Strings which are easy on the fingers

[mponthier]

Do any of you have suggestions on strings that are easy on the fingers? I usually play an upright big band gig about once per month and I really don't practice more than once a week on upright. Therefore, I'm usually hurting after a 3-4 hour gig. I currenly play Spirocores and I love the sound but unless I can find more time to play upright, I'll always have problems with blisters, etc. Are strings such as the Velvet Garbos easier or harder on the fingers? Are there non-gut strings that may suit me better than the Spirocores? Thanks for whatever info you can provide.

[Adrian Cho]

The windings and the tension are two variables that may have an effect. I'm not sure what to recommend because in my experience there is no rule as to what is easier on the fingers. OK, I will say roundwounds are not all that easy to deal with. But for example, low tension strings don't seem to be that much easier to me because I usually end up putting the action much higher with them anyway. And raw gut strings are not soft and pliable like one might think - they're more like hard plastic on the outside. I found the Velvet Animas hard for example because of the rough windings. Obligatos always seem to be pretty easy. I find small gauge - thin strings hard on the hands but that's just me.

[Steve Killingsworth]

You might look into Supernil nylons. They play like a slack clothesline but are very easy on the fingers and are relatively inexpensive as far as bass strings go. Personally I don't really like the feel of nylons but I play bass exclusively (currently using spirocores) and have some well-developed callouses. I live in an area where bluegrass is very popular but I am one of the few fulltime bassists. Most play other instruments and just hold a bass on occasion. Consequently, most of them use nylons or gut$$.