La Bella offers five sets of strings specifically designed for the Hofner-style violin bass, which is a "short scale" bass but requires a "medium scale" strings.
www.labella.com
^^Yeah, This^^
In almost every case, "short scale" basses like yours - with a trapeze tailpiece, and (usually) a floating bridge - are forced to use "medium scale" strings, due to the extra distance back from the bridge saddles to the tailpiece. There are some "short scale" strings that
will fit your bass; Pyramid and Thomastik-Infeld strings, for instance. But, they were meant for basses like that - not "normal" short scale basses. Most people with normal 30/31" scale basses, find them to be too long... Short scale GHS P-Flats
might work, too; their strings are usually over-long for a given scale... If you wanted to bother, you could get some Hofner strings; but, that can be kind of a pain. And, their strings are made by Pyramid, anyway... I have the Pyramids on my German-made Hofner 500/2 Club Bass. The bass came with them; they intonate like they're supposed to; and they sound... well, like I think a Hofner's supposed to sound. So, they'll probably stay... I did have short scale TI's on my Gretsch Broadkaster (another bass with a trapeze tailpiece and a floating bridge. Very nice, but... a little too bright for such a big hollow-body guitar. It wears long scale La Bella 750G White Tape wounds, now. It's just such a big bass, physically, that there are some medium scale strings that are actually too small for it. The TI's just barely fit the thing. My Guild Starfire 1 is another separate bridge/trapeze tailpiece bass; it wears Rotosound RS77M(edium scale) Flats. Might be a little much for a violin bass, but... they do sound good. I also have a rather cheap, Chinese Starfire Violin Bass that wears flats. Medium scale La Bella 760FL DTF's. They're a little on the lsrge gauge side of the leger for a violin bass, but they do sound good. And, bonus; they intonate, too...
In my experience with basses like this, I've learned thru much trial, error, and expense, that these basses are... fussy... about the strings they like. Most of the time? I can get the E and the G strings to intonate (by scootching the bridge around a little), but... the A and D strings? I have to settle, at best, for "close enough". Some of the things - like the Starfire - have gone through a dozen different strings before I can get a set of flats to work on it. As in "E&G intonated without the bridge set at a crazy angle; A&D are... kind of close". So, if you find a set of strings that will tune up and intonate without any drama?
NEVER use any other kind of string on that bass!! My mid-'90s MIK Rogue VB-100 violin bass tuned up and intonated -
perfectly - with no bridge tweaking at all - with Roto TruBass88M Tapewounds. It's worn nothing else in the 16 years since - and never will, either...
So... good luck finding the flats that you -
and the bass - like. They're out there somewhere...
