or you could be pleaseantly surprised. You might actually hear something besides 7-year-old-string-muck out of your bass

.

I hope you're right! I was kind of excited about trying out new strings.

Sahm · #12 07-29-2008, 05:06 PM

Gigs are the only true test, so don't get too nervous about it. No matter how comfortable you are with new gear at home, it's the performance that tells you everything.

walknbluez · #13 07-29-2008, 05:09 PM

Someone here said new flats will be "zingy" in the beginning and someone else told me that they will be "clacky". When I told the setup guy at the music store that I was told that, he said, "not particularly".

Jaco who? · #14 07-29-2008, 05:27 PM

Zingy is a relative term. Compared to 7 year old strings, anything new will sound zingy. Flats won't have anywhere near the zingyness of DR high beams (or any other stainless round wound).

TheJohnG · #15 07-29-2008, 05:34 PM

Sometimes, you just have to break down and buy strings.

I'm new around here so I may be missing something... I play round wounds, brand new, or at least as new as I can get them. They speak to me!

salcott · #16 07-29-2008, 05:38 PM

Try the strings first and get the bass itself sounding good before you buy a "magic box". Behringer stuff is garbage.

JustOpenYourMind · #17 07-29-2008, 05:46 PM

I honestly don't know how anyone can refer to flatwounds as zingy, new rounds are zingy, flats are just brighter when new but still way more tame than a new set of rounds.

I don't think you'll dislike them especially if you had 7 years old rounds.

kazuhank · #18 07-29-2008, 05:50 PM

With the right bass (the MIM Jazz is a good candidate), flats can give you the tone that you've been after. I once decided against selling a hollowbody simply because I threw some flats on it and it "opened up" and sounded like I was hoping it would from the beginning.

Flats are definitely a love-or-hate proposition, but like everything else, if you don't like them try something else. I've never liked really old roundwounds, but aged flats seem to get better and better, of course YMMV.

As for the SansAmp, I agree that it may not be necessary for your setup. It is a great DI and piece of gear to have if you play out a ton with a head that has no DI, but it is not a needed piece of equipment if you're happy with your bass and amp's combined tone.

I'm curious to read how things turn out. Best of luck!

walknbluez · #19 07-29-2008, 06:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kazuhank

With the right bass (the MIM Jazz is a good candidate), flats can give you the tone that you've been after. I once decided against selling a hollowbody simply because I threw some flats on it and it "opened up" and sounded like I was hoping it would from the beginning.

Flats are definitely a love-or-hate proposition, but like everything else, if you don't like them try something else. I've never liked really old roundwounds, but aged flats seem to get better and better, of course YMMV.

As for the SansAmp, I agree that it may not be necessary for your setup. It is a great DI and piece of gear to have if you play out a ton with a head that has no DI, but it is not a needed piece of equipment if you're happy with your bass and amp's combined tone.

I'm curious to read how things turn out. Best of luck!

Great advice from all of you. I have a rehearsal tomorrow and I'll let you know how it sounds. I won't buy the sansamp just yet. The guy at the music store said if I had to choose where to allocate funds, for new pickups or a sansamp, he said he would go with replacing the pickups first and that it would make a big difference as well.

mccartneyman · #20 07-29-2008, 07:10 PM

Seven years is pushing it. After a while they will lose their ability to be harmonically correct. I seem to recall that past of the reason James Jamerson started losing gigs is that he refused to change his five- or six-year-old strings, and they would not record well.