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Bass Strings with Acoustic Guitar Feel

HeavyAxe

HeavyAxe

Jul 16, 2013
420
222
Alberta, Canada
#1
Hey, folks. I kind of have an odd request today. Lately I've been playing my brothers acoustic guitar a lot. Either finger picking (guitar style), playing it fingerstyle like a bass, or using a pick. Just messing around basically. However, I quite love the feel and sound you get from an acoustic guitar. Bright and very sensitive to bends and so on. I'm looking for strings that might give me a similar feeling on bass. I play heavy blues and stuff like that, but sometimes my bass lines are more like that of a blues guitarist. So overall, I'm looking for bright strings which won't sacrifice low end, easy to bend and react well to it, resonance, etc. Basically like acoustic guitar characteristics. Twangy I guess you could say.
Thanks!
 
#4
HeavyAxe said:
I don't think those work properly with electric basses. The pickups aren't meant for those. Might cause problems.
Click to expand...
It's regarded as a no-no here on TB, and the main issue is going to be low output - only the core will be sensed by the pickups, the wrapping is non-magnetic. OTOH so should be pure nickel I think, yet there are pure nickel electric strings and people buy them. Dunno. More to the point, some acoustic guitarists use mag soundhole pickups without bothering to learn they supposedly don't work ;), or more seriously, to learn what strings were made specifically for those p-ups (GHS White Bronze Acoustic-Electric, DR Zebras).
Other potential problem is that they (bronze strings on electric bass, that is) might sound much duller than they do acoustically.

I've never tried the thing (nor have the above-mentioned local naysayers, I'm pretty sure), not going to because I only use flats now and I kill bronze strings in a matter of minutes (acidic sweat). If you feel like experimenting, just get the cheapest phosphor bronze set you can find (e.g. Adamas, Fender, Martin, S.I.T.) and see if/how it works on your bass.
Better yet! Take a spare acoustic guitar A string, thread it into a bass string ball-end and put it on a bass as a G: it's not terribly different from a "real" G construction-wise, so it should give you at least an indication.
 
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