What strings do I have?

strost · #1 03-22-2011, 12:37 PM

So I recently bought a used G&L JB and have no idea what strings it has on it. They are roundwound and have gold thread at the pegs. The little circle thingies at the bridge (no idea what those are called!) are silver. Possibly the strings that came with the bass new but I doubt it since the bass is 1.5 years old and the strings are not dead.

Any ideas or ways to find out? Thanks!

AmadeusXeno · #2 03-22-2011, 01:13 PM

Not sure which strings they are but those little circle things are call balls.

strost · #3 03-24-2011, 01:13 PM

Balls huh? Little round things=balls. I'll make a note.

Seriously though, does anyone have gold thread at the pegs? If so, what kind of strings do you have? I'm still baffled.

Like this...

tjh · #4 03-24-2011, 03:23 PM

Well, I think you have company ... I have the same strings on a bass purchased used, and have given up trying to find out what they are ...

however, I have been calling them 'flats' because if they are rounds, they are the flattest round wound I have ever seen ... that also might explain as to why they aren't dead on yours ... the gold silk on mine is identical to yours the way it spirals then smooths, then clumps, only my 'balls' are little GOLD thingies ... when I bought the bass I was told they were GHS Flats ... but the guy I bought it from didn't put them on new, he bought them used and somebody told him thats what they were ... but, wrong color silk for GHS flats ... but I finally found that DR Flats use gold silk, so I bought a set to compare ... nope, not them ...

in your picture, they sure look like a flatwound going over the nut ... ?? ... anyhow, you arent any more informed of what you have, but you at least know you have company ... if you find out, let me know, and I will do the same ... I think mine must be older than yours, as the silk is much more frayed, but then they have probably been on and off a number of basses from people who couldn't figure what they were and were trying something else ...

... what they did do, is get me started on a quest to try every flat out there ... I currently have 5 different brands in the house (including the mystery one), and two more on the way ... and now it has me buying more basses to try flats on ...

strost · #5 03-24-2011, 07:53 PM

Yeah, it's a mystery. Mine are definitely rounds - but you're right that they look like flats in the pic. These play great and I love the way the gold thread matches the G&L on the headstock (I know - shallow). I'll keep looking and post back if I figure it out.

FretlessMainly · #6 03-24-2011, 08:18 PM

Not shallow at all - that's a very classy look.

In any case, you may be in for a long road to figure out what they are. Some brands (such as LaBella), use different colored silks to denote different gauged sets, not just different string types. I've not seen too many yellow-silked strings; RotoSound Trubass 88s use a yellow silk at both ends, but the yellow seems to be much brighter than yours (although photos can be deceiving).

So what you have so far is yellow/gold silks only at the headstock end with "silver" ball ends. D'Addario and Fender use color-coded ball ends, so those are likely out. The LaBellas, DRs and Rotos I've seen use "bronze" ball ends. The Pyramids I've seen don't have silks.

One important characteristic you have is the "braided" look of the string under the silks. I would say that more rounds have that than flats, but not all rounds do. So, I've given you as much as I can; hopefully someone here has the same strings and will hit this thread.

strost · #7 03-24-2011, 08:22 PM

Thanks Fretless! Good stuff. This has now taken on a very CSI feel.

EvilCloset · #8 03-24-2011, 08:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AmadeusXeno

Not sure which strings they are but those little circle things are call balls.

My bass, who I like to call Shania, doesn't have any "little circle things [that] are called balls". She just has a vagina.

FretlessMainly · #9 03-24-2011, 08:35 PM

No problem. Of course, you need to also realize that over time, a brand may go from brass ball-ends to silver ball ends, or other variations that almost completely confound the whole analysis.

There have been a few threads here over the years that I've seen (google will show some) regarding string silks and the reality is that there must be several dozen bass strings with red silks, another few dozen with blue silks, black silks...with small or large variations that just a small difference in photograph contrast makes any definitive comparison almost impossible. Those threads never got very far. But it is a subject that really interests me, for some odd reason.

xXColaXx · #10 03-24-2011, 09:35 PM

Could they be Pyramid Gold bass strings?

OhValhalla · #11 03-24-2011, 10:06 PM

I'm pretty sure they are Dean Markley SR-2000's. They have those same gold wrappings and last a very long time.

Good luck.

strost · #12 03-28-2011, 12:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by OhValhalla

I'm pretty sure they are Dean Markley SR-2000's. They have those same gold wrappings and last a very long time.

Good luck.

You may be right! The bass came with a set of new Dean Markley Nickelwounds. They don't have the threading but they do have that braided look at the pegs.