Coated strings for Mustang bass?

[Brandon Shea]

Hey all, yesterday was officially new string day for my Sire P8, so naturally that made me realize how badly I need strings on my other basses. I just got my first set of DR Black Beauties, and I love the way they sound so far. Time will tell how long they last, but based on the reviews, I'm hoping they'll be a little more resistant to my sweat than uncoated strings.

That brings me to my actual question: I have an American Performer Mustang (strings through body), and it could really use a new set of strings. Does anyone have recommendations for coated strings that fit a short scale bass like a Mustang? When I tried filtering on Sweetwater to look for coated short scale strings, the only ones that came up were for acoustic bass guitars.

 

[dalkowski]

Maybe this will help? (I used it 2 days ago to decide on strings for mine.)
https://www.talkbass.com/wiki/mustang-bass-strings-links-tips-tricks-things/

Caveat emptor: You may want to avoid short-scale strings for string-through b/c you may need more length.

 

[michael_t]

That brings me to my actual question: I have an American Performer Mustang (strings through body), and it could really use a new set of strings. Does anyone have recommendations for coated strings that fit a short scale bass like a Mustang?

One thing to keep in mind is the thru-body Mustang requires strings longer than typical "short scale" strings by most manufacturers. DR is one of the exceptions, where their "short scale" is longer than most at 33.75" (33" for E) in winding length (ball end to taper). "Medium scale" by most manufacturers ranges between 34" and 35.5".

34" is just about ideal for the thru-body Mustang, so make sure to look for the right "winding length" instead of "scale length".

 

[coryr1000]

I use "medium scale" on my Mustang which limits your choices unfortunately.

 

[HaphAsSard]

Hey all, yesterday was officially new string day for my Sire P8, so naturally that made me realize how badly I need strings on my other basses. I just got my first set of DR Black Beauties, and I love the way they sound so far. Time will tell how long they last, but based on the reviews, I'm hoping they'll be a little more resistant to my sweat than uncoated strings.

That brings me to my actual question: I have an American Performer Mustang (strings through body), and it could really use a new set of strings. Does anyone have recommendations for coated strings that fit a short scale bass like a Mustang? When I tried filtering on Sweetwater to look for coated short scale strings, the only ones that came up were for acoustic bass guitars.

Pyramid makes two sets (the C828S, gauges 40-60-80-100; and the C824S, 45-65-85-105) of black-coated nickel-plated steel roundwounds, the Black Wires, in nominally "short scale" length, which in this case is said (in the description on the Thomann product page) to actually amount to 34.25" of full-diameter winding length, from ball end to headstock-end taper.
In other words, they should fit perfectly for your through-body Mustang:
https://www.thomannmusic.com/pyramid_c828s_short_scale_black_wires.htm
https://www.thomannmusic.com/pyramid_c824s_short_scale_black_wires.htm

 

[Brandon Shea]

Pyramid makes two sets (the C828S, gauges 40-60-80-100; and the C824S, 45-65-85-105) of black-coated nickel-plated steel roundwounds, the Black Wires, in nominally "short scale" length, which in this case is said (in the description on the Thomann product page) to actually amount to 34.25" of full-diameter winding length, from ball end to headstock-end taper.
In other words, they should fit perfectly for your through-body Mustang:
https://www.thomannmusic.com/pyramid_c828s_short_scale_black_wires.htm
https://www.thomannmusic.com/pyramid_c824s_short_scale_black_wires.htm

This seems like exactly what I need. Thanks for the help!