What's a good set of strings for my situation?

[paddyosullivan]

Hey everyone,

I just purchased an SX SJB75 jazz bass with a 34" scale and I'm looking to replace the strings that are on it. I'm trying to get the action as low as I can without any crazy fret buzz, so I need a set of strings that will allow me to do that.

I only play with a pick. I haven't been playing long enough to have a real preference on gauge, so I think 105-45 would be about in the middle.

I've read about the DR Nickel Lo-Riders and they seem to be good to attain a lower action, but I'm not totally sure.

What do you guys think? What is an affordable brand (~$25) of strings for my situation? Lowest action possible, playing with a pick.

Cheers.

[JimmyM]

you'd be surprised how little it matters what kind of string you use. what matters is your setup and how good the fret work is.

[stflbn]

If it's an SX the odds are VERY high that it needs fretwork. I've owned 4 different SX's and each needed fret leveling to get consistent action.

Not a tradgedy. Just the nature of the beast and one of the places where 'savings' shows up in quality control. How good the fretwork is determines how low of an action the setup on the bass will be able to tolerate without buzzing.

Of course, I almost always end up doing some fretwork on almost every bass I've owned. Most lately including a new Ray35.

[darkstorm]

Getting low action isnt a question of what strings you use. Is a question on build qaulity esp fretwork and haveing a bridge that lets you get low action. If your wanting extra low action your gonna need a better made bass imo. One that has excellent fretwork out of the box is a good start to this end imo/

[Mikhail1]

i agree with the other guys. Setup is the key here. I never really gotten into a one brand of string only mentality. I've never had a really bad set of strings, some I liked better than others, but never to the point that I ripped them off in frustration.