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Fender ABG Club

#361
So, let's get back to Fender ABG discussions. B-mac, you want to know what strings everyone is running on their Fender ABG's?

I'll start:
Kingman V2:
D'Addario ETB92S Tapewound Bass Guitar Strings, Medium, 50-105, Short Scale, overall tension 113.79lbs.

Before that, I tried:
D'Addario XL Chromes Flat Wound Bass Guitar Strings - ECB81S - Short Scale - Regular Light, 45-100, overall tension 155.5lbs.

Before that was the standard Phosphor Bronze, that I knew were going to be replaced very quickly.

I like flats, but was worried about extra tension on the bridge/top, plus I wanted to try the tapes. I'm really happy with the warm, woody sound when played unplugged. You can brighten them up a bit with EQ if necessary.
 
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#363
Queue said:
So, let's get back to Fender ABG discussions. B-mac, you want to know what strings everyone is running on their Fender ABG's?

I'll start:
Kingman V2:
D'Addario ETB92S Tapewound Bass Guitar Strings, Medium, 50-105, Short Scale, overall tension 113.79lbs.

Before that, I tried:
D'Addario XL Chromes Flat Wound Bass Guitar Strings - ECB81S - Short Scale - Regular Light, 45-100, overall tension 155.5lbs.

Before that was the standard Phosphor Bronze, that I knew were going to be replaced very quickly.

I like flats, but was worried about extra tension on the bridge/top, plus I wanted to try the tapes. I'm really happy with the warm, woody sound when played unplugged. You can brighten them up a bit with EQ if necessary.
Click to expand...
What's the overall tension on the stock Fender Phosphor Bronze strings? I would think if you run something different it would be best to stay close the that, correct?
 
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#364
Queue said:
So, let's get back to Fender ABG discussions. B-mac, you want to know what strings everyone is running on their Fender ABG's?

I'll start:
Kingman V2:
D'Addario ETB92S Tapewound Bass Guitar Strings, Medium, 50-105, Short Scale, overall tension 113.79lbs.

Before that, I tried:
D'Addario XL Chromes Flat Wound Bass Guitar Strings - ECB81S - Short Scale - Regular Light, 45-100, overall tension 155.5lbs.

Before that was the standard Phosphor Bronze, that I knew were going to be replaced very quickly.

I like flats, but was worried about extra tension on the bridge/top, plus I wanted to try the tapes. I'm really happy with the warm, woody sound when played unplugged. You can brighten them up a bit with EQ if necessary.
Click to expand...
I have D’Addario tapes on my BG32. I tried GHS flats on it but they caused weird intonation issues. I also just generally didn’t like the “flatwound sound” on the ABG: it all just sounded very lifeless, so I went back to tapes.

eta: before I had tapes, I went through various roundwounds, but I never wanted to play it until I put the tapes on.
 
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#366
I'm happy to be learning from your trials, disappointments and sucesses. I'll go with Golden LaBella's to start and then I think the carbon coated Ibanez. Both as light as they come.Tapes could very well be 3rd and I'm also looking at Round Cores for flexibility ( something I'm sure losing). First I must decide upon a Acoustic Bass Guitar.
 
#367
LoveJackBruce said:
I'm happy to be learning from your trials, disappointments and sucesses. I'll go with Golden LaBella's to start and then I think the carbon coated Ibanez. Both as light as they come.Tapes could very well be 3rd and I'm also looking at Round Cores for flexibility ( something I'm sure losing). First I must decide upon an Acoustic Bass Guitar.
Click to expand...
Worth noting that scale has a significant impact on the variety of strings available to choose from.
 
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#368
StevenC56 said:
What's the overall tension on the stock Fender Phosphor Bronze strings? I would think if you run something different it would be best to stay close the that, correct?
Click to expand...

(here's my thought process)
Tension is a combination of personal preference and what the Bass can tolerate. For electric basses, the "weakest link" would either be the neck/truss rod or perhaps the method of mounting the bridge to the body. For ABG, the top/bridge mount and structure is the weak spot, as the bridge is directly mounted to the top. If there's a tailpiece taking the bulk of the load, then the load would be distributed differently.

