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Favorite strings for a jazz bass?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Deleted member 367456
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vintage punchy - recently had a set of Roto Monel 77 on for a bit ... (40,60,80,100 ) pretty cool sound and feel for flats
liked them on thinner profile neck ..

but now that bass is wearing some Ti flats ... JF344 .. unique sound and feel ... costly ..$$$

the fatter neck wore GHS Pressurewounds for a long time ... nice middle of the road string for sound and feel ... they Are rounds , but the outer wire is roller wound under pressure which gives it an oval shape = smoother feel , less fret/finger noise ... used lightest gauge

wanting to try the most flexible strings around ,.. that bass now wears Ti rounds .. JR344 ... very strange soft flexible feel ... interesting variety of sounds with dynamics ... costly ..$$$

DR Sunbeams , Pure Blues ... most nickle rounds i find to be more warm/punchy

Smith Compressors .. slightly different gauges, but mostly like GHS Pressurewounds
 
Hey, all-- the question I have is what it says in the title. If you play a jazz bass, what strings do you use, & why? Just got my bass and looking to replace the factory strings soon-ish, just not sure what with! I used to use Ernie Ball super slinkys on my p-bass, but I don't know that I want that sound on mt fender jazz (looking for something vintage-punchy, if that makes sense...?)

DR Low Riders hex core. If you want a little longer life, and a little less expensive, with a slightly less refined sound, GHS Bass Boomers. Bass Boomer will punch. Keep in mind, I’ve been playing round wound strings exclusively since the 70s. I prefer the 45-105 gauge set.

Regardless of what strings you settle on, when you change to a different brand, a different type of string, and or changing gauges, keep an eye on your neck as it may need a truss rod adjustment.

Finally, the nut on your bass is cut for a specific gauge of string. Depending on the gauge of string you choose, you may need an different nut cut to size and installed.

Best wishes.
 
I’ve been sampling a ton of strings on my stack-knob Jazz lately, and settled on TI Rounds.... but those are articulate and balanced (and $$$) not necessarily punchy.

In my taste testing, I directly compared several DR strings: Sunbeams, Fat Beams, Nickel Lo Riders, and Hellborg signature Nickels. While I used the Sunbeams for countless years & love them on a Jazz, I actually liked the Nickel Lo Riders even more - a little more low midrange push, and the hex core tightens the fundamental up a bit. Very punchy.
 
Hey, all-- the question I have is what it says in the title. If you play a jazz bass, what strings do you use, & why? Just got my bass and looking to replace the factory strings soon-ish, just not sure what with! I used to use Ernie Ball super slinkys on my p-bass, but I don't know that I want that sound on mt fender jazz (looking for something vintage-punchy, if that makes sense...?)
GHS Pressurewounds!!! Great feel, low noise (sliding), stay fresh sounding for quite a while, and have great fat, punchy tone with just the right clarity.
 
Another devotee to DR Sunbeams. Not declaring them superior to all the rest, but an easy recommendation for a try if you haven't sampled them yet.

Other strings are fine in their own way. Nickel rounds from Fender and D'Addario have worked okay for me, but I've used the DR's long enough that they've become my personal normal. I prefer how they sound after they've been worked over for a bit and lose that little bit of fresh string sizzle.