My first acoustic will arrive soon. it’s a fender Kingman SCE. What strings do people love on acoustic? I have seen things about the acoustics not being able to handle flats but this has the standard 34 fender J neck so will any strings work?
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Help me choose strings please!
- Thread starter Kevin Doyle
- Start date
A lot of us like the GHS Pressurewound Bronze on acoustic (especially fretless, but fretted too): all of the volume of bronze rounds, with nearly no string noise, very smooth to the fingers.
Here's the main question... Do you plan to use the bass plugged in most of the time? Or, do you need it to have enough volume when played unplugged?
Not all flats are equal and many flats come in different sets of gauges. It's just a matter of selecting the right ones for your bass for overall tension and proper fit.
I usually don’t use anything other than flats, but on an acoustic I make an exception because flats are too quiet. The problem with rounds, though, is that there is just too much finger noise. So, I agree, pressure-wounds are a good choice. The next best option I’d go for are the tape wounds.
As for the acoustic not being able to handle flats...it can. I had a cheap Dean acoustic bass that I dragged to various places without a case, left it in the trunk of my car for a summer in TN, then threw it in my garage. It never once had a stand, and it was abused more than I like to admit. I also painted a forest scene on the back and relic’d the absolute crap out of this fretless bass. It had a twig as an end pin. I’m not kidding.
I put it on Craigslist and sold it to an employee at Gruhn Guitars. I don’t know why he bought it, but when he did...it still played perfectly. Well, perfectly enough. I think he felt that the bass was abused and wanted to rescue the poor thing.
As for the acoustic not being able to handle flats...it can. I had a cheap Dean acoustic bass that I dragged to various places without a case, left it in the trunk of my car for a summer in TN, then threw it in my garage. It never once had a stand, and it was abused more than I like to admit. I also painted a forest scene on the back and relic’d the absolute crap out of this fretless bass. It had a twig as an end pin. I’m not kidding.
I put it on Craigslist and sold it to an employee at Gruhn Guitars. I don’t know why he bought it, but when he did...it still played perfectly. Well, perfectly enough. I think he felt that the bass was abused and wanted to rescue the poor thing.
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I’m not too worried about the volume it will be for my living room in the backyard primarily. I will play with my son on his acoustic but it’s just for us so I’m not really too concerned about projection
I have never tried to tape wound and was thinking that would be good for less clank because I assume there’s going to be high action toward the bridge. The only thought I had was that even though I’m not too concerned about volume I figure tapewounds will take something quiet and make it really really quiet?
My vote would be also for the GHS Pressurewound Bronze for your application like a couple of people have already suggested.
SETS - PRESSUREWOUND™ BRONZE
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As a former acoustic guitar player in my younger days, the thing I hated the most about those bronze strings was the finger noise and harsh overtones. GHS Pressurewound Bronze would eliminate most of those annoyances while retaining the natural acoustic tone with a healthy output for your backyard jamming.
I have, they're much louder acoustically than any tapes I've tried. More mids and highs to cut through than tapes, of course, but the fundamentals are louder as well.
I’m thoroughly convinced but I’m bothered by the gauge options that I see. I had a set of Ken Smith slick rounds on my Schecter and couldn’t figure out why I loved the E and Astring but really didn’t like the G string. I decided part of the problem was the 44 gauge of the G string as opposed to a 50. I see all the GHS have a 44 G string. It’s possible I’m overthinking this also...
No experience with tapewounds.
Based on what I've read, a lot of acoustic players seem to like them, provided the bass is played PLUGGED IN.
The action will be no higher with tapes than with any other string. The problem with a non-adjustable bridge and tapes is that they CAN get a bit wobbly and create fret smack while trying to get projection outta them (high diameter tape/low gauge string underneath; I usually adjust pretty high on electrics to avoid excess smacking). This smacking was never that big of an issue for me on acoustic, and when you start to use it to your favor you get that rockabilly slap thing going on...just that it doesn’t sound as good as it does on a double bass. Smacking tapes also aren’t created equal. Some tapes have higher tension and don’t smack anymore than some flats and rounds clank. So, in short...yes, there is less clank but there could be more smack. But, hey, like I said, smacking isn’t all that bad and is far less obnoxious than clank.
As for projection, it’s been five years and I can’t 100% accurately recall how well tapes projected compared to flats. A higher tension tape will get the top moving, and I remember there being no issues with projection in this case, and I even feel comfortable saying that they projected more than flats when tension was pound for pound. Also keep in mind that if you want more projection, you’re in luck. Pending the fitness of your hands, you can always play more aggressively.
Having said all this, not all flats and tapes are created equal, and they can be wildly different. I’ve tried most all of the current offerings at this point. I will add that if you go tapes, watch your nut. Some tapes have a huge diameter and can split the E and G or just plain not fit.
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I use higher gauges and tune down a 1/2 or whole step on my Guild m-20. I tune up if I need the volume. Higher gauge strings will project more on an acoustic. That (and I’m thinking I read correctly) may be why you preferred the larger gauge.
I have an inexpensive Dean acoustic fretless. Mine does have a stand tho lol. I play LaBella flats on mine 760fs. It plays beautifully, and handles the strings well, but there is not a lot of volume. There is enough for me to play around while I'm watching tv, which is about all I use it for anyway. It would NOT be loud enough to keep up with a singing acoustic guitar player. I've gone camping before, but for that I bring my p bass and my pignose. kinda groovy playing amplified in the woods. anyway...I digress....
I had La Bella flats on the Dean at one point, too. I agree, they do not project well at all, but they sound fantastic plugged in.
The best I've found for acoustic are Labella Copper White Tapewounds. A close second but with dramatically less treble (if that's what you want) is Labella Black Tapewounds.
I know people like the acoustic bass strings, i like the DR version of those and most strings, but personally i played an acoustic bass with tapewounds by Daddario and it was awesome
