Newbie string suggestions

[Ribber]

Hi folks...

I'm an absolute newbie to playing bass, only been dinking around on one since about 6 months ago when my son moved out and left his BC Rich Warlock here for storage.

I've really been struggling with the neck-heavy aspect of it and even more with the fact the strings sit 3 feet off the fretboard.

I decided to pick up a used (and easier to play, more balanced) Fender Highway One for a decent price. The seller says it's in excellent shape and has been very candid about its few flaws, paint chips I may have never noticed basically, and that it needs new strings.

Any suggestions on what I should put on it? I couldn't tell you the difference between flatwound and roundwound or what gauges I should be looking at, so am open to anything you might have to offer. If you could also include a brief explanation as to why you are making your particular suggestion, that would go far in helping me learn and decide what I'm looking for.

Thanks kindly,
Rod

[Bass-Adrenaline]

Theres a somewhat recent and issue of bass player that you may want to look for. It covers pretty much all the info your asking for. Someone will probably know of ifo online that will help as well. What you really need to do is get all the basic string info and try some strings. Suggestions only go so far since we dont know what kind of sound youre looking for.

[Ribber]

Originally Posted by Bass-Adrenaline

Suggestions only go so far since we dont know what kind of sound youre looking for.

I was thinking something along the lines of ::deep voice:: "dum bada dummm bum da da dum"

In all seriousness, I'm looking for something that will be easy to play and allow me to bend a little. I've got a Zoom multi-effects pedal that I use with my Strat, so I think a particular sound out of the naked bass is not so much a factor for me as I can plug in the pedal and tweak from there.

I guess I'm just asking if there's a "standard" gauge I should look for. I'd rather go into the Guitarworks not ask for $100 strings that are very specialized. Just something general...

I'll definitely dig around the Chapters and see if I can come up with the Bass Player magazine you mention, or maybe find a copy of it online. Off to scour the internets, thanks.

[Bass-Adrenaline]

You can probably still get the issue at guitar center or something. Its a great issue that covers strings, amps, and pedals really well. If i were you id hunt down that mag issue and then try out a few different sets of strings. Sorry i couldnt be of more help.

This is the issue - http://www.elderly.com/books/items/BP-200909SE.htm

[GianGian]

Thinner strings are more sloppy, so maybe you will like those, they are easy to bend. But they don't sound as fat as the heavier gauges. But the heavier ones on the other hand are tighter. Also, flatwounds are much more bassy and less trebly, while roundwounds are not that bassy and have plenty of highs. I really like D'addario nickels, I've been using them since forever. Keep in mind that if you get stainless steel strings they will chew your frets much faster than the nickel rounds, but they will give you a super bright tone in the first few weeks of use.
So what I recommend you is D'addario nickels 40-95 http://store.daddario.com/category/1...um_Scale_40-95
they are the ones I use.

[Bass-Adrenaline]

Fret wear isnt as big of a deal as people make it out to be unless the frets on your bass are pretty cheap. I personally love steel strings and havnt seen any excessive wear on any of my basses yet.

[60's Bluesman]

curt mangen extra lights

[R. Laevinus]

From your original post, I'm going to assume that you have some guitar experience previously - so I'll say the bass strings are basically the same as guitar strings, only bigger and longer.

As far as gauges go, generally speaking, a bigger string has a bigger tone. For material, you pretty much have nickel and steel - steel is brighter, with more zing to it. For winding style, you pretty much have flatwound and roundwound. Flats have a square wire on the core, resulting in a smoother surface - they give more bass, less treble, and easier sliding. Rounds give more 'punch', with more treble, and squeak when you slide. Flats also tend to last longer.

80% of bassists use rounds. I'd reccomend either D'Addario XL's (nickel, round) to start, or Fender 7150's (nickel, round). Both are decent strings (I use them on a vintage headless and a P, respectively), while flats might be a good choice if you want a darker sound. D'Addario Chromes are pretty reasonable flats to start with - I use 'em on my other P. For gauge, go with medium - 40 or 45 to 105.

[Blues Bass Man]

D'Addario XL Nickelwound Roundwounds should give you what your looking for. I would recomend the 105-45, D'Addario Nickelwound EXL 165. These should run you no more than $20 and are a good string for just about any style of playing.

[Ribber]

Thanks all, you've given me some great things to look at. After some reading on the net, I figured maybe the 105-45's would be a good middle of the road choice. Seeing those very gauges recommended here gives me some confidence in that decision. D'Addario seems to be highly rec'd too, so I'll look at that brand.

Thanks again.

[Burlington]

I always play DR strings, and when I had my Geddy Lee jazz bass, the light gauge DR Highbeams were great. Super light and easy to bend but still full of tone. So I would recommend you try out a set of those.