BEST Low B strings

[BASSDROID]

My favorite B strings based on what I've owned:

In the past: 34" Ken Smith CR series and Pedulla MVP, both strung with R Cocco round wounds. Two very different sounding basses, both with tight and even B string response.

Now: 36" Mørch basses, fretless 5 w/ LaBella Black Nylon, fretted 5 w/ Circle K, fretted 6 w/ mystery strings. Very good results in terms of feel and consistency across all of the strings. These B strings are very clear and precise sounding in the lower and middle positions, getting progressively tubbier above the 9th fret. No big deal, AFAIC.

In the future: 38" Carl Thompson 6str fretless. Wanting Flats and thinking of a set of Octave4plus.

 

[KingRazor]

And with all those brands, Sheldon, I still love yours the most. I do have to give a very high honorable mention to the stuff that Payson is doing, and I do have a set of nickel rounds that I've used and will continue to use in the rotation, but I really enjoy the feel of your strings along with the tone.

Lots of folks are looking for a B with big boom. To me that's one of the problems with many B strings. They're way unbalanced with the other strings on a bass tonally and volume wise. That's where the Dingwall is UNLIKE other standard scale basses. The B is even in tone and volume, making it way more useable in the playing, it integrates those low notes where on other basses you almost have to use them as a punctuation or 'effect'. It also means that you can EQ for the whole range of notes rather than a portion of your bass, and you don't have try to 'balance' your tone for the B.

The other nice thing is that as you work your way up the neck, the playing positions in the above 5th position are entirely viable and you don't get that awful tubby wumbly tone that you do on many basses in playing the B or E strings up the neck.

And THAT is the reason why I'm GASing for a Dingwall so badly. Just wish I could try one.

 

[FunkMetalBass]

Get a Circle K .142 or .150 B-string and ANY bass will have an amazing B.

 

[aqsw]

And THAT is the reason why I'm GASing for a Dingwall so badly. Just wish I could try one.

I bought my daughter an ABZ5 unseen. I was concerned and asked her if she thought the B string (length)would be too much for her. Her answer was" DAD, I have a jazz performance degree on double bass" Just give me that Dingwall and I'll play it!!

I love her so much!!

 

[Blake Bass]

Mike Lull M5V with the B string through the body is one of the best I've ever heard.

 

[aqsw]

Mike Lull M5V with the B string through the body is one of the best I've ever heard.

Those MV5s are fantastic, I agree. !!!

 

[Jeff Scott]

Martin Keith basses.

 

[PastorofMuppets]

Both of my laklands have magnificent B strings.

Invalid Link Removed

Lakland has awesome recordings showing true tone.
Check this out for the 55-02

I suggest fingerfunk - rounds - both pickups

 

[KingRazor]

I bought my daughter an ABZ5 unseen. I was concerned and asked her if she thought the B string (length)would be too much for her. Her answer was" DAD, I have a jazz performance degree on double bass" Just give me that Dingwall and I'll play it!!

I love her so much!!

I'm really big on "try before you buy". I really prefer it when I don't have to buy sight unseen.

 

[maguire]

And with all those brands, Sheldon, I still love yours the most. I do have to give a very high honorable mention to the stuff that Payson is doing, and I do have a set of nickel rounds that I've used and will continue to use in the rotation, but I really enjoy the feel of your strings along with the tone.

Lots of folks are looking for a B with big boom. To me that's one of the problems with many B strings. They're way unbalanced with the other strings on a bass tonally and volume wise. That's where the Dingwall is UNLIKE other standard scale basses. The B is even in tone and volume, making it way more useable in the playing, it integrates those low notes where on other basses you almost have to use them as a punctuation or 'effect'. It also means that you can EQ for the whole range of notes rather than a portion of your bass, and you don't have try to 'balance' your tone for the B.

The other nice thing is that as you work your way up the neck, the playing positions in the above 5th position are entirely viable and you don't get that awful tubby wumbly tone that you do on many basses in playing the B or E strings up the neck.

Sheldon and Skies,

Thanks a ton for the explanations, and taking the time to help out the less experienced. In rehearsals the band members loved the ABZ, so no concerns there.

