We Bassists Got It Bad!

de la mocha · #1 03-13-2006, 05:09 PM

So I go to get some new strings and a quick set up for my brand new Fender Natural P Bass and I wanted to try something new. I'm strictly a flatwound guy, but on my throw away bass I keep chained up in the church, I went out on a limb and got half wounds and I love them. That experiment went well.

Now I've only used flats exclusively since I can remember. So for my new fender I decided to get roto sound strings and I love the tone and sound. But these suckers TALK!!!

All I hear with my treble all the way up is "sqwalk-sqwalk-squeek, sqwalk" and it drives me crazy!!! Having the treble full blast is apart of my tone and it worked cool with flats and the lighting fast picking when I slide while playing ska bass lines at 100 MPH. But these strings talk back with an attitude.

I can get away with it while picking with the treble down, but finger style with the treble all the way up is a nightmare. We bassists got it bad because we can't experiment with different strings without blowing $60 a pack (i'm exaggerating but not by much!)

So i'm stuck with these squeeky strings. The tone is killer though! Next payday i'm getting some semi flats.

SuperDuck · #2 03-13-2006, 05:41 PM

I will go ahead and say that you're better off with the roundwound strings. It's a tough lesson, but it will help you clean up your technique and you'll come away from this a better player.

I was in the same boat when I switched to roundwounds, but it pays off in the end.

Chasarms · #3 03-13-2006, 07:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by de la mocha

. . . We bassists got it bad because we can't experiment with different strings without blowing $60 a pack (i'm exaggerating but not by much!) . . .

Take up the double bass. You'll never complain about the cost of bass guitar strings again.

FWIW, I have never known an electric guitar player who didn't spend more on strings than I do.

Timbo · #4 03-13-2006, 07:41 PM

Yeah our strings may cost 40 bucks for a set but I've popped one string in 3 years of playing. A guitarist could never say that.....

......suckers.

crazybassist601 · #5 03-14-2006, 12:05 PM

We bassist have it good.

We do play bass after all....

...sucker guitar players. While they worry about lead we worry about keeping the song together and flowing nicely, and keeping the groove, and blending the beat (drums) with the melody (guitar).

BASSISTS RULE!

-Paw

WalterBush · #6 03-14-2006, 12:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Timbo

Yeah our strings may cost 40 bucks for a set but I've popped one string in 3 years of playing. A guitarist could never say that.....

......suckers.

Even if they don't pop strings, those puny unwound G, B, and E strings rust after a while. My strings actually start sounding better about the same time a guitarist's strings are dead

morf · #7 03-14-2006, 12:14 PM

Yea my rotosound squeek a bit too, so I raised em a bit, sounded much better.

cabcreaser · #8 03-14-2006, 12:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SuperDuck

I will go ahead and say that you're better off with the roundwound strings. It's a tough lesson, but it will help you clean up your technique and you'll come away from this a better player.

I was in the same boat when I switched to roundwounds, but it pays off in the end.

that's funny . . . many of the greatest bass players used and still use flats (too bad they didn't know they could be better if only their strings were wound differently).

morfine · #9 03-16-2006, 08:59 AM

i want to change my strings every two days .i do tapping so i like them very bright,but it is just to expensive

Kilian. · #10 03-16-2006, 09:16 AM

^^That's almost ehh.. Ridicoulus. It's OK to have bright strings, but to change them every two days? Are you gigging on a daily basis?

nad · #11 03-16-2006, 02:56 PM

Yeah I change strings maybe once a year, and in 14 years I've broken exactly 2. Not bad at all.

Kenbuntu · #12 03-18-2006, 05:34 PM

My old bass was 3 yeaars old and i never changed the strings..... Hey i thought they were ok.

ebe9 · #13 03-19-2006, 10:10 AM

I just posted the following in another thread, and if it has shown up in here before appologies.

http://www.bassplayer.com/story.asp?...storycode=4037

should help as a bit of a guide to buying your next lot of strings

Nico3535 · #14 03-22-2006, 10:37 AM

i need the sound of new string, i usually will change them once a months or 2 times if i gig alot that month.