Which strings give the closest upright tone?

[Matthew_84]

I've seen lots of posts about someone trying to get an upright tone, but everyone says to try these flats or these tapewounds. Which kind of strings will really do the job the best?

And I know that an electric bass will never sound like an gut-stringed upright, and you may get close and that's all, but that's fine for me now. I will be getting an upright when I can afford it, but for now I'll be turning a jazz copy with a rosewood board into a fretless, and will slide a mute under the strings.

Also, I would really appreciate it if the answers came from people who play uprights and electric fretless bass guitars and try to get the upright tone on their fretless BG, and I think others would too.

Right now, I'm interested in trying out the Labella Nylon tapewounds. They will be brighter than flats, but I think that's good. Uprights do have a bit of treble in their sound when you hear them soloed. Also, I've read a couple of times on here that tapewounds have less tension on them than flats (I don't know how true this is because I've never tried tapewounds), but I do think that lower tension strings whether they are flats or tapewounds will certainly help.

So if you could please answer the poll and maybe list a brand that you prefer that would be very much appreciated.

Thanks,

Matt

[dderatz]

Rotosound Jazz Bass Monel Flatwound.

[Elrend]

I like the rotosound tru bass nylon strings.

[sikamikanico]

first, i never played an upright. in fact, i have a fairly limited view of what the upright sound really is.

that being said, i like higher tension strings, so that i can pluck closer to neck and i try to play with the side of my index finger. i also like high action, to have more "room" to play harder.

i agree that an upright sound is not dark, but actually fairly bright. i currently have a yamaha precision bass with chromes on it and i can get some upright tones (remember, my perception of the upright sound is limited). i think foam would help further, but i don't bother with that - i shorten the sustain with my left (fretting) hand technique.

these ideas are really just a collection of thoughts read here at Talkbass...

[Matthew_84]

That's an interesting thought about the higher tension strings, I do plan on playing very close to the neck.

I've spent some time listening to some Electric Uprights, and they're a bit closer to mimicking the sound of an acoustic, not quite, but the part of the sound they really capture is that kind of rubber band sound that uprights have that is a mixture of the 42" scale length and the string material. Now I can't use those strings because I won't be using piezoelectric pick-ups so I will need some sort of steel strings...

But I've always kind of been under the belief that the "rubber band" sound comes from the kind of bounce in the string, which lead me to the belief that setting the action high and using a lower tension string would give me that movement, but you're right, if I'm playing near the neck I'd have a lot of movement anyway. And at the same time, I wouldn't want the strings to be too floppy.

I have tried Chromes and I'm not a fan of them. I have GHS Flats on my P Bass now and they're awesome, but I would like something else for this fretless, I was thinking of TI's (because of their low tension). Anyways, I'll find some sound clips of the other strings posted.

Thanks everyone

EDIT TO ADD: Also, does anyone have an opinion on what gauge should be used? Should it be a light, medium, or a heavier gauge? I've never actually played an upright so I don't know how thick their strings are, and using a similar gauge may help in acquiring the sound.

[Matthew_84]

Thanks for posting these guys. I really liked the sound of both of them, but it was hard to do a complete comparison of the two....

Originally Posted by dderatz

Rotosound Jazz Bass Monel Flatwound.

The one clip I found of someone playing these was someone jamming for a couple of minutes. They played a wide variety of notes and gave me a good sense of what the strings sounded like. They were certainly brighter than typical flats and I liked the sound very much.

Originally Posted by Elrend

I like the rotosound tru bass nylon strings.

The two clips I found on these was of someone playing a Disney song, and it sounded like most of the notes were played in the higher end of a bass's range, and the other one was a guy playing a lot of harmonics and near the bridge. But from what I heard on the one with the Disney song, they were fantastic. It did sound close to an upright playing its higher notes, and the attack seemed to be a bit duller than most strings, which is a huge help in obtaining an upright sound. I would have liked to hear how they sound on the lower spectrum of the bass's frequencies, but right now, I would say that these are the front-runners. They seem to be a pretty thick gauge. I may have to adjust the nut a bit, but that's fine. I'll be adjusting it anyways.

[mongo2]

I like the sound of Labella 760n tapes on my shortscale EUBGs.

I've found the short scale and subsequent lower string tension helps get a somewhat "rubber band" tone.

