Fender Kingman w/nylons

[mrbassdan]

I recently purchased a Fender Kingman Bass. I have been playing my Precision, Jazz and VI exclusively with flats for over 55 years (yes I am old). I am retired and now playing Christian music in Church. I bought the Kingman to "blend in" with the 6 string acoustics and the cajon. My problem is that the factory strings tear my fingers up even after playing most of my life. I read that changing strings may create havoc because of the tension. I am not a luthier and I do not want to mess with a neck adjustment. (My luthier/cousin, David Petillo, is 2500 miles away). Long story short (too late) I am looking for suggestions for strings that will work with the Kingman, plugged into the house, that will retain the "sound" of an acoustic bass and will not tear up my fingers. ANY suggestions are appreciated. Thanks

 

[JumboJett35]

I recommend taking it to someone for a setup and putting a fresh set of Flats on. Well worth the extra $100 or so to have a well playing instrument.

 

[GrapeBass]

Labella Deep Talkin' Bass Tape Wounds, that's what i use on my acoustics

 

[TaylorJ]

Labella Deep Talkin' Bass Tape Wounds, that's what i use on my acoustics

Thank you! I was in Guitar Center not long ago and played a used Breedlove acoustic bass that had wonderful stings on it. They almost felt like they had a rubber coating. Didn't buy it as I have a Kingman, but just this last week I was thinking I needed to find out if I could do something like that on my acoustic bass. Going to check those out!

 

[Dr Zee]

I use DR Black Beauties on my Acoustic Bass. Easy on the fingers and help get that woody sound .

 

[Winslow]

I've used Fender's own tapewounds on my Kingman, and they did indeed sound fairly "woodsy" compared to rounds, so they can certainly work. I later switched them out for Roto 77 Jazz flats to get back some subtle brightness, while continuing to save my own brittle-skinned fingers (a problem that runs in my family, as we have found).

In neither case did I need to have the neck adjusted at all; Both tapes and the 77 flats play just fine with my Kingman as-is. If you've got a setup you like, you may not even need to worry about it.

Good luck!

 

[mikeoso]

Rotosound Trubass 88s are what all of my ABGs wear, and have been wearing for the past ten years or so. Tapes not only give a comfy feel, but a very fine thumpy sound.

 

[iiipopes]

GHS has a Pressurewound set of bronze acoustic bass strings. They have the tone and are easier on the fingers.
Link: Products - PRESSUREWOUND™ BRONZE - GHS Strings

 

[Plain Old Barry]

I strung my Ibanez ABG with D'addario Chromes. I drop a gauge with chromes compared to rounds. If I use 45 rounds, I go to 40 with Chromes.

I didn't like bronze ABG strings at all.

 

[Pyrrho Epoche]

Roto 88 or Magma flats

 

[bylar13]

I have a Kingman and strung it with the Elixir coated strings:

Acoustic Bass 80/20 Bronze with NANOWEB Coating

There were no additional set up issues and the brightness diminished after playing for a bit. They have held up to daily playing for the year +.

 

[Queue]

I use D'Addario Bass Guitar Strings, Tapewound Black Nylon, ETB92S, Short Scale, Medium Gauge 50-105. Overall tension = 113.79lbs

I did adjust the relief, but I'm an incorrigible modder/tinkerer. I hand shaped a new nut and saddle out of Black TusQ XL. Unless you live somewhere with very stable humidity, you should learn how to adjust neck tension. I live in the mid-atlantic, where it is dry in the winter and humid in the summer, so at least twice a year, I'm checking relief and adjusting as necessary.

 

[mikeoso]

I use D'Addario Bass Guitar Strings, Tapewound Black Nylon, ETB92S, Short Scale, Medium Gauge 50-105. Overall tension = 113.79lbs


View attachment 7125659

I did adjust the relief, but I'm an incorrigible modder/tinkerer. I hand shaped a new nut and saddle out of Black TusQ XL. Unless you live somewhere with very stable humidity, you should learn how to adjust neck tension. I live in the mid-atlantic, where it is dry in the winter and humid in the summer, so at least twice a year, I'm checking relief and adjusting as necessary.

I had to do new nuts and saddles for all three of my ABGs, but it wasnt because of the strings. All of my playing is in ensembles, and unplugged. I have to get max volume. I start with big powerful ABGs (see my avatar), and find a little more power in Rotosound than Daddarios, e.g.....but I have to get a higher setup as well, especially at the saddle end. I like bone for both saddles and nuts.

 

[Queue]

I had to do new nuts and saddles for all three of my ABGs, but it wasnt because of the strings. All of my playing is in ensembles, and unplugged. I have to get max volume. I start with big powerful ABGs (see my avatar), and find a little more power in Rotosound than Daddarios, e.g.....but I have to get a higher setup as well, especially at the saddle end. I like bone for both saddles and nuts.

View attachment 7125670

Funny, my reasoning for new nut and saddle was this:

1. When I went to change the strings, the nut fell out of the slot (could have fixed with some CA glue, but see #2)
2. I was trying to "black out" this bass, replacing the nut, saddle, bridge pins, and tuners with black replacements, and in all but the bridge pins, upgraded parts.
3. I wanted my action to be lower, and I could also take some liberty with the shape of the saddle to help the intonation. When I want my ABG to be loud, it gets plugged into a PJB D4+, so I didn't need the higher action for hard string attack.
   
   
   That's the best part of tinkering, we each get what we want out of our instruments, which may/may not be the standard for that instrument.
   

 

[Plain Old Barry]

Now you folks have me wanting to try tapes on my ABG. I thought I was happy, but there's a lot of recs here.

 

[4 octave fun]

Good thread thank you. Bought a Guild 240 fretless acoustic. Plays beautifully but I wanted flats on it (came with d’Darrio 80/20. Guild recommends ONLY this string b/c of tension issues. Anyone have his bass and using tape wounds??

 

[Queue]

Good thread thank you. Bought a Guild 240 fretless acoustic. Plays beautifully but I wanted flats on it (came with d’Darrio 80/20. Guild recommends ONLY this string b/c of tension issues. Anyone have his bass and using tape wounds??

@4 octave fun You might get a better response if you started a new thread. (or see if there's a Guild ABG club thread).

 

[TaylorJ]

I've used Fender's own tapewounds on my Kingman, and they did indeed sound fairly "woodsy" compared to rounds, so they can certainly work. I later switched them out for Roto 77 Jazz flats to get back some subtle brightness, while continuing to save my own brittle-skinned fingers (a problem that runs in my family, as we have found).

In neither case did I need to have the neck adjusted at all; Both tapes and the 77 flats play just fine with my Kingman as-is. If you've got a setup you like, you may not even need to worry about it.

Good luck!

Did you use this set? Invalid Link Removed

 

[Winslow]

Did you use this set? Invalid Link Removed

This was some years ago, so the packaging was different, but the gauges seem to be the same:

 

[TaylorJ]

Also, do you have the Kingman V1 or V2? I think the V1 was a long scale bass. The V2 is a short scale. Those look like standard long scale strings, will those fit on a short scale bass?