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If Factory Strings Suck.....

#21
A long time ago, I was looking at a Schecter Stiletto Studio. I liked how it played and felt, but I didn't like its tone (this bass is shipped with EB Slinky's). Since I was trying it out on one of my amp companies of choice, I knew it wasn't because of that, so I passed on it. Fast forward a while, and I was surfing YouTube and came across a video with the bass in question and using a different set of strings (DR's). The difference was there! I loved how it sounded.

I had already known that I didn't care for Slinky's...personal preference, of course. But sometimes, the difference in strings is amazing. Anymore, I never judge a bass on tone, per se. Anymore, I have no choice but to change the strings to either my preferred Pressure Wound's by GHS, or a set of flats (After a couple months of playing GHS' Precision Wound's, I love them!). At any rate, due to past experience, I've learned to never automatically judge an instrument when you're trying it out. It could just be the strings I don't like.
 
#24
There are too many ways strings can suck to different players for manufacturers to eat up precious bottom-line points by putting fine strings on at the factory. Speaking only for myself, it is rare for me to keep the original strings on a new bass long enough to even power up the bass at home. I am not going to invest a perfect setup on strings that aren't of my own choosing. I suspect that they suspect this.

Also, a bass hanging in a store has had EVERYONE'S nasty fingers all over it. I don't need to inherit any of that.

There's simply no percentage in installing upscale strings from the factory for numerous reasons—especially since the instruments aren't even set up right anyway!
 
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#25
IME, more times than not, the factory strings are correct for the bass they come with.
warwick, fender, music man and pedulla are examples where these basses sounded best with the factory strings.
the way they feel is a totally different thing-
although fender and warwick strings sounded great, I found them to stiff and hard.
 
#28
ZenG said:
as it seems they do.....post after post about replacing the factory strings as soon as possible on a new bass.......

then....

why would a manufacturer put these kind of strings on a bass that they are trying to get the public to buy?

If you make a bass, you want it to sound good when the person plays it in the store.

If it sounds like crap they're not going to buy it....

Or are they?

Guy goes into store----tries out bass with crappy factory strings------says it sounds great and plays nice--------buys it and takes it home......then posts that the factory strings are coming off right away.....

But wasn't it the factory strings that contributed to the purchase of the bass?

How would you know in the store what it's going to sound like with a different brand of strings on it?
Click to expand...

I don’t know, I never really felt that factory strings sucked, most of the time they are fine for me, but I prefer Rotosound RS66s, which you aren’t going to find factory installed on anything (that I know of, at least). Over the past year I purchased two brand new Fender basses, both came with medium gauge Fender 7250 NPS strings. I like those strings just fine, but I prefer Rotosounds. I’ve played some really awful string brands before, but never had a set of awful strings on a new bass.

To answer your last question, I have no idea what a new bass will sound like with my string of choice, unless I played one with those strings on it. However, I am open to a different string brand that works better with the bass in question.
 
#29
Geri O said:
I take that back, I brought home to audition a Peavey Cirrus 5-strings bass that was possibly the best-playing bass I ever touched. But the sound wasn't doing anything for me. Okay, lemme get my strings on it and set it up. Two hours later, after the strings and set-up, I finally gave up. There wasn't a single combination of pickups and switch settings that I cared for. What a let-down, too. Gosh, that bass played so fine.

I'm kinda weird this way...:D
Click to expand...

Not weird at all. I bought a USA Peavey Cirrus 5'er and had the same experience, felt great but just couldn't get into the sound of it. That and the 35" scale just didn't do it for me. I feel ya :)
 
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#30
In general, I am not very fussy when it comes to strings. When it comes to strings I can be a bit of a tightwad, and I am usually happy to play the factory strings until they're dead before I replace them. However, I do think that a good quality set of strings (and a fret dress and set-up) can really transform a cheap bass. The problem is that manufacturers are unlikely to put good quality strings on a cheap bass, because good strings would raise the overall price by a disproportionate amount.

For example, the factory (roundwound) strings on my new Epiphone Allen Woody Rumblekat are pretty darn bad. Overall the bass is pretty good value for the money, but it's the sort of bass that begs for some flatwounds or tapewounds. Unfortunately, a good set of flats or tapes would add 10% to the cost of the bass. And if Epiphone were going to put on flats or tapes, which would they choose? There are so many different types, and we all like different things. So my theory is that Epiphone have just thrown on some cheap rounds expecting that people will buy the Rumblekat for its many other qualities and then upgrade to nice strings of their personal choice at a later date.
 
#31
ZenG said:
as it seems they do.....post after post about replacing the factory strings as soon as possible on a new bass.......

then....

why would a manufacturer put these kind of strings on a bass that they are trying to get the public to buy?

If you make a bass, you want it to sound good when the person plays it in the store.

If it sounds like crap they're not going to buy it....

Or are they?

Guy goes into store----tries out bass with crappy factory strings------says it sounds great and plays nice--------buys it and takes it home......then posts that the factory strings are coming off right away.....

But wasn't it the factory strings that contributed to the purchase of the bass?

How would you know in the store what it's going to sound like with a different brand of strings on it?
Click to expand...

Stores do the same thing with used gear. I used to work at a place where they'd wipe an axe down, maybe spend 10 minutes trying to improve the setup but NEVER put new strings on a bass. That, you see, costs MONEY. So nice basses would hang on the wall for months, waiting for that guy who actually LIKED the sound of a mud-fart, or someone like me would fiddle with it and sense that all it needed was string (which I've done on several occasions). Good way to grind them down on price, too!
 
