Half-wounds or ground-wounds- pros and cons

[Byzcat]

I'm thinking about changing the strings on my bass. Right now, I've got the roundwounds that came stock with the instrument (I think they're Elixers, not really sure). I'm not crazy about them- they're a bit too bright, and I also get too much finger noise, plus they tend to ring slightly after I've lifted my finger off (which may be a technique issue, when I start taking lessons next week, I'll ask my teacher).

I'm looking for something that will give me a good solid "thunk", and somewhat of a deep, dark sound. I don't want to go all the way to flats, though, I do want some brightness, just not as bright as what I've got now.

I'm thinking about going with either ground wounds or half rounds. I've seen a lot about the difference between rounds vs half/ground vs flat wounds, but nothing about half wounds vs. ground wounds, (they tend to get lumped into the same category).

Does anybody have any experience with half rounds and ground wounds, who could tell me the pros and cons of each?

[p-bass]

Groundwounds and Half Rounds are the same thing. Maybe your thinking Groundwound versus Presurewounds

[bassman314]

yes. They are the same thing. I have D'Addario Half-rounds on my fretless, and it gives me a nice compromise in the tone between flats and rounds, without killing my fingerboard.

The tone is mellower than a regular round, but not as dead or flat as a flatwound.

[Byzcat]

hmm. I just read an article that said that ground-wounds were roundwounds that had been, well, ground to a flat surface, and half-rounds, the winding was oval shaped. Linked from a sticky on this very forum, no less.

OK so can anyone tell me about pressure-wounds, then, and the advantages/disadvantages of them vs. grounds (price being a factor as well).

[p-bass]

Presurewounds have oval shaped windings. Jim D'Addario invented the "Half Round" Bass String called D'Addario Half Rounds in 1976,it's a groundwound string. I don't like either, so I will let others comment on what they like about them.

[Byzcat]

Hmm, still no real advice...

Really, I need help here. I don't want to drop $30-40 and ending up hating the sound.

I also would like to go with a lighter gauge, thing is, not being sure what's on the bass now, I don't know what I should get- I've heard that light gauge strings don't have as good of tone, so I probably wouldn't want to go ultra-light, but then again, I'm not sure what I've got now, and I have no experience, I've always played whatever came stock on the instrument.

So, anybody know what comes stock on an Ibanez SR-300, (brand and gauge- I've checked the Ibanez website, the info isn't there) and can anybody recommend me a good set of lighter gauge ground wound or pressure wound strings with good tone, a nice dark sound, that make a nice thunk when I pluck them?

[Byzcat]

Decided to go all the way and get flats. My local music store is out of them though, so I'm going to buy them when I go for my first lesson next week.