| New ABG- Warwick Alien, 32", what strings to use?
Sign in to disble this ad
I just bought a used 4 string Warwick Alien which is being shipped. I'm excited as this is my first ABG after twenty years of playing. I'm a full time pro and play URB but this will be nice option.
I want to find the right strings for the bass. I'm not looking for the super bright sound that some ABG players go for with a pick and attempts to play acoustic w/ their band, instead this will probably be a solo instrument and I prefer a mellower sound that will not catch so much sting noise, though I want to try acoustic strings first. I'm not trying to emulate an URB- I want the strings to have some sustain and not be to thumpy.
I may eventually string it up as tenor bass (ADGC) or even tune that up to BEAD (octave higher then bottom strings on a 5 string bass- like a baritone guitar) since I think that the size of ABG bodies are more suited for this tonal register and I want to be able to chord on it. This bass has a 32" scale length on the 4 string model.
I was thinking I would start with Warwick's own strings since they're designed for this 32". There's two sets they have:
Red Strings Bronze Acoustic Bass Strings
and Warwick Acoustic Bass strings.
First of all, what's the difference between these two sets? They're both phosphor bronze. I'd prefer the darker of the two, though I suspect they'll be too bright.
Another option is Thomastik Infeld's bronze strings, which are phosphor bronze with a nylon core, which may soften them up I think. My only concern is that they are very light tension which I think may become to floppy with the 32" scale length. (They might be great I want to tune up to BEAD as I mentioned though.) I use TI's on my URB and jazz guitar, and they are high quality strings.
I also thought about D'addario's new EXP coated ABG phosphor bronze strings, which may take some of the edge of the strings.
Past that, I should probably consider regular electric strings, like D'addario half rounds, which I use on my Sadowsky jazz bass to get half way to flats, though I think I would lose a lot of acoustic volume and maybe some sustain.
Any other ideas? I know little about tapewounds other than that they are popular on ABG's for people going for a thumpy URB sound, again, not my thing, but if there is a brand that is a little more brilliant than that they may work. | 
