string gauge psychosis

[morehorn]

bananas

can't get my feels sorted out between 3 main basses I have. spending more time doing set-ups than playing.... black nylon, flatwound, various steel brands and gauges, nickel steel. basses feel good then i play one of the others and like it better. rounds change drastically with weather and length-of-use. anyone been here? what's the cure?

[Gab124]

Well, maybe just stop obsessing and just play. Get started on some hard transcription that you always wanted to do, anything but tone issues. Tones change in every room anyway - live, home, recording it always changes. IDK

[fretlessguy]

I have sort of a string obssesion. Over the years I have tried many strings of different types and gauges, which often led to much experimentation. I played for many years with rounds, then changed to flats and semi-flats, and compressed strings. In the mid 90s. Then I changed back to rounds and discovered the perfect set was Fender 7120s, at least for my needs, and both my 5 strings wear them. I have recently discovered Thomastik-Infield Jazz Flats, and my four stringers are wearing them or GHS Precision rounds.

Through this I learned that I prefer lighter gauge strings, flats on four strings for most of the folk and other music forms I play. When roundwound tones and more modern sounding basses are requested I use my 5s. I also learned how to set up basses rather well, and it has saved me a lot of money through the years.

I do find working on basses and other stringed theraputic and a sort of stress reilief, and set up my friends' basses, guitars, and mandolins just for fun.

Hope you figure out what it is you need soon. Bass strings are VERY expensive.

FG

[JustDavid]

Answer A: The cure for doing something you don't want to do is to stop doing it. But you like doing it, so I'm not sure what it is you want to cure.

Answer B: TI Jazz Flats

[CPplaysBASS]

Turn your apparent into a strength .... with all that experience with different strings, you can now give great advice to others

I just came through a similar period myself ... I have 4 basses, and here's the sets I burned through in just the past 4 weeks:

Fender MIA Jazz: Rotosound Jazz77 Flats 45-105, D'Addario Chromes 45-100, Fender 7250s 45-105

Fender MIA P-Bass: Rotosound Jazz77 Flats 45-105, D'Addario Chromes 50-105, Fender 7150s, Fender Flatwounds 45-95

Fender 50's P Classic: Rotosound SwingBass Nickels 45-105, D'Addario EXL 170 45-100, Fender 7250s 45-105

Squier Fretless: Fender Nylon Tapewounds, Fender 7150s 45-105

Thankfully, I'm ecstatic about the last choices listed now ... learned alot during the process, and pretty damn good at setting up my own basses now too.

Actually, everyone should have a period where they are just as obsessive about their choice of string as they are about how their choice of bass or amp. The entire sound starts with the string ...

[BZadlo]

Originally Posted by JustDavid

Answer A: The cure for doing something you don't want to do is to stop doing it. But you like doing it, so I'm not sure what it is you want to cure.

Answer B: TI Jazz Flats

+1

I obsess and like it because I can get my bass exactly how I like it...even though "how I like it" seems to change. Just don't tweak at shows.

If TI's are too light check out LaBella 760FM's.

[morehorn]

Originally Posted by fretlessguy

Through this I learned that I prefer lighter gauge strings, flats on four strings for most of the folk and other music forms I play. When roundwound tones and more modern sounding basses are requested I use my 5s. I also learned how to set up basses rather well, and it has saved me a lot of money through the years.

I do find working on basses and other stringed theraputic and a sort of stress reilief, and set up my friends' basses, guitars, and mandolins just for fun.



FG

part of my problem is that i play (fender jazz) over the front pickup and sometimes with a pick so the heavier strings are better ... but that i can't get the quick stuff as well and i feel like i'm lagging on time. same bass, switch on the light ones and the oppasite happens

agreed --- therepeutic ... but then thinking about too much while playing -- pull the screwdriver out in sessions and at rehearsals .. yikes

[tranceFusion]

I finally decided to go 45-105 on every bass, all the time. If a particular type of string doesn't come in 45-105, it doesn't go on the bass.

[morehorn]

Originally Posted by BZadlo

+1

I obsess and like it because I can get my bass exactly how I like it...even though "how I like it" seems to change. Just don't tweak at shows.

If TI's are too light check out LaBella 760FM's.

i'm with you on the change "how i like it"... just overly sensitive to details you know? good for excecution bad for mental state. oh i'm tweaking at shows! what if that club is humid? hah

[morehorn]

Originally Posted by tranceFusion

I finally decided to go 45-105 on every bass, all the time. If a particular type of string doesn't come in 45-105, it doesn't go on the bass.

i like this -- keep it simple. but i like getting different sounds out the different instruments through different string materials -- man they feel different from string to string, neck to neck, nut to nut ..