My Ashbory also gets that rubber band sound, but the strings are basically rubber bands.

[Matthew_84]

Thanks Mongo, I listened to some more clips of the Labellas and they sound great, especially on ABG's. The problem though is that most of the clips I hear of them are strung onto an ABG with piezoelectric p'ups. The only clips of them on electrics I can find are on Music Man's, which sound a little aggressive due to having active electronics, but you can still kind of hear the sweet sound laying beneath.

Well, from what I'm after, I do think that I'll end up using some sort of tapewound, I'm just not sure which brand yet. Has anyone tried a couple of different tapewounds? Right now it's between the Rotosound 88s and the Labella 760Ns, but I'm sure there are some other great ones out there. I'd also like to hear some sort of comparison on the tension between different tapewounds.

Thanks a lot everyone. I really appreciate it,

Matt

[mongo2]

You could try both the Rotos and the Labellas and see which you like best.

BTW, Carvin sells Labella tapes at a very affordable price plus shipping. I've gotten several sets from them.

[Matthew_84]

Thanks Mongo, I think I will narrow it down to a couple of sets and try them out, but one at a time because I don't have the money to buy a bunch of different kinds at once. I found a thread on here with a comprehensive list of all of the tapewound brands, and I do like that there are some with a relatively normal gauge (.50 - .105).

GHS makes some tapewounds. I found a clip of them and they sound good as well and I love their flats, so I'd like to give them a try. Also the Status-Graphite Tapewounds have good reviews but I can't find any clips on them.

We'll see, I'll likely try the GHS first, just out of loyalty from the flats.

Thanks everyone.

[pointbass]

Be very glad that you don't have to make these choices for a DB .... those strings are about 4X the price of electrics

I play both DB and EB, fretless only on the EB's, and what I've found is that the string selection for any given instrument, tonally, is largely based on the specific instrument and how it interacts with the strings. I'm not talking about feel or flats-vs-rounds-vs-tapes, only tone.

I'm a LaBella fanboy so my first choice for electric bass strings is always Deep Talkin' Flats. I like how they sound, I like the feel, and I like the tension (higher tension than most other brands). But when I recently ordered a new bass from Barker Vertical Bass, the flats didn't give me what I wanted, tonally.

Lee Barker generally ships the basses with LB Tapewounds .... I've never cared for the tapes that much because they have a kinda light tension (compared to the DT Flats), so I began searching for different strings. Tried a bunch of different types, roundwounds, half-rounds, chromes, you name it .... and from a bunch of different manufacturers. Every time I thought I found the perfect string I was disappointed when I used it at a gig.

Finally broke down on put the LaBella tapes on the bass, and there it was .... exactly what I was looking for . Close to a DB sound, enough flex to get that DB slap-ish effect, plus a really nice fretless EB tone (which I really wanted as well). Granted, the Barker is a unique bass .... not really a slab electric bass, not really a DB, and definitely not like any other vertically-oriented EB .... which lends its own tonal flavor to the combination of strings & electronics.

Point of all this is that it isn't a specific string, or string type, or manufacturer that can be classified as the "best" DB-clone ... its more a combination of the bass, electronics, strings and your personal playing style. What works great for me may be terrible for you. My suggestion is that you start off with the tapes .... these strings inheritantly give you a buzzy gut-ish type tone, so it's a good jumping off point. Unfortunately, you might need to do some test driving with a bunch of strings .... I know that's a drag because strings aren't cheap, but if you check the TB classifieds lots of guys are always selling lightly used sets and you can save some coin there .....

BTW, if you don't know what a Barker Vertical Bass is, here's a pic (strung with DR Hi-Beams in this pic .... not bad, tonally )

[Matthew_84]

I was actually checking out the Barker Bass the other day, looks pretty cool I must admit. I listened to a bunch of clips on there and some are Labella tapes and the rest are Pyramid's, which I like a lot too... I don't know, I'll likely try GHS's tapewounds first, just out of brand loyalty, but I'll keep in mind that there are other options. Thanks.

[pdshane]

I think the GHS tapewounds are pretty nice. Are there any tapewound 6 string sets made. Besides, LaBella, I mean as those are like $90 a set.

[markanini]

How does this sound?
http://soundcloud.com/roadtonever/all-blues
I'm using Rotosound Solo 55 strings.