New to the subject of strings- Suggestions?

[Hemispheres85]

I've been playing for about 6 months now, and I have a Squire P-bass and everything that came with the Squire jumpstart package. I want my bass to have a punchy yet somewhat full sound and I have either the treble, mid, or both up a bit on my rumble amp. My bass is not very high quality as one can imagine, and I'm looking to improve my tone to give it a much brighter, fresh sound, that is, without buying totally new equipment.
I have not changed the strings since I got the bass, and my bass teacher recently changed the strings on his borrowed jazz bass he uses for lessons from old flatwounds to new roundwounds, and There is very big difference, making the tone much better. So, I looked at my strings realizing they are a little dull and worn-out looking, so I am thinking of changing them. I have a couple questions as I am not very experienced in the subject of strings...

- How often should I change my strings?
- What are some suggestions of strings i.e. brand names specific strings that would be good for a bright sound that plays well with various genres of music including some metal, progressive/art rock and bands such as Rush and Yes?

[nowontonsforme]

There are a few camps of string changing. Some people like the sound of new strings, and some people like old broken in strings. For new string tone, most people change their strings anywhere between every 2 weeks to 3 months depending on how much you play and how much you sweat or clean the strings. For old broken in strings, some people leave them on for years. It sounds like you want the sound of new strings, so I'd suggest the former.

For roundwounds, there are 2 basic types of strings, nickel and steel. There are some hybrid strings that will give you characteristics of both. Both are bright and punchy like you want, the variance is more the degree of brightness. Steels are very bright strings, but are often considered to be more rough on the hands and frets. Nickels are a little more mellow and are considered smoother on the hands with a less harsh high end.

My advice as to what specific strings to use is to try many many different brands. There are subtle differences between all the brands and you won't know which one you like until you try them through your own rig.

Be careful of buying strings locally, the prices can vary GREATLY. My personal suggestion is to use www.juststrings.com . Either that, or use that site as a reference for pricing.

Good luck. (PS... you'll soon find that DR's are the best!)

[Philbiker]

Originally Posted by Hemispheres85

- How often should I change my strings?
- What are some suggestions of strings i.e. brand names specific strings that would be good for a bright sound that plays well with various genres of music including some metal, progressive/art rock and bands such as Rush and Yes?

Personally, I only change my strings when they won't stay in tune any more. I've gone 10 years and more on a single set. The thing is, I've been playing bass for almost 30 years, and in that time I've learned what I like in strings. Unfortunately the only way to really get a feel for your personal string preference is to play a lot of different strings.

That said, here's my advice. It sounds like what you're after is the sound from stainless steel roundwound strings. I would recommend never replacing strings that are less than about 3-4 months old. Strings are really bright and clanky for the first month or so that they're on the bass, then they settle down and get nice sounding. So don't judge your new strings by how they sound "out of the box" so to speak.

Some really good string companies include Fender, GHS, LaBella, D'Addario, RotoSound, Ernie Ball, Dean Markley. Avoid the Guitar Center brand strings or the ultra-cheap ones in the discount rack in many music stores. They're crap, they will sound bad and lose tune quickly, additinoally, you'll never see them again so they won't help you determine your ultimate preferences for strings. Stick with the basic 45-105 gauge medium set.

Also, wash your hands before playing the bass and your strings will not get dirty and thus last a lot longer.

By the way, your Squier P bass is very cool in my book. Great bass to start out on, enjoy it!

There's a link at the top of this string forum for a talkbass affiliated string web site, I personally recommend them, as you'll see in the thread.

[shirtforbrains]

hartke is the best low end string for the cash. I used to be sponsored with ernie ball and there just as good.

[DavePlaysBass]

I consider D'Addario XL Nickels as a sort of neutral starting point. I usually throw a set on every bass I have owned and they have always sounded good to me. They are nickel but tend to be bright. They lose the new string brightness fairly quick but still sound good for a while. XL-170s are what I prefer (45-65-80-100). XL-165s are probably more middle of the road tension wise (45-65-85-105). XLs are fairly economical as well.

If bright steel is your desire, I would recommend trying La Bella Hard Rockin' Steels, DR Hi Beams, DR Low Riders, or D'Addario Pro Steels. They all have their own vibe.

Dave