What qualities do you look for...

[Kraken]

...in your strings and what strings do you believe give you that?

Sorry for that folks but I'm struggling to find a set of strings I really like, and this will at least give me an Idea of what I can get out of some of the stings you folks use.

[luknfur]

Originally Posted by Kraken

...in your strings and what strings do you believe give you that?

Sorry for that folks but I'm struggling to find a set of strings I really like, and this will at least give me an Idea of what I can get out of some of the stings you folks use.

At this time what I've discovered works for me is a string that is kind to the bass and kind to the player, and sounds good enough. Thomastik Jazz flats.

Their low tension reduces stress on the neck and reduces wear to the truss rod slot. The flatwound construction eliminates/minimizes wear on all parts they contact: nuts, frets, fingerboard, bridge. A joy to play: smooth, quiet, finger friendly. In terms of sound, playing to music the bass selection makes more difference than the strings. The older they get, the better they sound and I ah plays 'em till they snap - which hasn't happened yet. 2 years on the oldest set. $35 a set, and worth every penny.

I like the sound of some rounds but every time I pull one through a string hole I'm reminded of what happens little by little everytime you pluck that string during play. But they'll convert a weed eater into a chainsaw in a heartbeat.

[carl-anton]

I like a lot of strings.

DR's because of their great sound and unsurpased playabillity (roundcore). They are the most rich sounding strings I've played. Especially the Fat-Beams which seems to have it all: good firm bottom, warm mids and snappy highs. Some say you should choose your strings buy the way they sound, but I really feel much more at home with DR roundcore strings, than anything else. They feel natural, and make me play just a little better.

Rotosound Swingbass are close to DR's but are a stiffer feeling. Very nice sounding too, but have this sticky rough feeling that DR's doesn't.

D'addario Slowounds has/had (they are discontiued) a very good deep growl sound but with a week high end that made me miss the snappy edge of steel. Hexcore and hence not as 'natural' feeling as DR's. The XL's really surprised me. The have the most neutral sound I've heard, lacking a little lowend compared to Slowounds but has a much more articulate high-end. Seems a little nicer tension wise too.

So all in all, what I like in a string is evenness throughout the whole frequency spectrum. A firm, warm yet snappy sound is what I'm after. Though I've tried a lot of others, these strings are the ones that impressed me the most.

[luknfur]

I've had a couple basses that came with DR's, though I don't know which ones. They were very similar and had decent tone and were much more comfortable to play than many rounds. The wraps are fairly fine and they're relatively smooth.