How Do You Evaluate Strings?

[DianaBass]

Did you buy a 6 string Gretsch by accident?

Lol. Okay, I actually walked over to look at it, just be sure.

 

[DianaBass]

If you notice them they are the wrong strings. ... Everything on your instrument should be there to make your playing easier and more natural. ...

Great point. I have to say that the sound from the Stingray SS is perfection, but the strings are just too hard, and I need to get it set up because it's not right.

 

[Topkat13]

I use my battery powered GHS string evaluator.

 

[DianaBass]

I am absolutely floored with all the great advice I've gotten here! The advice is helpful because it's not all over the place. I do plan to play "out" this summer, so I want to have my gear exactly the way I want it. Thanks!

 

[REV]

I would say proceed carefully. The sound you hear when you are playing by yourself at home may be different than the sound you get when you are playing with your band. In a live situation you may play more aggressively. The makeup of your band will be a factor in the sound you are trying to achieve. If you are playing blues and want a more thumpy tone you may want to place a piece of foam underneath the strings at the bridge.

 

[Greywoulf]

Lately I've been lucky enough that after years of playing bass and experimenting with strings I now have several different brands of flats and tapes (I now thoroughly dislike roundwounds!) on hand in my larder for experimenting with. ~So I'll play with a full set of one brand or type for a while on a bass I'm experimenting with, then remove just the E string and replace it with a different E from another batch. I then listen carefully for the differences in tone between the new string and the previous ones, to judge what I'm going to keep on the bass. It's amazing what I've been able to discover about my likes and dislikes using this method! -But of course you have to have an adequate supply of strings on hand to do this...

 

[Arthur U. Poon]

Over that past 15 to 20 years, I’ve changed my tone to a sound with a thicker low end, lots of midrange, and a slightly rolled off high end. I’ve found the sound of GHS Bass Boomers best suit my tone goals. So all of my basses that are strung with roundwounds have Bass Boomers on them.

Except my fretted Precision Bass. I was at one time a huge fan of Rotosound Swing Bass 66’s. So I put a set on my P-Bass, and I’m loving the tone. However, I bought my first set of GHS Super Steels to try on it next.

And I have GHS Pressurewounds on one of my main 6-string basses. They’re a perfect match for that bass, and I absolutely love everything about them. Their tone is incredibly versatile, I love their smoother feeling outer surface. Plus, they keep sounding great for an incredibly long time.


Sometimes I string my EBMM Sterling with EB Hybrid Slinkys, which sound incredible on that bass. But it currently is strung with GHS Bass Boomers, just to make it sound a little warmer.

 

[Grinderman]

How do I evaluate strings? I suppose this is an example: Strings Pop-creaking When Brought Up To Pitch

 

[DianaBass]

Lately I've been lucky enough that after years of playing bass and experimenting with strings I now have several different brands of flats and tapes (I now thoroughly dislike roundwounds!) on hand in my larder for experimenting with. ~So I'll play with a full set of one brand or type for a while on a bass I'm experimenting with, then remove just the E string and replace it with a different E from another batch. I then listen carefully for the differences in tone between the new string and the previous ones, to judge what I'm going to keep on the bass. It's amazing what I've been able to discover about my likes and dislikes using this method! -But of course you have to have an adequate supply of strings on hand to do this...

Excellent method. I really do judge my sound by the E string.

 

[Deenah]

First is sound then playability. I’ve used la Bella strings forever. I was looking for something less priced and tried xl’s again, but the bottom is muddy and I can’t stand it. One day I took the la Bella E and put it on in place of the xl. Instantly found what I was looking for. this might not work on your bass but on mine it woke up the low end.
ive also used 5 string sets so I can get a really heavy e and tune down.
the one problem is that when NEW the la Bella is like a saw so it takes some getting used to. my action is set around 8\64 which is a bit tall for my style but these cables need room to flop around.

 

[Greywoulf]

LaBella tapes and flats have almost always done it for me. But the D'Ad short scale black tapewounds are pretty good also as I've discovered lately. Am trying something new with LaBella tho; am getting a set of their short scale LTF Flats to see how they'll work out with my Cat bass. ~And my tried and true method of leaving on 3 old strings while comparing their tones to a new mounted "E" should tell me right quick how things are gonna go! ;>})

 

[DianaBass]

This isn't a "which strings should I get?" question. I have 3 basses, all short scale. A new Gretsch Jet Jr, Sterling Stingray, and an Ibanez Mikro. They all came with their own style strings.

• The EB strings sound rich and thumpy, but they're roundwound and hard to wrestle with.
• The Ibanez strings are okay, not really deep sounding, but easier to play. Also roundwound.
• And my new Gretsch, which is amazing, but the strings are clanky and loud and tuned they sound an octave higher than the others (is that even a thing?.)?

Follow up! So I decided to try my hand at restringing that Gretsch s/s bass with new strings. Chose the same strings that my Stingray came with, just a simple EB Slinky. What a difference! It still sounds like a Gretsch, but has that rich warm tone that the Stingray has. Also, I've identified the 'fishing line sound" of the g string. This is the old g next to the new one - no wonder it sounded so thin.
*Also, I need to get better at restringing, but I did it! Thanks for all the advice, friends!