Are you a string swinger?

[logdrum]

I have not moved around so much. When I started I only used Rotosounds on EB and Thomastik on upright, Pirastro when I got serious on bowing but back to Thomasktik when I finally learned how to bow.

Then when I started a family and spending on gear was limited, I bought strings that were on sale at my local music store and that meant D'Addario and the occasional DR. Flats are a new thing for me on EB and that's because my 72 P came with it and initially I looked at D'Addario offerings, tried a couple Cobalts but recentlt discovered La Bella and GHS. Decided that from this point on, I liked GHS strings for electric bass and should have used them 35 years ago. I decided to just have 1 bass with flats and just keep it simple with round wound.

 

[MichelD]

No.

I got my MIM Jaz bass five years agos as a Christmas gift from my son-in-law.

After three years with factory strings I put a set of GHS Brite Flats on. They are stil there.

 

[Highs&Lows]

Oh yeah love trying out new strings and burnt way too much money on it over the years. Sometimes I feel that one bass performs best with a particular string that might not suite another bass as well.
My all time favorite strings are Fodera strings (mostly nickel light gauge) that seem to work on just about any bass. They make cheap basses sound better and let me hear every nuance and warmth on a truly great bass. Their feel is amazing to my hands. So with fretted basses I normally go with those now.
With Fretless its still a lot of experimenting...I go between rounds, flats, nylons etc. and seem to like them all for their own characteristics.

 

[OkayistBassist]

I have had gold flats on my Fender P that I have dubbed “Grandpa”. I added some of the wife’s makeup applicators under the bridge cover for mutes. That one is keeping the strings and I won’t change them.

My #1 is a USA Jazz. I was thinking about selling it. I decided to change the strings to the gold flats as well. It made me appreciate the bass that I used for so many years prior. I did wind up going back to rounds recently on it (Roto 66’s). Amazing how that works.

My new Precision has Roto 66’s on it. Since I have one with flats already, that won’t change.

The Ric has Roto 66’s and will until I die! …Mostly because it’s going in the ground along with me.

 

[Groove Doctor]

String swinging? Nah, I just buy another bass.

 

[Richard Lindsey]

No, I'm a strings monogamist with each bass, once I'm sure I've found the right set(s).

 

[Bobbadfinger]

Being primarily a guitar player, I like to change strings, period.
And being on my experimentation phase yet, I tried a lot of strings, especially flats.
Then tried Pressurewounds (that I like), which (I thought) would be the most far as roundwound tone I'd go.
And then I got a Ric-like bass (Ibby) that came with roundwounds, which I'm loving it.
So much that made me try Rotosounds roundwounds on my Precision. I guess I won't put flats on the P anymore, now it has the tone I always looked for (and no flats gave me).
Luckly, my Longhorn sounds best with flats, so the Pressurewounds will have to go...

 

[jpeck02]

I am. I go flats, rounds, flats, rounds, repeat, repeat. Ok I’ll keep flats on a Pabst’s and that Marcus-ish J will keep rounds, but the general purpose basses will go through cycles. I like the zing, the I like the mellow, I miss the zing, where’s the mellow? Anyone else in the same boat?

As soon as my brand new stainless steel roundwound strings start losing the slightest amount of harmonic depth, I get depressed and want to change out my entire rig LOL. So no. Can’t do flatwounds or dead strings. I have a problem.

 

[dave64o]

Sort of. I have my favorite strings and I don't change strings often. But I sometimes get the urge to try something new and will do that on occassion.

My favorites haven't changed in a long time (DR nickel Lo Riders for rounds and Chromes for flats) but, from that occassional experimentation, I've found several other strings that I like a lot and will use sometimes use just for a change of pace. I've also found strings that I will NOT use again, which is just as useful to know as knowing what you like.

Like others have said, new strings are a lot cheaper than a new bass! Maybe not as much fun, but it is a lot cheaper.

 

[iiipopes]

When I first get a bass, I may try several different brands, models, and gauges of strings until I find a set that appears to work best with the bass. Then I stick with that as long as I can. (Read: until the manufacturer discontinues the set)

 

[Bass-ball]

I put Roger’s flats on my Smith. They’re never coming off. As an aside- I liked them so much I wanted to try them on my 35” Gould. I emailed him, and the guy got back to me in an hour. Though he doesn’t have the 35” strings made for him, the fact that a man running a business of the size of his, I was most impressed.

Yeah, as I said, I'm super impressed with his rounds, so I'll give the flats a shot. Thanks for the rec!

 

[Bass-ball]

I've also found strings that I will NOT use again, which is just as useful to know as knowing what you like.

Pray tell, my man.

 

[TheArchitect]

I have really never used anything but stainless Rotosounds. I did a brief taste test back in the nineties when I got my first bass. If memory serves, Fender, D'Addario Reds, Rotos and maybe EB's? Not sure on the 4th. I remember being surprised how different they all sounded. I remember really NOT liking the reds, loving the rotos and thinking the other 2 were REALLY vanilla. The reds were short lived so apparently I was not the only one.

