I am lost in this world of picking out BASS strings

jjeangi · #1 12-26-2009, 03:36 PM

So i've got this Peavey Dyna Bass. Its from 1987 but I'm not very sure what scale it is. I think its a 34" scale.

Anyways, I've never played bass before and I need to get strings for this thing. I need to buy them on amazon (which actually seems to have a pretty nice collection)

Money is not an issue for me.

I just need to know what you could recommend. I dont know what comes in one of these packs. Is it like one set of five strings, and i have to pick out four to put on?

Gah, I'm so confuzzled.

This is the amazon bass string section:
http://www.amazon.com/b/ref=amb_link..._rd_i=11091801

the search bar should also work.

Thanks for any help you can give. I'd really appreciate it. All this slinky stuff is making my head hurt

M0ses · #2 12-26-2009, 03:40 PM

I'm curoius, why do you HAVE to buy from Amazon?

Anyway, there's a billion options for strings a billion opinions. Everyone has their own tastes.
A pack of strings is labeled whether it is a 4 or 5 string set.

becker4567 · #3 12-26-2009, 03:45 PM

I totally understand. Bass strings are a bit to expensive to buy a selection to experiment with. Listen to different players and bands and decide what sound you would like. Bright/punchy attack....rounds. Mellow/deep and moody....flats. Also understand that rounds have a very rough feel while flats are very smooth (which eliminate finger noise). Try the Lakeland web site, they have a page that demonstrates different strings played with either pick or fingers.

jjeangi · #4 12-26-2009, 03:45 PM

Long story with my parents. :/

Jo6Pak · #5 12-26-2009, 03:46 PM

for starters, how many strings do you need? i've never considered buying strings from amazon, but i do buy a lot of other stuff from there, so why not...

jjeangi · #6 12-26-2009, 03:48 PM

What would come in this package?
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg...X0DER&v=glance

M0ses · #7 12-26-2009, 03:51 PM

The four numbers beneath "Ernie Ball" list the gauges of the four strings - how think each one is. Those are roundwounds, and they're Ernie Ball, which have a rather distinct sound.
Personally I don't touch roundwounds, but most bassists would never even dream of using flats.

Jo6Pak · #8 12-26-2009, 03:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jjeangi

What would come in this package?
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg...X0DER&v=glance

4 roundwound strings. you basically have two choices - flatwound and roundwound. most people seem to prefer round, although i prefer flat. you might start with round (since they're most popular) and go from there...

Jo6Pak · #9 12-26-2009, 03:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by M0ses

Personally I don't touch roundwounds, but most bassists would never even dream of using flats.

thanks, brutha...

jjeangi · #10 12-26-2009, 03:59 PM

how many strings come in a normal package? just four for twenty bucks?

jjeangi · #11 12-26-2009, 04:01 PM

Sorry for the DP, but what's with the whole Slinky thing? Also, what are hybrid strings?

eddievanbassman · #12 12-26-2009, 04:03 PM

Rotosound Swing Bass 66 Stainless Steel All the way

Jo6Pak · #13 12-26-2009, 04:04 PM

'normal' depends on your bass. these days, it could have any number of strings...

EDIT: fill out your forum profile, you might get more input. people here can be very generous...

jjeangi · #14 12-26-2009, 04:22 PM

I mainly just want to play rock music.

That's the genre I'm mainly focused in. I'm not that interested in funk and etc.

marchone · #15 12-26-2009, 04:30 PM

Either Rotosound 66 Swing Bass or DR High Beams will get you the sound you're looking for. Medium size sets from 45 to 105 is probably most common.

There's an interesting Rotosound topic that just got revived here today. Check it out.

mmbongo · #16 12-26-2009, 05:05 PM

These are what you need to start out on, just get them and don't worry about it. Then as you learn and experiment, you can try different things.

http://www.amazon.com/DAddario-EXL16...872252&sr=1-10

Meatrus · #17 12-26-2009, 05:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jjeangi

Sorry for the DP, but what's with the whole Slinky thing? Also, what are hybrid strings?

Slinky is Ernie Ball's way of referring to gauge. Example; super slinky (light or extra light, cant remember!), slinky (regular gauge), power slinky (heavy). But its really the numbers you need to look at, as they are universal to other makes. 45-105 is standard gauge, anything higher in number is bigger anything lower lighter.

And Hybrid is also EB terminology which means they will be two of the above sets combined, like a heavy gauge bottom, with a light top etc (2 strings of each).

Pilgrim · #18 12-26-2009, 06:08 PM

Not to be rude, but this is a very broad question and all anyone can do is pull something out of thin air and tell you to buy it. Take the time to do your homework - there must be 100 threads with discussions of strings here on Talkbass. Read some of them and you'll be much better informed. You'll learn about what strings do, what different types sound like, and you can make an informed decision.

Otherwise, buy Labella Deep Talkin' flats in .045-.105 gauge. Trust me.

Munjibunga · #19 12-26-2009, 08:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jjeangi

Long story with my parents. :/

Let me guess. They own Amazon, and that's why money is not an issue for you.

Munjibunga · #20 12-26-2009, 08:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jjeangi

how many strings come in a normal package? just four for twenty bucks?

More or less, yes. If you buy Thomastik Infeld (TI), it's more like just four for fifty bucks. I like TI Power Bass. They are a kind of slinky, light-gauge string, but they have a fantastic sound.