Good flat wound strings for a u-bass?

[Greywoulf]

Looking to try some flat wounds on my Hadean 21" u-bass and would appreciate some recommendations from experienced u-bassists here....
Thanks,
Greywoulf

 

[iiipopes]

To me, metal strings on a U-bass defeats the purpose of getting the signature tone. On my bubinga Kala U-bass, I use Aquila Silver Rumblers: big, round, long sustain, excellent intonation, none of the thump that the stock strings have.

 

[HaphAsSard]

Looking to try some flat wounds on my Hadean 21" u-bass

This is the only one in existence (AFAIK), the Kala KA-BASS-4FW, made by Galli (chrome steel flatwound on a nylon core):
Kala Flatwound 4-String Set by Gallistrings - Kala Brand Music Co.
[The Gold Tone MBLS, made by La Bella, are not a viable option because they need a longer scale and are conventional, steel-core stainless-steel flats, so they've got bad intonation on an instrument whose bridge was positioned with synthetic(-core) strings in mind.]

Then there are tapewounds.
These, made by Pyramid (part no. 508/BT), also have reportedly bad intonation because of their steel core, but have the right length at least, and can work on a fretless U•Bass if you're willing to compensate manually (they could be used on a fretted model if the bridge is unglued and moved back):
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The Galli UXB810 are nylon-core nylon tapewounds and should have decent intonation on an unmolested instrument:
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Galli UXB810 Black Nylon Bass Ukulele Strings

 

[Gorn]

From what I've read, and I could be wrong, the bridge and nut need significant modifications before any tapes or flats work well on a ubass type bass.

 

[DannynnaD]

The Galli UXB810 are nylon-core nylon tapewounds and should have decent intonation on an unmolested instrument:
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Galli UXB810 Black Nylon Bass Ukulele Strings[/QUOTE]


So would these string work with the 21 inch length? I also have the Hadean 21 inch bass and want to buy these, but won’t they be slightly too short?

 

[DannynnaD]

So glad you posted this! I have the same bass and am having such a hard time figuring out which strings will work!

 

[HaphAsSard]

So would these string work with the 21 inch length? I also have the Hadean 21 inch bass and want to buy these, but won’t they be slightly too short?

The concern is legitimate. On the video,

the E string silk does look dangerously close to the Kala UBass nut. I'm no UBass expert and couldn't tell one 20.875" scale model from a 20.375" scale one. So it may be just a matter of peeling back a little silk, or the string might actually be too short. You should send an email inquiry to Galli, or check for mentions of Galli or Gallistrings here
Kala UBass Megathread, Part 7
identify TB members who use them and ask one to measure them.

 

[bluecab]

Looking to try some flat wounds on my Hadean 21" u-bass and would appreciate some recommendations from experienced u-bassists here....
Thanks,
Greywoulf

I put a set of Thomastik 324 which I did't really like on my 30" shortscale on my old California Solid Body. Very nice. Changed the Bridge postion plus 10 mm backwards for good oktaves. Be careful cutting the E-string not to unwrap the outer layer.

 

[iiipopes]

From what I've read, and I could be wrong, the bridge and nut need significant modifications before any tapes or flats work well on a ubass type bass.

It's not because of the stock strings. It is because there is, unfortunately from my personal experience, variance in the proper placement of nut and bridge. My luthier had to install a thin shim between the end of the fret board and the nut because the distance to the 1st fret was not exactly double the distance between the crowns of the 12th and 13th frets, causing everything to go flat up the neck. Now my U-bass intonates properly all the way up and down over all four strings.