Which Thomastik: Round JR324, JR364, Superalloy IN344,PowerBass EB344

[Adam Harzuf]

Jazz Roundwound JR324 - .042 .056 .069 .093
Jazz Roundwound JR364 - .043 .055 .075 .101
Superalloys IN344 - .045 .065 .080 .105
PowerBass EB344 - .047 .068 .080 .107

Please compare:
1. Low end response
2. High end extension
3. Tension
4. Smoothness

I prefer lighter gauged strings sizewize for left hand and tension wize for the right hand. Only tried DR high beams until now (didn't like the tone - they lack bass/low mid) - would go lower in tension but not extremely lower - I'm playing a very short scale bass. Notice I've neglected the JR344 - (.043 .051 .068 .089) - I suspect it will be too thin sounding and loose on my bass.
The gauge leap between JR324 and JR364 is considerable!

However, when you go lighter, you lose some low end, and I can't afford to lose that, unless any of these Thomastik are an exception.

Smoothness - I just hate touching roundwounds, but like the tone. Tried D'addario Half Rounds and was very disappointed by the tone, but the feel was great.

High end response - My bass is piezo equipped so I don't want the strings to be too bright, but still adaquate for slapping.

My playing style: fast fingerstyle, chords, slapping, tapping.
I need a harmocally rich and frequency balanced tone with as much sustain as possible in order for the bass to excel in all these.
I have a 3-band mid sweep preamp, so I'm quite flexible with shaping, yet the strings has to deliver. However, I don't want to boost bass, hate that rumble from shelf boosting.

Tones that I like:
This guy that uses TI rounds, but I need that fat tone from an E string
Paul Turner's thick yet cutting tone
The king's clear tone all over the neck


Reviews praise all of these strings. There's no way to know how they will react with my bass, but at the moment, JR364 seems best combination of assured bass response and reasonable gauge.

Thank you for you help
Adam

[Zentner]

I have the thomastik 43-89's jazz rounds on my '68 ric, because it's got a super thin neck, and a really weak truss rod. The LOOOW tension works nicely on this bass, and they have that light string growl that I really think you miss from a 100 or 105... They're very fat and low midrangey- perfect for bridge pickup sounds, specifically because they move a little more than a thicker string will, and it's real nice for those tone-rolled-off jaco sounds.

Like anything, I think your best bet will be to try them all.

[Adam Harzuf]

Originally Posted by Zentner

Like anything, I think your best bet will be to try them all.

Hey I still have to pay the bills

So for my scale I assume that the JR324 should yield results not too different from yours.
Please tell me, do you feel that the super low tension somehow limits your right hand speed?
I guess you don't slap or tap too much on the Ric as well..

[Zentner]

Honestly, that ric is great for those quacky jaco sounds. If you're wanting to get some bounce back like you get from higher tension strings, you might not really like these, because the thomastik jazz seem to have subdued highs and they don't produce that 'piano' quality that rotosounds and DRs are known for. These are warm, fat, midrangey strings.

You seem very concerned with how they feel. The 43-89's obviously feel looser, but they also feel more dynamic because of this. When you dig in you notice it more. They also cop the 'flatwound feel' pretty well- they're much more smooth to the touch than any other rounds I've tried; they're almost softer feeling. I'll adapt my technique to whatever bass I'm playing (everything from 4 string 29 3/4" scale to fretless 33" scale to 38" scale 6) and I'll obviously use different instruments for different music.

honestly, it's try the 43-101's and see if you even like the strings before trying a radical guage.

[Adam Harzuf]

I ended up with the JR324 (.042 .056 .069 .093). These are the best strings I had on my bass, and I LOVE the low tension, but it's not as extreme as I have been led to believe. My right hand is faster on these strings, so is my left- They are far smoother then any roundwound nickle I tried, almost as fun to the touch as the muted, dead sounding D'addario Half-Rounds.
Bending is just enviting!

The tone in general is rounded, laid back yet harmonically rich. Sometimes it sounds like those bass VST's with my piezos, I like that! It cuts through a mix like a fretless, so I'm still getting used to the decreased attack. A compressor with long attack helps gaining punch if needed.
I was playing a session the other night and kept wanting to turn myself louder, then I realised that I'm heard perfectly clear.
Mixing-wise, it really does allow me to turn myself louder without my attack interrupting other instruments.

All of the previous strings I have tried made my piezos sub heavy in comparison to the magnetics, causing a need for very different EQ for each type.
Now there's less difference, and they bring the best out of both.
Because of less "sub potential", the low band of the onboard EQ brings out relatively more 100-160Hz punch without getting muddy. the sound is better controlled, you could hear that with tapping very easily, as tapping on piezos is really sub heavy.

There's a tone variation from the E & A strings (round yet articulate) and the D & G strings (bell-like tone). This is workable and can actually be a plus, if you take it into account. The D & G are amazing sounding, clear yet not upfront sounding. There's less then average top end, which is less evident with the magnetics, but evens out the tone of the piezos.

Tapping on these strings is great, the tone is clear, bell-like, never muddy. I'm equally satisfied from the tapping tone from mag/piezo. In the previous strings I liked the piezo better for tapping but they were a bit muddy, leaving me with a lesser tone with the magnetics.