Mid scooped nickel string?

mmbongo · #1 01-29-2012, 08:44 PM

Going in a different direction with one of my basses...after struggling for a while trying to get a sound out of it that I guess it's just not going to get (not snappy enough, and too middy) I'm just going to dedicate this bass to having more of an old school, zing-free vibe.

So like I said, it's very middy, so I need a mid scooped sounding string. DR Sunbeams are my go to string, but what makes them phenomenal is TOO much on this bass. Too much mids.

Looking for a nice thick sound on the bottom, with a smooth feel...like DR Sunbeams. I can't stand a grabby string. Roundwound, Pressure Wound, maybe even flat...but I doubt it. I can't stand flats and the ones that seem to be really good are really expensive. I don't want to spend more than $30 for a 5 string set.

I was about to pull the trigger on GHS Pressure Wounds, just wanted to see what others had to say.

tylerwylie · #2 01-29-2012, 09:51 PM

Scooped nickel string? Ever give Circle K's a shot? Not "totally scooped" but I used the tone for a good aggressive sound. EB Slinkies but they don't last long enough.

Hi Beams are very smooth and have lots of bottom, but they're not nickel. Same with Fat Beams.

rimbaud · #3 01-29-2012, 11:55 PM

Mid scoop on nickel rounds seems pretty hard to find I think. The fact is: nickels sound middy this is their major property !

Now you can have a look on rotosound pure nickel, maybe, Ernie Ball of course yeah.... ??

rimbaud · #4 01-29-2012, 11:56 PM

One more: halfrounds? as d'addario .....?

brendanbassist · #5 01-30-2012, 12:09 AM

DR's Hellborg signatures should do the trick.

EDIT: Not if you need a 5 string set.

mmbongo · #6 01-30-2012, 06:21 AM

I've tried many of the ones mentioned, just for the sake of sharing my experiences:

Circle K: Not bad, but more expensive than DR and don't sound as good. Also won't work on string through body. I think their advantage comes in when you want sets bigger than .142.

HiBeams/FatBeams: Great Stainless strings, but I don't want the brightness or rough feel of Stainless.

Hellborgs: Very odd sounding strings. Almost like sitting in a sound proof chamber where your voice comes out and dies immediately with no echo or overtones at all.

Rotosound Nickel: Too rough and sticky feeling.

Halfrounds: Too grabby, not smooth feeling.

Ernie Ball: Never really liked them. Not as smooth feeling as Dunlop Nickels, which cost the same, sound better, and last longer.

So, I'm still on GHS Pressure Wounds. Also as mentioned above, Dunlop Nickels might be an option. I can get either of these from Jason as Bass Strings Online in custom gauges, which is a big plus!

**Coolhandjjl** · #7 01-30-2012, 08:17 AM

No mention of D'Addario XL's? To me, they sound very scoopy.

mmbongo · #8 01-30-2012, 08:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Coolhandjjl

No mention of D'Addario XL's? To me, they sound very scoopy.

Too clangy

rimbaud · #9 01-30-2012, 05:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mmbongo

Too clangy

I agree that's why I didn't propose them: I'm a long years XL user (maybe 10/12 years ??) , used them on many basses, and what I love with those strings is that they are well balanced, and yes they sound ok for slap, so not mid-scoop at all and ringy

. With my preamp, if I want a 400hz mid range or a 800 hz mid -range boost, no problem, I know that XL's will do their job.

Now that "too much" clangy tone disappear after maybe 10h, but in fact I love that nickel clangy instead of SS clangy tone that seems to much harsh for my ears. That's why I'm looking for Fodera's nickels cos' I think they are lasting more than the XL's.

In your case, I easily understand why you don't want them

GMSweet · #10 01-30-2012, 07:04 PM

I'm hunting for something similar. The Fodera Wootens with a .130 B were brighter than the Sunbeams they replaced but also had less mids. Tension wise they were stiffer than I expected for the gauge and being round cores. On the downside, they have not lasted as long as the DRs and I'm looking to replace them ahead of my 3 month schedule. My next stop is a set of Ken Smith burners before heading back to a set of Fat Beams.

Matt

eddododo · #11 02-02-2012, 05:37 PM

Try foderas nickel round. Not any of the signature set, the regular rounds.

Note: they say compressionwound but thats a reference to the winding technique , theyre definetly round.

Great sounding strings

Funkmeister79 · #12 02-03-2012, 08:04 AM

I would give the Fender 7150s a try. I have them on a MIM Jazz. Feel great, very mellow, vintage tone, but there is definitely a mid scoop. And with that comes (to my ears, at least) a drop in perceived output, so I always find myself bumping up the volume on my amp. Maybe I'll try out those DR Sunbeams...

mmbongo · #13 02-03-2012, 08:14 AM

Well after talking to Jason at Bass Strings Online, I decided to go with GHS PressureWounds. I came to the conclusion that I was just trying to get a sound out of this bass that it's not going to get. The bass has lots of mids, pretty good lows, and the problem is with the treble. Just never could get enough bite, and when I did it just sounded funny...crunchy or something.

So I just decided that rather than sell the bass, I'll just cater to it's strengths and have something different as well. Put those Pressurewounds on it and it's phenomenal. Not what I was aiming for originally, but now it's a nice fat motown machine which is the opposite of my other basses.

So, it worked out! Gotta give props to Jason at Bass Strings Online...not sure why anybody would bother buying strings anywhere else.
Welcome to Bass Strings Online - Your Custom Bass String Shop...

madbassplaya · #14 02-03-2012, 03:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mmbongo

Well after talking to Jason at Bass Strings Online, I decided to go with GHS PressureWounds. I came to the conclusion that I was just trying to get a sound out of this bass that it's not going to get. The bass has lots of mids, pretty good lows, and the problem is with the treble. Just never could get enough bite, and when I did it just sounded funny...crunchy or something.

So I just decided that rather than sell the bass, I'll just cater to it's strengths and have something different as well. Put those Pressurewounds on it and it's phenomenal. Not what I was aiming for originally, but now it's a nice fat motown machine which is the opposite of my other basses.

So, it worked out! Gotta give props to Jason at Bass Strings Online...not sure why anybody would bother buying strings anywhere else.
Welcome to Bass Strings Online - Your Custom Bass String Shop...

If you decide to go the other direction again, try some Sadowsky's.

And yea, Jason's the man.

Al Bass · #15 03-08-2012, 09:21 AM

Have you considered changing out the bass tone cap to get more highs? Using a tone capacitor value of .03uf to .022uf should get you lots of highs out of your bass than typical tone caps value of .047-.05uf.