#32
Some factory strings aren't bad. I have left the factory rounds on a couple of mine, even though I'm a dedicated Labella Deep Talkin' flats user. However, I think that most experienced bass players have preferences in strings and tend to overstate their dislike of other strings.

The worst strings I've ever heard came on my Rogue VB-100 "Beatle Bass". They were very light gauge rounds, and they were horribly tinny sounding. I almost despaired of having bought the bass. I installed the Labella flats and the sound was radically improved. I've never heard so much difference between strings.
 
#33
raventepes said:
A long time ago, I was looking at a Schecter Stiletto Studio. I liked how it played and felt, but I didn't like its tone (this bass is shipped with EB Slinky's). Since I was trying it out on one of my amp companies of choice, I knew it wasn't because of that, so I passed on it. Fast forward a while, and I was surfing YouTube and came across a video with the bass in question and using a different set of strings (DR's). The difference was there! I loved how it sounded.

I had already known that I didn't care for Slinky's...personal preference, of course. But sometimes, the difference in strings is amazing. Anymore, I never judge a bass on tone, per se. Anymore, I have no choice but to change the strings to either my preferred Pressure Wound's by GHS, or a set of flats (After a couple months of playing GHS' Precision Wound's, I love them!). At any rate, due to past experience, I've learned to never automatically judge an instrument when you're trying it out. It could just be the strings I don't like.
Click to expand...

How do the pressure wounds sound? I've been thinking of putting the solo bass 55s on my Stiletto 5.
 
#34
yamaha acoustic guitars used to come with d'addario strings, but then they decided to start using their own strings. i can't begin to tell you what a huge difference this made, as the d'addario strings made the guitars sound really good; the yamaha strings... not so much. i'm guessing that yamaha still finds it makes financial sense for them to use their own strings.
 
#35
Many new basses come with string sets that I would not label as "sucky." Granted, my needs are not as refined as some others and I'm good with "generic-sounding" strings, whatever that means, because I sure can coax a lot of tones out of them. I often purchase common EB and D'Addario sets for my basses.
 
#36
It's not that the stock Fender strings necessarily suck. They're actually quite good. But the stock rounds are not the right gauge for my taste, and if it's a P, it's going to be getting flats as top priority. I look at it more as "free back-up set with purchase".

That being said, I'd muuuuuuuuch rather that the manufacturers take the few dollars per bass they save on (allegedly) better strings, and use it make the hardware or the electronics or the finish just a tiny bit better where they can. Y'know, the parts of the bass that aren't disposable :-P

Or failing that, maybe use the savings to fund Quality Control at a higher level. I'm looking at you, Fender!
 
#37
ZenG said:
as it seems they do.....post after post about replacing the factory strings as soon as possible on a new bass.......

then....

why would a manufacturer put these kind of strings on a bass that they are trying to get the public to buy?

If you make a bass, you want it to sound good when the person plays it in the store.

If it sounds like crap they're not going to buy it....

Or are they?

Guy goes into store----tries out bass with crappy factory strings------says it sounds great and plays nice--------buys it and takes it home......then posts that the factory strings are coming off right away.....

But wasn't it the factory strings that contributed to the purchase of the bass?

How would you know in the store what it's going to sound like with a different brand of strings on it?
Click to expand...

I agree that its would be weird for a company to use less than great strings on their basses.

I enjoy the strings that came on my Fenders and I enjoyed my stock MusicMan strings so much that I replace them with the same and I plan to try them on my other basses, too.

Perhaps the Fenders and others don't sound bad as much as they don't stay bright as long as more expensive strings so that adds to the number of people who don't like the strings.... but for reasons other than sheer sound? Just a guess.
 
#38
ZenG said:
as it seems they do.....post after post about replacing the factory strings as soon as possible on a new bass.......

then....

why would a manufacturer put these kind of strings on a bass that they are trying to get the public to buy?

If you make a bass, you want it to sound good when the person plays it in the store.

If it sounds like crap they're not going to buy it....

Or are they?

Guy goes into store----tries out bass with crappy factory strings------says it sounds great and plays nice--------buys it and takes it home......then posts that the factory strings are coming off right away.....

But wasn't it the factory strings that contributed to the purchase of the bass?

How would you know in the store what it's going to sound like with a different brand of strings on it?
Click to expand...
Because they can buy thousands of the cheap strings at pennies apiece, it's totally because of profit. Also they know most people change them out as soon as they buy a bass or guitar so there isn't a real incentive to put good ones on.

I admit I do, most times before even playing it. Have a few sets just laying around or order strings to have ready when I get it. Most of the stock strings are junk and roundwounds. I play neither, ever. I know the strings I like and how they sound, play, feel.
 
#39
joebar said:
IME, more times than not, the factory strings are correct for the bass they come with.
warwick, fender, music man and pedulla are examples where these basses sounded best with the factory strings.
the way they feel is a totally different thing-
although fender and warwick strings sounded great, I found them to stiff and hard.
Click to expand...
I didnt like the stock strings on my musicman. Im not a slinky string fan. I switched to dr lo riders and the tone came out.
 
#40
Mostresticator said:
How do the pressure wounds sound? I've been thinking of putting the solo bass 55s on my Stiletto 5.
Click to expand...

I love them! They're somewhere in the middle of the road between flats and rounds. The Alloy 52 that they're wound with definitely adds to their attack, giving the strings as a whole another middle of the road between nickels and steels. They have plenty enough thump and smoothness to them though.

Here's a (crappy) recording of some noodling that I was doing for someone else on here who was interested in the PW's. It's a 6-string Spector with Bartolini pups (USA made) and strung D-d, with the high d being a basic non-wound string. Hope it helps give you at least an idea.

 

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