What to string when 43 inches

Carl Johnson · #1 08-12-2008, 07:41 PM

Hi all,

I was wondering what others folks are using for larger string length instruments. Are there strings that seem to work better with longer necks?

Bobby King · #2 08-12-2008, 09:05 PM

I used to have a King bass that was 43.5" scale. I found that lower tension strings sounded and felt better, less "choked". I used the Corelli 370 mediums for a while and they sounded very good on that bass. (On my other 42" scale bass, the Corellis felt too floppy.) Gut strings worked well on the King. Regular Flexocor also worked fairly well. Superflexibles, Spirocore Mittel and Helicore Orch all felt too tight.

LM Bass · #3 08-12-2008, 10:53 PM

Dominants with a Spiro Mittel E (or C)

Eric Swanson · #4 08-13-2008, 04:46 AM

I used to use Spirocore Weichs on my 44 1/2 scale bass. Worked well, pizz or arco.

Greg Clinkingbeard · #5 08-13-2008, 04:13 PM

I'm using a Spirocore Stark E with Superflex A, D & G with mixed results. Mittels were way too stiff, both painful and they choked the bass. I think lower tension strings would be better, but I'm broke at the moment.

moles · #6 08-13-2008, 11:37 PM

44" strunal ply. I'm back on a full set of Superflexible Solo gauge downtuned to orchestral pitch at the moment. I still think my D is a bit wrangy sounding, but it's slowly coming around. Been contemplating snagging a set of weichs just so I can get the action a bit lower, but I'm pretty sure getting any heavier than that would be a waste.
Like clink here, heavier gauge strings tend to choke my bass.

Greg Clinkingbeard · #7 08-27-2008, 08:04 PM

After putting a set of Corelli 370 mediums on over a week ago, I really like them. The bass feels great and is plenty loud because it is free to vibrate more than it did with the heavier strings. The extreme low end punch is lacking, but the bass has a nice round, warm tone and sounds good under the bow.

Carl Johnson · #8 08-29-2008, 02:59 PM

Had a barely used set of animas that I just threw on the giant. They are much kinder on the fingers then the spiro orchestras. Hopefully they will settle in enough for tonight.

conte2music · #9 08-29-2008, 04:33 PM

My old german bass had a 43 1/2 sl. I had good results with superflexible solo tuning strings. They had a nice big pizz sound, and bowed suprisingly well. The e (f#) was a little floppy, but it was killer with the bow on longer tones.

Ike Harris · #10 08-29-2008, 04:37 PM

I'm with Bobby on the Corellis. I have an old Am. Standard, same folks that made the King, with 43", and the Corelli 370M has a punchy clean sound, and the tension seems just right. Had some Obligato solos on before and they work well too, just a different kind of string, more mellow, but felt good.

Ike

Greg Clinkingbeard · #11 08-29-2008, 08:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ike Harris

I'm with Bobby on the Corellis. I have an old Am. Standard, same folks that made the King, with 43", and the Corelli 370M has a punchy clean sound, and the tension seems just right. Had some Obligato solos on before and they work well too, just a different kind of string, more mellow, but felt good.

Ike

I'm also with Bobby on the Corellis in case you didn't notice

.

To clarify, my bass is a big, new bass with a 43" string length. I've tried Mittels on the bottom and then a Stark E. On top, has been, Obligatos, Helicore Hybrid Mediums and Mittels. For about three months I used Superflexibles, switching to a Stark E for a bit.
The one constant, was the effort required by the left hand.

All I can really say is this, the bass with the Corellis speaks well with little effort. The amplified sound is warm and round, but very clear. A gig I have played a few times with a variety of other strings was a breeze with the Corellis and the bass sounded great with the amp volume actually lower. The strings are staying on the bass.

chris dammann · #12 08-30-2008, 03:32 AM

i have a 44" scale bass that works best w/ spirocore starks. sounds great but so tough on the hands.

boylebass · #13 09-04-2008, 01:20 PM

My backup bass is 42.75 and I've used weichs, mittels, and d'addario hybrids. I think I liked the weichs the best; the lower tension made up for the left hand issues.

I'm mainly a jazzer and there's nothing like a 'night in the flat keys' to lay waste to your left hand on a 'longer than average' scale length. I have a lot respect for you guys that play longish instruments. {44+? that's insane!} Do you guys need to order custom bags? or wrist braces?

...just kidding... whatever works for you...

Bobby King · #14 09-04-2008, 06:03 PM

I ultimately sold my King because of the long scale. It was a good bass otherwise . Unless you have large hands and long fingers, it can be a real chore to play in tune with those kind of string lengths and very fatiguing to the left hand.

I sat in once and played on Charlie Chadwick's 44" scale bass. Jeez, C on the G string felt like it was a mile up the neck! I know I was hitting a lot of flat notes! (and I don't mean as in Bb).

It also makes it more impractical to incorporate the Rabbath-style pivoting techniques as opposed to shifting.

What are the supposed benefits of a longer string scale?

conte2music · #15 09-09-2008, 10:43 AM

When people sit in on your bass they have a really hard time...I think that would be about the only benefit????...j/k

My hands were always sore, and I didn't play as well in tune. I saw no benefit except for the thuderous sound the instrument provided. The long string length may have had little to do with that, as it was 1905 7/8 german. It just became too much work. I now have a 39" string length!!! Now that's comfortable on a long gig. I do miss the depth of that huge old bass at time, but this little instrument amplifies much better. This little bass is always clean sounding and has surprising low end. The big bass was often just mud through an amp. I tried about 6 pickups and a few mics and none seemed to work incredibly well :-(