I'm pretty open minded when it comes to strings however there are some models and brands I wouldn't ever buy again. GHS Boomer's being the biggest offender.
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I'snt it funny...
- Thread starter bobm2112
- Start date
Im actually disappointed with all brands. I never found a set with balanced tension between strings. ALL sets of ALL brands have soft E and A and hard D and G. That produces a difference in feel and output. I use 040-100. I hate the brands with 40-095 and not 40-100, its like a joke. Making my own set by buying different sets is expensive and difficult. Each set and brand feels and give different signal levels. So...i just take it. Maybe thats the way it should be, STRINGS are UNBALANCED. But i dont "love" any brand or set.
For me, it's not about brand at all... it's about finding the best string to fit the instrument (and that isn't easy)...
For my Squier active Jazz... I've discovered that I prefer SS to Nickel and so far the best I've found here is Fodera Diamond Series 0.045 - 0.130 (5-string)
For P-bass, I like flats...a LOT... and after trying a few types, I really like LaBella here... they just have what I want...
For fretless, I've decided that Nylon Tapes is where it's at for me, and for these I'm currently onto D'Addario ETB's I feel like they just feel better than LaBella, and sound about the same.
For my AC40... nylon tapes also... but LaBella stays here primarily because it's a string-through-body design and unfortunately D'Addario makes the blasted E-string too short for this function
Other strings I really like are DR Hi Beams in Nickel...
I haven't tried R. Cocco, yet... but I'd really like to ...
For my Squier active Jazz... I've discovered that I prefer SS to Nickel and so far the best I've found here is Fodera Diamond Series 0.045 - 0.130 (5-string)
For P-bass, I like flats...a LOT... and after trying a few types, I really like LaBella here... they just have what I want...
For fretless, I've decided that Nylon Tapes is where it's at for me, and for these I'm currently onto D'Addario ETB's I feel like they just feel better than LaBella, and sound about the same.
For my AC40... nylon tapes also... but LaBella stays here primarily because it's a string-through-body design and unfortunately D'Addario makes the blasted E-string too short for this function
Other strings I really like are DR Hi Beams in Nickel...
I haven't tried R. Cocco, yet... but I'd really like to ...
I've even checked Circle K before I responded to his post. I couldn't find heavy bottoms, light tops. Only downtuned sets where the E string was very thick and the rest normal or sets where they were all heavy or all light.
I think he wants something like a .40 .60 .85 .105
Well I like to try other stuff sometimes, but I don't think I will ever remove the labellas from my phone bass.
I tend to bounce around with rounds, there are things I like for sure but I guess I'm adventurous.
I tend to bounce around with rounds, there are things I like for sure but I guess I'm adventurous.
My solution is simple:
1) Install Labella Deep Talkin' flats.
2) Play them forever without changing them - ever.
1) Install Labella Deep Talkin' flats.
2) Play them forever without changing them - ever.
DR Sunbeams for me - nothing else
Chromes if I need flats but the Sunbeams are so warm I doubt it.
Chromes if I need flats but the Sunbeams are so warm I doubt it.
I've used quite a few different brands of strings over the year sometimes because that's what was on the bass and years ago we didn't think much to change a set that worked for us just to get a different sound.
So I've played D'Adds, Dean Markley's, Rotos, Boomers, and I'm sure a few more when I wasn't even aware of what they were. Now if I'm going with rounds I'd stick with DRs and on the other end of the spectrum I like the GHS PFlats and I'm totally sold on their Pressure Wounds.
I play those on my Jazz and the PFlats on my PBass but if I could only use one string on both it would definitely be the Pressure Wounds. They really are the best string I've ever played on any Fender style bass.
So I've played D'Adds, Dean Markley's, Rotos, Boomers, and I'm sure a few more when I wasn't even aware of what they were. Now if I'm going with rounds I'd stick with DRs and on the other end of the spectrum I like the GHS PFlats and I'm totally sold on their Pressure Wounds.
I play those on my Jazz and the PFlats on my PBass but if I could only use one string on both it would definitely be the Pressure Wounds. They really are the best string I've ever played on any Fender style bass.
Long post here, but what do you expect from someone who started 33 years ago? 
When I first started playing in the late 70s I tried different types of strings, usually whatever was available at the local music store (O. DiBella in Bergenfield NJ, which is still in business). My first bass, a Lark P clone, was originally strung with flats, but didn't like them and gravitated toward pressurewound and halfwound strings (not sure what gauge).
In the 80s I switched to a J, also started playing more jazz fusion, and went straight for rounds--mostly GHS Boomers and sometimes Ken Smith stainless steel, lights or extra lights. Didn't like Rotosound or D'Addario very much at the time, the former I don't remember why, the latter because they seemed to go dead on me too quickly. Stuck with those choices into the late 90s, then took 6-7 years off from playing bass.