I think that I made an amateur mis-interpretation of the Dingwall B. Burning Skies gave en excellent explanation that gives me a different lens to view through. And this B is exactly how he explains it - balanced, even. Also, the 5th position playing has that extra clarity for sure. In a way, now that B seems even more valuable, because I can outfit it with different strings for tone variety, but still have that evenness.

Also, for fairness, I don't know how old the strings are on the used ABZ. I've got a fresh set of Voodoo's on order.

I hope I didn't ruffle anyones feathers, but I definitely got some excellent answers and VERY glad I asked! Great!

 

[bottomzone]

Peavey Cirrus:
I Want My Destiny (Live) - Fred Hammond & Radical For Christ - YouTube

Sandberg:
Uriah Duffy & PJB Bass Amp L.A. NAMM 2008 - YouTube
URIAH DUFFY & the Patchwork Bass - YouTube

Ken Smith:
Massive Attack - Teardrop (Live From Abbey Road) - YouTube

Brubaker:
82 Brubaker Bass Malcolm Hall Demo - YouTube


A Groove is a Terrible Thing to Waste!

 

[SoVeryTired]

And with all those brands, Sheldon, I still love yours the most. I do have to give a very high honorable mention to the stuff that Payson is doing, and I do have a set of nickel rounds that I've used and will continue to use in the rotation, but I really enjoy the feel of your strings along with the tone.

Lots of folks are looking for a B with big boom. To me that's one of the problems with many B strings. They're way unbalanced with the other strings on a bass tonally and volume wise. That's where the Dingwall is UNLIKE other standard scale basses. The B is even in tone and volume, making it way more useable in the playing, it integrates those low notes where on other basses you almost have to use them as a punctuation or 'effect'. It also means that you can EQ for the whole range of notes rather than a portion of your bass, and you don't have try to 'balance' your tone for the B.

The other nice thing is that as you work your way up the neck, the playing positions in the above 5th position are entirely viable and you don't get that awful tubby wumbly tone that you do on many basses in playing the B or E strings up the neck.

You've just reinforced why the fanned fret concept makes so much sense to me. I love the flexibility of a 5er but not so much the 'tubby wumbliness' of the higher positions - if I want that I can EQ for it. So I need to try out a fanned fret machine some time and when I have enough spare money it's either a Dingwall or custom UK-built bass.

 

[BurningSkies]

Sheldon and Skies,

Thanks a ton for the explanations, and taking the time to help out the less experienced. In rehearsals the band members loved the ABZ, so no concerns there.

I think that I made an amateur mis-interpretation of the Dingwall B. Burning Skies gave en excellent explanation that gives me a different lens to view through. And this B is exactly how he explains it - balanced, even. Also, the 5th position playing has that extra clarity for sure. In a way, now that B seems even more valuable, because I can outfit it with different strings for tone variety, but still have that evenness.

Also, for fairness, I don't know how old the strings are on the used ABZ. I've got a fresh set of Voodoo's on order.

I hope I didn't ruffle anyones feathers, but I definitely got some excellent answers and VERY glad I asked! Great!

The Payson strings I have had a bit more lower-mid presence, a bit more punch. They were a little more polite in the highs compared to Sheldon's steel strings...Of course I roll off some of my highs, so that's not really an issue for me. In terms of tension , they were a bit more taught than Sheldon's strings...this allowed me to play comfortably at the neck joint or even across the frets at 20-24, while with Sheldon's strings my 'happy place' is right at the neck pickup. Sheldon's strings have a little bit more give but not in a sloppy way, for me they're a bit more lively feeling with a bit more 'spring'.

 

[BurningSkies]

You've just reinforced why the fanned fret concept makes so much sense to me. I love the flexibility of a 5er but not so much the 'tubby wumbliness' of the higher positions - if I want that I can EQ for it. So I need to try out a fanned fret machine some time and when I have enough spare money it's either a Dingwall or custom UK-built bass.

Before I bought my first Dingwall, I spent a lot of time reading about them, and reading what Sheldon had to say about them. The engineering and design of his basses dovetailed with my own personal philosophy about basses, their construction and what I was looking to hear, see and in terms of construction.

