UB strings for blues

jazzciggarette · #1 04-01-2010, 03:58 PM

Hi, i'm fairly new to the upright bass (been gigging for about a year and a half)... And i have been using steel strings. I dig the sound of the steel strings but whilst slapping it can be hard on the hands. And it can be pretty annoying when the string pops and unravels (happend about 3 times so far). I was curious if anyone had any recommendations for other kinds of strings. I'm a broke ass blues player and i dont want to have to worry about replacing strings too often as a package costs between 2 and 3 hundred dollars. I have seen other players use nylon and gut strings. Do these strings on average last longer than steel strings? I am also noticing that gut/nylon strings are cheaper than steel strings.. bonus? Thanks.

Marcus Johnson · #2 04-01-2010, 04:13 PM

What steels are you using?

Gearhead43 · #3 04-01-2010, 08:12 PM

If you want that Chess Records / Willie Dixon / Big Crawford blues/slap tone you need gut strings. Just my humble opinion.

Plus, guts are the sound for slap bass, IMO. They have been the slap bass standard choice & sound since slap bass technique was dreamed up.

Some cheaper alternatives that will get you part of the way there, sort of, are Innovation Super Silvers / Silver Slaps. They have a boomy, plummy pizz tone and slap very nicely - but all nylon-based strings can be a little twangy when slapped. These strings last a very very long time also.

My favorite combo is Velvet Garbo Light E&A / gut D&G - a very versatile pizz/slap setup (not bueno for using one of those "bow" things though

) .

Also - your steel strings shouldn't be breaking on you so easily unless they are cheapo crappo steels or something. You should have your bridge and nut grooves looked at to make sure you don't have any sharp edges snagging the windings. I hate steel strings for slap though, maybe you are just being rough on them.

jazzciggarette · #4 04-01-2010, 09:46 PM

Thanks for the replies.

Marcus - I have "Corelli" strings... 383 medium.. I think these are the ones that came with the bass.. never could really afford to switch em!

Gearhead43 - Thanks for the info. I am going on tour pretty soon so I am going to invest in a set of either guts or these silver slaps. Maybe they will trade me my bow for strings

On a related note the other weekend I was chatting with a bassist who was rolling through town and he was using nylon strings, and these strings were just MASSIVELY thick. I thought he had great tone and slap sound. perhaps the larger strings reduce the "twangy" slap sound you describe? He let me jam out on his bass for a few minutes and personally i wouldnt use strings that were that thick. He was a giant himself tho so he didnt seem to have a problem!

Gearhead43 · #5 04-02-2010, 01:02 AM

The huge nylon strings could have been weedwacker strings, they sound similar to plain gut strings, only thumpier and have less sustain and tone. They are all fundamental and almost no harmonics, and are not twangy at all actually. (they are made from industrial weedtrimmer line) They work well for "slap only" Roots music but are really really low tension and are not great for pizz. They don't have enough tone for me, although the D&G aren't bad usually.

There are a ton of lower-tension nylon-type strings on the market, finding the right one for you can take alot of time and money unfortunately.

PaulKing · #6 04-02-2010, 03:09 PM

Mr 43 speaks the truth. believe him.

Gearhead43 · #7 04-02-2010, 03:19 PM

Why thanks, Mr. King.

Marcus Johnson · #8 04-02-2010, 04:55 PM

Hey Paul.... how 'bout those Lambert strings you tried out?

**Francois Blais** · #9 04-02-2010, 07:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Marcus Johnson

Hey Paul.... how 'bout those Lambert strings you tried out?

That thread is there, BTW:
Cordes Lambert( N. .dubouchet strings)

jazzciggarette · #10 04-03-2010, 12:49 PM

I cant find a dealer for innovation strings in Edmonton here... although super nils are available. Do supernils compare?

**Francois Blais** · #11 04-03-2010, 01:53 PM

LaBella Supernils are kind of cheaper but use a very different construction anyway.
The D&G are wound with fine round nylon, and the E&G with a fine round silverplated copper wire.
See the following excerpt from their catalog.

Marcus Johnson · #12 04-03-2010, 03:02 PM

Supernils are definitely a "try before you buy" string. I find them almost unplayable... the wrap makes for a very unpleasant feel for me.

Having said that, one of my students had them on his Eberle ply, and for some reason they sounded quite good on that bass.

Jake deVilliers · #13 04-03-2010, 08:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jazzciggarette

I cant find a dealer for innovation strings in Edmonton here... although super nils are available. Do supernils compare?

You can get them from Long & McQuade in Vancouver.

abaguer · #14 04-05-2010, 11:55 PM

+1 on the Garbo EA gut DG. I've used these on my old kay for a few years and really like them. I've even used Anima A and D with Garbo E and gut G and I've also really liked that. Both combos record well and slap well. I really love Larry Taylor's sound so that and Willie Dixon is what I went for even though those guys used all gut.