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G&L Basses and strings....
- Thread starter munkeyfish
- Start date
I'm not a fan of the stock SIT's. I use nickel D'Addarios on my ASAT, in my experience SS strings have a little too much zing with those MFD's.
Wow, that's a lot of anagrams....
Wow, that's a lot of anagrams....
The SIT Nickels were the stock string about 10 years ago. Last I heard it is D'Addario Nickels. I bet Fender 7250s would go great on a G&L.
I've been using Bass Centre Elites on mine, mainly the nickles. The pickups run a little too hot for steels.
Hey Vinny, nice family shot. Dave is correct, new G&L's ship with Dad's, 45-100. I'm currently running SunBeams on the fretless Tookay for warmth and growl. The fretted Tookay and the Toro are wearing FatBeams. The Toro has an ungodly amount of snarl and grind when pushed, and the Tookay has grind and depth, although I'm not wild about the slap sound from the fretted Tookay. The FatBeams have a musicality that isn't in any other string- they make notes flow, and are very responsive to touch and inflections in your playing. Some of the magic that is in TI flats is in FatBeams.
The only flat for G&L that I have liked long enough to leave on for more than 10 minutes has been Chromes. I want to give Dunlop nickels another go.
The only flat for G&L that I have liked long enough to leave on for more than 10 minutes has been Chromes. I want to give Dunlop nickels another go.
I've got TI flats on my L2K and they're great but thinking about something more percussive lately, maybe LaBellas or Chromes.
FWIW I have Chromes on my ash/maple Wunkay and they kill. I wouldn't put another kind of string on it. That's saying something because I'm a string whore, constantly trying different kinds on my other basses.
About 4 years ago they were still using SIT's. (At least that's what my hang tag said). D'Addarios would be a vast improvement!
I seen a thread a while ago with suggestions for strings for G&L basses. Be damned if I can find it now. (maybe it was in the G&L Forum? I miss that forum)
So, what strings work best on the G&L's? What string should one avoid?
Mainly the L2000 for me. I want the best all around tone. But would love to hear about strings for other G&L's too.
(sorry if this has been covered a million times, I searched for the threads and came up empty)
The G&L's now come with Daddario nickels. Strings on any bass is a personal thing. However, you should get some more feed back here : http://www.bassesbyleo.com/forum/
I recently put LaBella 760FLs on my L-2000 and now ... the notes will take your head clean off if you're not careful! More snap and punch than anyone has any business having.
My L-2000 and SB-2 currently have webstrings.com strings on them, which are pretty good. My favorites have been the Thomastik Infeld (TI) Superalloys though. I also like TI Powerbass strings. In fact I think I'll put my old Superalloys back on. I think they still have plenty of life in them. TI strings last a really long time.
I've liked Boomers on my L-1500 and SB-2, much more than the stock strings in both cases. They are a good match IMO. Fender's 7250's sound similar, but last much longer and aren't as stiff, so I'm sure those would be great too. (I use the taperwound version, 8250's, on my Jazz basses, and love them.)
Last week, I began using DR Fat Beams on my SB-2, which also received a tone control. They are just fantastic, with lots of growly edge that suits my tastes perfectly, especially now that I can roll off some highs. I have no clue how long they'll last, but if they're durable I could imagine sticking with them.
On my L-1500, I've liked DR stainless Lo-Riders the most, and I have a set of nickel Lo-Riders to try next. I'd also like to try the Fat Beams, because they're not as stiff as Lo-Riders, and the additional excursion might fatten up the L-1500 in good ways.
I've tried lots of strings on my L2000, and the GHS Precision flats are by far my faves for my current tonal preferences. They are huge, phat, super-percussive, and articulate! I never stay with flats for too long, but these ones complement my L2000 too much to take off (for flats reference, I have tried Chromes, TI Flats, DR Hi-Beams Flats, and Rotosound flats on this bass previously, and these ones seem to work the best to me). They nail the whole range of 60s and 70s flats tones with all the tonal adjustments available on the bass (the first time I was ever able to nail that CSN and CSNY tone from the first 2 albums to a tee!). Studio engineers LOVE this bass with the Precision Flats too- it is the first bass I can pretty much just plug straight into the board and neither I nor the engineer feels like fiddling with EQ!