By the time I purchased my Afterburner 1, I felt like I knew what I was going to receive. I received it on a Thursday afternoon and gigged with it on Saturday night. The fanning took no time for me to adjust to, but it was also my first 5 string, since I had never picked one up that I liked before that, though I had handled a LOT of them, and had a few on loan from others, etc.

 

[ChrisCassisi]

I wondered if the 676 would get mentioned. I'm looking at buying one and a 34" 5 string is what sent me to 4 string in the first place now I'm looking to go back.

If you are thinking about getting a 676 I say do it. I have a few high end 6ers and whenever I go to jam I always grab the 676 off the rack first. It is an amazing bass for the money and is super versatile. I have yet to run into a situation I did not like it in. I am grabbing a third one to do a half fretted half fretless job on it. Already have a fretted and fretless 676.

 

[therhodeo]

Do you have the stock electronics in it?

 

[domestique]

I just grabbed a used ABZ a couple of weeks ago. I was initially wowed by it, but Im not completely sold on the low B yet. Maybe I need a fatter B on this bass.

Here's the thing - I picked up my MIM Fender Precision again tonight, I have it strung BEAD with D'Addario chromes, and the B (.132) on the Fender seemed more impressive to my hands and to my ears.

Any suggestions on how to get that Dingwall B to sound like a Dingwall B? As far as I know there is only one choice for strings... the Dingwall VooDoo's. Maybe my expectations were set too high... or low... or whatever.

Like Sheldon and others have mentioned other brands fit. I use D'addario Chromes (super long) on my Dingwall ABI and asked Sheldon to install them on my Z3 that is on order.

 

[ChrisCassisi]

Do you have the stock electronics in it?

Surprisingly I still do. I am a huge boutique pickup and pre geek and usually rip the guts out of a bass and redo them with higher end electronics. These pickups and pre in my opinion compliment these basses really good. I would upgrade them to higher end US Barts but it would be a waste of time and money. My moto is if they work right don't touch them lol

 

[Roscoe East]

Kind of surprised to see so much praise for Modulus. They really don't impress me much at all.

This comment completely baffles me, especially because you're the guy who also said this (about some other brand)

The reason I say that is that the B string sounds just like the other strings. It blends in perfectly. A lot of the time, B strings seem to sound "off", they sound different from the rest of the strings. This is one example of a B that "jives" perfectly with the rest of the strings.

IME Modulus 35" scale low B's are la cremé de la cremé specifically because they sound just like all the other strings on the instrument. There is an even, consistent uniformity of tone, texture, punch, dynamics when crossing from string to string on a Modulus Quantum bass that is almost unique in the industry. It's one of the few basses I've ever heard where you don't immediately notice when a player transitions to the lowest string due to a timbre shift or change in the note's envelopes, the way almost every other 5- or 6-string bass does. On a Quantum bass the pitch just gets lower.

YMMV, obviously. But I am amazed every single day when I pick up my Modulus and play that low B string. I've also got some pretty nice 5-string instruments by Lakland and Rob Allen, and their low B strings are no slouch, but they don't hold a candle to my Modulus.

 

[KingRazor]

This comment completely baffles me, especially because you're the guy who also said this (about some other brand)



IME Modulus 35" scale low B's are la cremé de la cremé specifically because they sound just like all the other strings on the instrument. There is an even, consistent uniformity of tone, texture, punch, dynamics when crossing from string to string on a Modulus Quantum bass that is almost unique in the industry. It's one of the few basses I've ever heard where you don't immediately notice when a player transitions to the lowest string due to a timbre shift or change in the note's envelopes, the way almost every other 5- or 6-string bass does. On a Quantum bass the pitch just gets lower.

YMMV, obviously. But I am amazed every single day when I pick up my Modulus and play that low B string. I've also got some pretty nice 5-string instruments by Lakland and Rob Allen, and their low B strings are no slouch, but they don't hold a candle to my Modulus.

Interesting, that really has not been my experience so far. I've looked around on youtube for videos with them and I played one once at a store. Now, the one I played at the store really needed a good setup, so I'm not really judging that one, but I haven't seen a single demonstration of a modulus bass where the B string impressed me at all.