Modulus Strings?

[GrandMarkie]

Well I just bought my brand new Modulus Q5 a week ago, and already my G string... Is this normal for such a new bass? It was made in December 03 and it was in a display case, so it was rarely played. The other strings are really feeling sluggish now and aren't as tight as it was a week ago. Suggestions for new strings? They will be nickel, extra long scale... Thanks

[Jerry Ziarko]

I have tried several brands on my Modulus. I love the feel of stainless DR Lowriders on this instrument. I did try a set of nickel High Beams a while back. I did not like the sound of the HB as well as the lowriders, but the FOH engineer said he did not notice any difference at all. I know most people don't trust the sound man, (lol) but the indivdual I am talking about is a highly respected pro who I have worked with on and off for about the last ten years. His opinion I do respect and trust. Anyway back to subject at hand, the nickel High Beams did feel as tight as the Lowriders. A bit pricey, but well worth it in my opinion.

[GRoberts]

I had been using DR hi beams on my Modulus Quantum Q5 for the past year. After experimenting with a few other strings, I installed a fresh set of DR Hi Beams. They produce a very deep and punchy low end with a very sweet high end. (A bit zingy for some) I struggled however to get a decent mid range that would cut through the mix with the DR's. I couldn't EQ it enough to give me the sound I wanted. It was frustrating.

I swapped them out for a new set of D'Addario Nickel Round Wounds XL170's. End of story! The D'addario's are a GREAT all round string!! They have more mids to my ears and cut through the mix better in my Classic Rock/Blues band. I loved the DR's in the past, but I have decided that they are a better jazz/Funk string. Honestly, I hated them for Loud Classic Rock/Blues. The D'addarrio XL Nickels are the perfect balance of tone, punch, tight mids that cut through the mix. They have a nice top end too which is not too zingy for the Modulus. My Modulus Q5 is Quilt Maple top/Alder body/Phenolic fingerboard and EMG's. 2003 model.

The DR hi beams last a long time but cost more. So that's wash. I'd rather replace the D'addario's and get the tone I want. I like how they feel too. The DR"s are sort of sticky feeling.

Bottom line: I'm extremely pleased with D'addario's Nickel XL's and will use them from now on with my Modulus Q5.

As a side note, I also used some Ken Smith Stainless strings with good results. (not the cheap burners) I liked the Smoth strings better than the Hi beams for the same reason. Cutting mids that are nice with a very balanced frequency response.

I fully expected the Hi-beams to win out so it is a surprise that I don't like them on the Modulus as much as some others. (Consdier the style of music I'm playing. Your milage may vary) They sound great by when playing alone. I just couldn't get them to cut through the mix on stage with the band.

D'Addarrio's for me for now. There are lot of other options worth trying .but since I'm not missing anything. I think I'll just settle on the very consistant D'Addario Nickel XL's.

Hope that helps

[GrandMarkie]

Thanks for the info guys. I called up the place (www.gguitars.com) I purchased the bass from to tell them the issue, and they'll be replacing them at no cost

They came pre-strung with XL170's anyways (so I was told)and they sounded ok when I first bought it, but they eventually got very flimsy over a week span. Hopefully these were just defective. I'll definately be trying other strings in the future, but for now, it will have to be the 170's. Did everyone elses come strung with the 170's or were they Modulus brand strings? Thanks again!

[GRoberts]

Originally Posted by GrandMarkie

Thanks for the info guys. I called up the place (www.gguitars.com) I purchased the bass from to tell them the issue, and they'll be replacing them at no cost

They came pre-strung with XL170's anyways (so I was told)and they sounded ok when I first bought it, but they eventually got very flimsy over a week span. Hopefully these were just defective. I'll definately be trying other strings in the future, but for now, it will have to be the 170's. Did everyone elses come strung with the 170's or were they Modulus brand strings? Thanks again!

In my experience, the Xl170's do not last quite as long in retaining their brilliance as the DR strings, but they are cheaper and I like their overall tone and feel better. So the cost is about the same. I just change them more often. It's worth it to me to get the consistant tone and feel I want.

DR Hi beams are great strings and I'll probably use them on other basses. But with my Modulus with EMG's and the Carbon Fiber neck, I think the nickel strings balance it quite nicely. Just my .02 worth. All answers are correct. Whatever you like best if the best string for you. I admittedly have a very aggressive right hand. I tend to dig in for the punch I like with my fingerstyle technique.

[rob_d]

Let me ask this about the Modulus basses...I just got a Q6 about 2 months ago and they threw in a set of strings...Ernie Balls to be exact. Anyhow, they told me I need to get extra long scale for the Modulus basses. Is this true? I'm looking to buy new strings now and with the XL's there seems to be a lot less choice. Do you all use XL's on your Modulus'?

[smokinbass]

When I first got my Modulus it was in the store 3 years before I bought it. Batteries died in two days! Anyway I started breaking strings left & right. Broke one in each set of one its first gigs! Over time the breakage became less & less frequent as I believe the instrument "settled". After that first couple months I've yet to break a string. I use DRs, Lo Riders, Hi-beams, Stainless, Nickel; all with subtle differences. I like the Stainless Hi Beams overall I think, 105,85,65,45. I like my sound very "bright". Best strings $ can buy IMHO. The reason you want long strings is Modulus basses (except the Flea i think) are 35" scale. Regular scale is 34". I have no problems with the regular length DRs on my M4.

[seansbrew]

DR's
DR's
DR's
I am open to trying anything when it comes to my basses but DR's seem to be the ticket for my Modulus Q5. One other brand of string that kicked ass on my Modulus were the SS strings made by EBS. Unfortunatly they are not carried anymore by the bass place where I live so DR's it is.

[boogiebass]

GHS Supersteels come in a "Quantum" set, extra long scale. They sound great on my Q6.

[rob_d]

Well, I just ordered a set of Elixer NanoWeb extra longs, for my Q6. I've yet to try these strings but have read good things and they supposedly last such a long time that it justifies the huge price tag(52.00 after shipping from juststrings.com). At that price I sure hope I like em. I will post my thoughts after I get them and have played with them a bit.

[atldeadhead]

I've been following this thread for the past couple of days. As a fellow Q5 owner, I'm curious, do all of these various string sets ya'll are using have a tapered B string? I seem to have the worst time with intonation on my Q5 unless I'm using a taperwound B.

[seansbrew]

The DR's I use are not tapered and I have not had any problems with intonation. I have heard that DR either makes, or is coming out with a tapered string.

[Davo737]

I was always a fan of the D'Addario XLs on my Q5, as well. I've tried just about everything else out there, but kept going back to them. As far as tapered strings, I know Geoff Gould has a set of tapered stings for 35 inch scale basses that he used to use on the Quantums when he was at Modulus, and now sells them under his own name. Last I saw, Bass Place was blowing them out for around $20 a set if I'm not mistaken.

[GRoberts]

This just in. I am the one evangelizing D'Addario XL's on my Modulus. truly I love them. However I have gone back to Ken Smith Rock Masters (Stainless) with exceptional results. I think they may last just a little longer than the D'Addarrio XL's, But that's hard to say.