What are the most "acoustic" sounding strings?

mdsmith · #1 08-23-2010, 10:38 AM

Hey guys, I have a Fender deluxe active jazz that I'm looking to make sound a little more "acoustic". Right now I have rotos on it, so I'm sure changing strings will help quite a bit in achieving a more acoustic sound. I'm playing with just an acoustic guitar player, and the sound I'm getting now just doesn't blend well with the guitar. Thanks for some suggestions.

dvh · #2 08-23-2010, 10:42 AM

Flats - others will have suggestions for specific brands.

mdsmith · #3 08-23-2010, 10:49 AM

Thanks man. I was assuming flats would be the way to go. Trouble is, my pockets aren't deep enough to buy a bunch of 30-50 sets of strings to try out. Hopefully someone can point me toward a brand/set that will give me the round deep sound I'm looking for. Thanks again.

hdracer · #4 08-23-2010, 10:52 AM

Roto 88 Tru bass should get you there.

chadds · #5 08-23-2010, 11:02 AM

D'Addarios Nickels driest acoustic sound
DR Sunbeams more tone bordering on sweetness.

LowDownWays · #6 08-23-2010, 11:07 AM

GHS Precision Flats are pretty percussive sounding.

lunarpollen · #7 08-23-2010, 11:17 AM

Pyramid Gold flats or any nylon tapewounds would be my recommendation.

jedgargroover · #8 08-23-2010, 11:40 AM

Without a doubt I would get D'Addario Chromes. They are not ridiculously expensive and while they take a little while to break in and get past some of the initial brightness, once you do you'll never want another set of strings. I would suggest getting the lightest gauge, the ECB80 set, which is .40 - .95. It sounds really light but these are thick strings. I've found that higher gauges of flats are too stiff for me, and I don't like that they are high tension and pull on the neck.

You can check them out here:
http://www.amazon.com/DAddario-Bass-...584981&sr=8-10

Amazon is actually the cheapest price I've seen, believe it or not. Plus, if you're like me and you buy a lot of stuff on Amazon and have the Prime membership then I think that shipping is free. Even with shipping I think we're talking about $30 or so. I looked for years for flats I like and these are far and away the best I've come across.

jedgargroover · #9 08-23-2010, 11:43 AM

Oh, and roll the tone back almost all the way to zero and play the neck pickup with the brigde pickup rolled either all the way off or almost all the way off. If you have a bypass on the active circut on your bass then cut it and switch to passive.