For non-flats, I really like DR Sunbeams and Hi-Beams the best (As far as rounds on my L2000- I've tried all the DRs, D'addario Nickels and Steels, Rotosound Nickels and Steels, and TI Superalloys). Black Beauties were my faves on my L2500.
I have been considering attempting to trade my other bass for another L2000 just so I can have one with rounds as well (I miss the rounds on my L2000, but don't want to mess with the perfection of the GHS flats!).
Karl
For non-flats, I really like DR Sunbeams and Hi-Beams the best (As far as rounds on my L2000- I've tried all the DRs, D'addario Nickels and Steels, Rotosound Nickels and Steels, and TI Superalloys). Black Beauties were my faves on my L2500.
I have been considering attempting to trade my other bass for another L2000 just so I can have one with rounds as well (I miss the rounds on my L2000, but don't want to mess with the perfection of the GHS flats!).
Karl
I've said this in similar threads, but I just don't like the sound of SS rounds on the L2K's. Lots over overtones and very harsh. I've tried everything to tame it down, but nada......
Nickels do it for me on the L2K..... especially once they are well worn in. The D'Addarios are cheap, settle in quickly, and mellow nicely. I've just had a lot of bad luck with gauge consistancy over the years with D'Addario..... but the last year or so has been okay.
I've toyed with going to a round core nickel round, but I'm afraid of the tension being too low. Everything I string up with on mine feels ultra "slinky"...... I can't explain it. Even the super high tension fender flats feel "slinky" on this bass. I can take the DA's off it now, put them on my MIA J, and they will feel rather stiff. On the L2K, they feel rubbery..... I love that. I'm sure it's due to a combination of the maple board, width (1.75), radius (7.5), and depth (.86" at the first fret)...... the thing is a baseball bat, but is easily the fastest playing neck I have. Weird.
Nickels do it for me on the L2K..... especially once they are well worn in. The D'Addarios are cheap, settle in quickly, and mellow nicely. I've just had a lot of bad luck with gauge consistancy over the years with D'Addario..... but the last year or so has been okay.
I've toyed with going to a round core nickel round, but I'm afraid of the tension being too low. Everything I string up with on mine feels ultra "slinky"...... I can't explain it. Even the super high tension fender flats feel "slinky" on this bass. I can take the DA's off it now, put them on my MIA J, and they will feel rather stiff. On the L2K, they feel rubbery..... I love that. I'm sure it's due to a combination of the maple board, width (1.75), radius (7.5), and depth (.86" at the first fret)...... the thing is a baseball bat, but is easily the fastest playing neck I have. Weird.
Even though I haven't used them on a G&L, I wanted to second Karl's love for the GHS Precision flats, which don't get mentioned often. I used them on my Precision for a long time, and, just like Karl with his L-2000, I soon wanted another Precision for rounds just to keep the GHS flats on the first one! (My SB-2 is that second "Precision.") I agree with his description. They are spectacular for recording, and the D and G strings sound juicy and thick, but clear at the same time. I should probably try them on the L-1500.
My Precision now wears GHS Briteflats, which sound similar to the Precision flats on the E and A strings, but noticeably brighter on the D & G strings, especially at first. As they've broken in, they've sounded more even across the strings. I'm not sure I like them as much as the Precision flats, but they also record well, especially with the tone rolled off a bit.
My Precision now wears GHS Briteflats, which sound similar to the Precision flats on the E and A strings, but noticeably brighter on the D & G strings, especially at first. As they've broken in, they've sounded more even across the strings. I'm not sure I like them as much as the Precision flats, but they also record well, especially with the tone rolled off a bit.
I remember Vinny D. from the old Eden forum I got the 2X12 XLT on his recommendation...fantastic cab...