In most cases, Flats are higher tension than rounds. I like flats, but was concerned about the extra stress on the top/bridge over long term use. That's why I went to tapes, to reduce that load. The OG Phosphor/Bronze were not an option for me, as I'm not a fan of their sound or feel. It would be good to have the overall tension number on those as a reference point, but I would not specifically try to match that number exactly.

I sent Fender customer service an email asking for the overall tension. We'll see what they say (if anything).
 
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#369
Fender Acoustic 2.JPG
 
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#371
Cullen G said:
Reading about other people's experiences, I have been VERY lucky I guess. All of my basses are keepers. None came with the issues I've been reading about. I'd be finished with basses if I'd of had many issues with brand new products!
Click to expand...
I think 90% of production is of the acceptable variety. I also think ABG's are more likely to have issues do to the complexity of the construction. These few factories in China and Indonesia are pumping out tons of these guitars for 100's of brands. Can you imagine? The quality control is probably a bit on the loose side. As long as there isn't a major issue that's totally obvious-Ship it!
 
#372
Queue said:
(here's my thought process)
Tension is a combination of personal preference and what the Bass can tolerate. For electric basses, the "weakest link" would either be the neck/truss rod or perhaps the method of mounting the bridge to the body. For ABG, the top/bridge mount and structure is the weak spot, as the bridge is directly mounted to the top. If there's a tailpiece taking the bulk of the load, then the load would be distributed differently.

In most cases, Flats are higher tension than rounds. I like flats, but was concerned about the extra stress on the top/bridge over long term use. That's why I went to tapes, to reduce that load. The OG Phosphor/Bronze were not an option for me, as I'm not a fan of their sound or feel. It would be good to have the overall tension number on those as a reference point, but I would not specifically try to match that number exactly.

I sent Fender customer service an email asking for the overall tension. We'll see what they say (if anything).
Click to expand...
GHS Pressure Wound are Phosphor-Bronze that have much less string squeak than ‘regular’ Phosphor-Bronze strings.
They’re worth checking out.
 
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#373
StevenC56 said:
I think 90% of production is of the acceptable variety. I also think ABG's are more likely to have issues do to the complexity of the construction. These few factories in China and Indonesia are pumping out tons of these guitars for 100's of brands. Can you imagine? The quality control is probably a bit on the loose side. As long as there isn't a major issue that's totally obvious-Ship it!
Click to expand...

Luckily, Ortega and Michael Kelly send people twice monthly to Asia to inspect the work.
 
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#376
Queue said:
Depends on what you want out of an ABG. In THIS thread, you'll find lots of Fender recommendations.

If you want to cast a wider net, go here:
Acoustic bass fetish club Part 2
Click to expand...
There's some weird stuff over on that other thread. :woot: I realize Fender offers a good balance between value and price, but which companies offer something better quality for just a bit more money? I see you mentioned Ortega and Michael Kelly so I was checking them out plus the Breedlove models.
 
#377
StevenC56 said:
There's some weird stuff over on that other thread. :woot: I realize Fender offers a good balance between value and price, but which companies offer something better quality for just a bit more money? I see you mentioned Ortega and Michael Kelly so I was checking them out plus the Breedlove models.
Click to expand...
As @Queue said above, you'll get a better answer from the folks at:
Acoustic bass fetish club Part 2
 
#379
JohnMalay said:
Kingman v2 in action on a very hot day at the local winery. FWIW I like the black and I put black tapes on it to enhance it. You can't see them from this angle, nor the gold baffle that matches the gold guard.
Click to expand...
This probably a dumb question but here goes. I have a Kingman V1 and hate the phosphor bronze strings on it. I want tapes or flats. Being new to acoustic bass guitar my question is are there special flats/tapes for ABG’s? Or can I use the same ones I use on my electric hollow body?
 
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#380
Steve_D said:
This probably a dumb question but here goes. I have a Kingman V1 and hate the phosphor bronze strings on it. I want tapes or flats. Being new to acoustic bass guitar my question is are there special flats/tapes for ABG’s? Or can I use the same ones I use on my electric hollow body?
Click to expand...
@mikeoso loves the Rotosound 88 tapes. I love the GHS Phosphor-bronze pressure wounds for unplugged playing and love tapes for plugged in playing.

Depends on what you're looking for.

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