Now that I have refocused back to a Jazz, Precision and the Carvin, I want to try the tests again and see what difference 30 years of development have made

 

[Geogio]

I'm more concerned about fret wear, so I shifted to flats on a couple of my basses and half rounds on the rest.

The problem is I like the flats better after all is said and done but I will keep my 6string with half rounds.

I don't use stainless steel strings because those are just tiny files on your fret wire.

 

[TheArchitect]

I'm more concerned about fred wear, so I shifted to Flats on a couple of my basses and half rounds on the rest.

The problem is I like the flats better after all is said and done but I will keep my 6string with half rounds.

I don't use stainless steel strings because those are just tiny files on your fret wire.

Yes, we should not wear Fred out... lol

 

[Gorilla Monsoon]

Yes, we should not wear Fred out... lol[/QUOTE Ah- the Stones...Love the Stones they’ve been together all these years- Fred & Barney...

 

[dave64o]

Pray tell, my man.

Off the top of my head, the two best examples in my opinion are:
- TI Jazz Flats - The sound wasn't that bad on my Precision V but I did not like them on my L-2500. But the feel is the real deal killer for me. I know a lot of people love their flexible feel, but I can't stand it. I like a much stiffer feeling string.
- Ernie Ball Slinkies. The previous owners of my first two Stingrays put Slinkys on them before selling them. I liked the sound but was surprised at how quickly they went dead. Keep in mind that I love the sound of old rounds (especially Lo Riders and even more especially *nickel* Lo Riders, Ken Smith Burners, and GHS Pressurewounds) and flats. But Slinkys seem to go dead both quickly and also in a bad way. Didn't like them once they lost the initial zing.

Again, these are my opinions and I get that others love these strings. They just don't work for me.

 

[Ricky Rioli]

And yet I long for a bass with flats.....if I had any sense I would just forget about them.

Just ordered a 45-65-85-105 set of Chromes

Which should be the same tension as the 50-110 set of Roto Bass currently on my SB-1. If my right hand can't get on with Chromes when trialled on a lively P-bass, then I'm going to ban myself from ever buying flats again. And my left hand's disappointment with be very great

If I love them, though.....

 

[GIBrat51]

[Q UOTE="RichSnyder, post: 27115872, member: 33169"]I am. I go flats, rounds, flats, rounds, repeat, repeat. Ok I’ll keep flats on a Pabst’s and that Marcus-ish J will keep rounds, but the general purpose basses will go through cycles. I like the zing, the I like the mellow, I miss the zing, where’s the mellow? Anyone else in the same boat?[/QUOTE]

Uhh... sorry, but - no. My "boat" for the last... 54 years, more or less... is to get the rounds off of any new-to-me bass, quick as a bunny; find the flats that suit the music I want to play on that bass; and then leave them on that bass. Which, unless another flat wound comes to my attention, that intrigues me enough to try them on that bass, has worked quite well so far...
Out of 26 basses currently in my herd, only one wears rounds. One - a MIK Rogue VB-100 violin bass - wears Roto TruBass 88 Tapes; pretty much because they intonate perfectly on the thing (that can be very difficult to do with that kind of bass - ask me how I know), and because.... well, if they're good enough for Sir Paul on His violin bass, they're good enough for me. The one bass that wears rounds - a '94 Gretsch Broadkaster - wears TI Jazz Rounds. Why? Because they're the only strings I've found in 12 years of trying, that actually made the thing sound like a real bass. All the others made it sound like a hippo fart in deep mud, or - at best - a baritone guitar. So, in the interest of having a bass I can actually use, it will wear those rounds. Which, TBH, I actually kinda like...
As for the "general purpose" basses in my herd? Those wear Fender 9050L flats. I've referred to them in other posts as "Goldilocks flats". Not too stiff or too flexible; not too bright or too old school thumpy; not too anything, really. They're "just right", IMO. Being fairly inexpensive (for flats) and readily available doesn't hurt, either. In fact, since the Fenders are - IMO - the center point in the flats spectrum, I've been using them as the starting point on a new bass, to find the flats it will wear permanently. Which is a task they've performed very well, so far. In fact, a set of 9050L's recently replaced the old D'Addario Chromes on my '15 Tom Hamilton Sig. ASAT Bass. The Chromes worked quite well on that bass for a few years, but... they were old when I put them on, and were starting to lose their tune and intonation every few days. So, on went the 9050Ls. So far, I'm liking them a lot on that bass, so... maybe they'll stay - and maybe they won't. But if other strings replace them? I guarantee that they will not be round wounds...
So... no, I'm not a "string swinger". I find the strings (almost always flats) that I like on a given bass - and (almost always) stick with them.

 

[e-flat]

Anyone else in the same boat?

Yes - kinda

I keep 2 medium sized boxes full of used strings on the shelf, all in their original packaging. When I feel like I want a different sound & feel on a particular bass, I’ll swap some new (old) strings on.

I have a lot of sets but generally rotate among about 12 or so sets.