After I moved to Long Island in the early 00s and then came back to playing bass around '06 or so, the J still had the same set of GHS Boomers I'd put on it back in '98. Put on a new set of Ken Smiths, but soon after switched over to D'Addario XL lights on the advice of my local tech when I said I was looking for a warmer sound than stainless. Was leery about trying D'Addario rounds based on my earlier experiences, but I tried them anyway, and will say that my experiences over the past 6 years with them and other D'Addario strings (see below) have been great.
This year I bought a P and drank the flats Kool-Aid on that bass, trying Chromes light (blecch), LaBella 760FL lights (better), and D'Addario Nylon Tapewound mediums (very nice). Wanted more growl for an upcoming gig I'm playing, and just restrung it with D'Addario XL heavies.
Also experimented with different kinds of strings on my J--first Chromes light (nice dark sound that let the J growl and snarl through, with still enough brightness for occasional slapping), then D'Addario Nylon Tapewound mediums (OK but too plain-sounding compared to their sound on the P), D'Addario Halfwound mediums (hated their feel instantly, never mind the sound!), even D'Addario XL mediums (too much tension for a J). After all that I came back home so to speak and put on GHS Boomers medium gauge--tension was OK and had less clank/zing than the D'Addario XL lights.
So--after all that I've settled on some definite choices for my basses, and depending on the musical setting will be alternating between LaBella 760FL, D'Addario Nylon Tapewound mediums, and D'Addario XL heavies on my P, and between Chromes light and GHS Boomers mediums on my J.
When I first started playing in the late 70s I tried different types of strings, usually whatever was available at the local music store (O. DiBella in Bergenfield NJ, which is still in business). My first bass, a Lark P clone, was originally strung with flats, but didn't like them and gravitated toward pressurewound and halfwound strings (not sure what gauge).In the 80s I switched to a J, also started playing more jazz fusion, and went straight for rounds--mostly GHS Boomers and sometimes Ken Smith stainless steel, lights or extra lights. Didn't like Rotosound or D'Addario very much at the time, the former I don't remember why, the latter because they seemed to go dead on me too quickly. Stuck with those choices into the late 90s, then took 6-7 years off from playing bass.
After I moved to Long Island in the early 00s and then came back to playing bass around '06 or so, the J still had the same set of GHS Boomers I'd put on it back in '98. Put on a new set of Ken Smiths, but soon after switched over to D'Addario XL lights on the advice of my local tech when I said I was looking for a warmer sound than stainless. Was leery about trying D'Addario rounds based on my earlier experiences, but I tried them anyway, and will say that my experiences over the past 6 years with them and other D'Addario strings (see below) have been great.
This year I bought a P and drank the flats Kool-Aid on that bass, trying Chromes light (blecch), LaBella 760FL lights (better), and D'Addario Nylon Tapewound mediums (very nice). Wanted more growl for an upcoming gig I'm playing, and just restrung it with D'Addario XL heavies.
Also experimented with different kinds of strings on my J--first Chromes light (nice dark sound that let the J growl and snarl through, with still enough brightness for occasional slapping), then D'Addario Nylon Tapewound mediums (OK but too plain-sounding compared to their sound on the P), D'Addario Halfwound mediums (hated their feel instantly, never mind the sound!), even D'Addario XL mediums (too much tension for a J). After all that I came back home so to speak and put on GHS Boomers medium gauge--tension was OK and had less clank/zing than the D'Addario XL lights.
So--after all that I've settled on some definite choices for my basses, and depending on the musical setting will be alternating between LaBella 760FL, D'Addario Nylon Tapewound mediums, and D'Addario XL heavies on my P, and between Chromes light and GHS Boomers mediums on my J.
Wow... Am I the only one using Ernie Ball Slinky's???
I started out using Boomers 30 years ago because they were on my first P-Bass. Not knowing any different at that point in my playing life, I went to buy a new set of strings at my local music store and they were out of my gauge in Boomers, so they sold me a set of Ernie Ball Slinky's and I loved them from the first touch and that has never changed in the last 30 years. I have played on all kinds of strings over the years, but the Slinky's just feel like home to me. And, I never have any interest in searching out a new brand. It just seems like a waste of time for me. I would rather spend my time playing than researching strings... Just sayin'
I started out using Boomers 30 years ago because they were on my first P-Bass. Not knowing any different at that point in my playing life, I went to buy a new set of strings at my local music store and they were out of my gauge in Boomers, so they sold me a set of Ernie Ball Slinky's and I loved them from the first touch and that has never changed in the last 30 years. I have played on all kinds of strings over the years, but the Slinky's just feel like home to me. And, I never have any interest in searching out a new brand. It just seems like a waste of time for me. I would rather spend my time playing than researching strings... Just sayin'
