What strings for Fender MM5? D'addario or DRs?

[tcydennis]

I have a set of Sadowsky nickel on it now. It turns out that the bass doesn't cut through in the band and gets drowned.

I'm considering whether to use D'addario ProSteels or DR Hi-beams. Which do you recommend? thks

[Mikebass6]

I always go with DR low riders because they are stainless steel and that seem to cut through particularly well on my Fender 5.

[mmbongo]

Dunlop Nickels. Get the cut through of stainless without the roughness and fret-eating of stainless!

[CElton]

Hi-Beams or try the Marcus Miller Fat Beams. Both are stainless, but are very easy on your frets. They feel more like nickel.

ProSteels are nice too and probably half the price so you might give them a try first. If they don't float your boat, try the DR's.

Basses are all different and you gotta feed 'em what they like.

[mmbongo]

Originally Posted by CElton

Basses are all different and you gotta feed 'em what they like.

You said it, brother. I've been playing/collecting basses since 1995 and I just recently got into string experimentation. I can't believe how one string can make a bass sound like a million bucks, but that same string on a different bass can sound like mud. But the bright side is that I LOVE spending all my money on strings

[tcydennis]

Many thanks for the replies...

say if i string my bass with a DR gauges 45 - 125, then i do a proper setup by the luthier ... and later i switch to D'addario 45 - 135. Will the difference in thickness of that last B-string cause my proper setup to be gone?

[CElton]

Originally Posted by tcydennis

Many thanks for the replies...

say if i string my bass with a DR gauges 45 - 125, then i do a proper setup by the luthier ... and later i switch to D'addario 45 - 135. Will the difference in thickness of that last B-string cause my proper setup to be gone?

You'll most likely need a slight adjustment. Whenever you change gauges, you "generally" will need to do a new set up. If it's a slight adjustment, it might only need a slight turn of the trussrod. Sometimes you'll need saddle height adjustments along with some intonation tweaks.

FWIW, In my experience, Hi-Beams/Fat Beams have been "money" on every J bass have ever owned. They last a long time too, especially if you wipe them down after use.