Thanks..they sound good on the recording...a bit on the darker side, like i would expect from pure nickel...Have you played them in a live setting yet?
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I Need some suggestions: P bass Strings
- Thread starter FirewalZ
- Start date
Thanks..they sound good on the recording...a bit on the darker side, like i would expect from pure nickel...Have you played them in a live setting yet?
Im surprised there are not more people suggesting the "LaBella Low Tension Flats". I have only had those things on for a week, but they seem to be pretty solid strings. Out of the box, they sound like a somewhat broken-in set of traditional LaBella 760s, but with half the tension. Think TI flats, but without the floppiness.
These are going to give you the best overall balance between traditional P-Bass sound and modern playability, and if they are anything like the other Bellas ive used, they will last forever.
Edit: All these people are suggesting Chromes, but they just sounded unbearably clangy to my ear. They definitely had more presence in the upper register, it wasn't a very pleasant or musical presence.
In my opinion, using chromes to mimic the sound of rounds is the bass string equivalent of that wealthy posh kid in high school who dresses up and tries to act "Hardcore" when he is around his friends.
Edit: I revoke my endorsement of the Low Tension Flats. They go dead very quickly and have no definition to their sound after a month.
These are going to give you the best overall balance between traditional P-Bass sound and modern playability, and if they are anything like the other Bellas ive used, they will last forever.
Edit: All these people are suggesting Chromes, but they just sounded unbearably clangy to my ear. They definitely had more presence in the upper register, it wasn't a very pleasant or musical presence.
In my opinion, using chromes to mimic the sound of rounds is the bass string equivalent of that wealthy posh kid in high school who dresses up and tries to act "Hardcore" when he is around his friends.
Edit: I revoke my endorsement of the Low Tension Flats. They go dead very quickly and have no definition to their sound after a month.
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I have not tried the white nylons, only various brands of black. These copper whites make for a great all-purpose string. More mids and highs than any black nylon that I have tried, but still fat sounding...I've only tried the standard white nylos. Have you tried them? And how would you define their difference with the copper white nylons?
I 100% agree with this. I used copper whites on my "Pointy Jazz" for about a year and loved them. They were able to sit well in every band I played in during that period. From a Blues band, to a Country band, to a Shoegaze band and even a Worship band. They didn't seem out of place in any of those situations. Not sure they would be great for Metal or harder rock though.
Funny you should say that....they seem to be a "love or hate" kind of a string. Given all the recommendations, i may have to try them myself....i just hate the long break in period some flats have.
Quickfix used to sing the praises of LTF's, his posts were actually what convinced me to buy a set but it seems like he fell out of love for them.
Quickfix, Was the tension the only thing that you didn't like, or did the sound just die over time? I actually like the sound and feel. Im coming from a set of loose nylon strings so I actually love that aspect of them.
I did sing their praises for a while. When I first installed them I thought they were the cats arse. But in the end I found their response too sluggish and dull sounding for high energy blues and rock. They are not right for older hard core country or western swing either, at least not for me.
I even played GHS pressurewounds for a while. Great sounding string, but felt like barbed wire. In the end I hated those too.
I found better strings.
I remounted an old set of Labella 760FS on one of my Precisions. A mixed set of Chromes on the other.
EB Cobalt flats for my PJ style Yamaha BB735A.
I may try the EB Cobalt flats on the Precisions as well some day. I'll see how they pan out on the Yamaha. So far so good.
Put these on about a month ago . They cover a lot of territory . Mid range is sweet .
I think I understand what you're saying. While I love flats, particularly Labella 760FL, and Sadowsky black label, its sometimes nice to have the more pronounced initial attack of rounds in some situations. Not zing, per se, but the audible spike of the attack that accentuates your presence in the mix. Getting that sharp attack, as well as maintaining some thick low mids normally heard from flats is sometimes tricky, particularly live. I can get pretty close with old SS Labella rounds, or DR SS Lo Riders. They need to be old though. I've found that a P-bass with these strings is very very versatile, and a joy to play live.
After a month, these strings have come off.
They just got duller and duller until there was basically no definition to the bass at all. It sounded like I was playing through a muffled amp that was 3 rooms away.
Which string were these?
BTW I have a set of RC-Boomers on order that ill slap on the P-bass in question. I generally like boomers, just a tad higher tension than i want. Im still waiting for more reviews, etc on the balanced nickels.
These were the LaBella Low Tension Flats... Just started sounding really muffled.
Going to try a set of GHS Pressure Wound next. I want something with just a hint of zing but with minimal finger noise. The LaBella Copper Nylon strings are my holy grail of tone, but I get really bad electrical noise issues when using non metal strings. My fingers need to be able to ground the guitar. Also, the faint clack of nylon on the fretboard bugs me even though I know its not transferred to the amp.
If I could find a set of flats with the tone of the Copper Nylons, I wouldn't need to buy another set of strings. Any suggestions?
I also like the DTF, the 760FL's everyone seems to like....I just found they lacked clarity and articulation in some rooms.
GHS PW's are really good on a Jazz....give it about 5-10hrs for them to break in.
