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Let's Talk About The Best Strings For 5 String Basses Shall We!

#42
faulknersj said:
I have been a Die Hard DR Hi-Beams player for many years and love these strings, but am interested in trying new options and wonder what you all recommend? In particular, I am having trouble getting the B string on the DR Hi-Beams thru the hole in the bridge on my new Fender 5 string and am wondering about sets with a tapered B-String and what your experiences have been? I play EVERY style of music (except not much country), RnB, Rock, Motown, Blues, Soul, Reggae, Afro-Beat, Pop and am excited to hear some recommendations! My main axes are a 5 String Fender with Lindy Fralin Single Coils and an Audere Pre + a Lakland USA DJ 5 passive with the stock Lakland single coils...

What are you digging?
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The best tapered strings I've tried have been Dean Markley SR2000. I really like Dunlop Stainless steel too and I know they make a tapered B.
 
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#43
isky said:
I used to be a die hard Hi Beams fan until I discovered GHS Round Core Bass Boomers. They're amazing and very consistent pack to pack!
I did have a bad experience with Hi Beams a couple of times, when the new strings felt and sounded totally dead.
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Another round core boomers fan.

Balanced tension. Expressive feel. But, also a positive feel. Nice low mid and mid textures.

I'm a big fan of the setup and playable feel of balanced tension. And these are the best sounding I have found, so far. Been playing them a couple years. I dont feel anxious to search for the next best thing. And I've played a lot of strings.
 
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#45
Great conversation here - does anyone have a favorite set that is smooth feeling on the left hand? Some of the strings (usually generic looking, no silks, brass ball ends) that have come on basses I've bought feel like a grinding wheel on my fingers. As far as round-wounds, I've tried D'A XL Nickels, and GHS Pressure wounds, and those are both decent. I want a round wound that is smooth and mellow sounding - any other suggestions?
 
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#47
GypsyBilly said:
Great conversation here - does anyone have a favorite set that is smooth feeling on the left hand? Some of the strings (usually generic looking, no silks, brass ball ends) that have come on basses I've bought feel like a grinding wheel on my fingers. As far as round-wounds, I've tried D'A XL Nickels, and GHS Pressure wounds, and those are both decent. I want a round wound that is smooth and mellow sounding - any other suggestions?
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GHS Balanced Nickels. I did have a set on my 5 string, and they were smooth in tone and feel.

GHS PWs feel like razors on my fingers LOL
 
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#50
LaBella RX steel are great. Their 40-118 gauge... I don't know what sorcery LaBella uses, but that 118 B feels and sounds better than many 125 and 130 Bs I've tried, even on 34" scale basses.

I recommend these for people who want "steel with a nickel feel" because these strings feel surprisingly plush and smooth under the fingers. They're also not as bright and clangy as typical steels.

Price is reasonable too and they have decent longevity.
 
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#52
Dincrest said:
LaBella RX steel are great. Their 40-118 gauge... I don't know what sorcery LaBella uses, but that 118 B feels and sounds better than many 125 and 130 Bs I've tried, even on 34" scale basses.

I recommend these for people who want "steel with a nickel feel" because these strings feel surprisingly plush and smooth under the fingers. They're also not as bright and clangy as typical steels.

Price is reasonable too and they have decent longevity.
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Interesting! In a weird way…it feels like the smaller gauge could mitigate some of the challenges of B strings by being closer in size to an E string. 🤔
 
#53
I just installed a set of S.I.T. Nickel Power Wound lights (0.045, 0.065, 0.080, 0.100, 0.125), and so far I am impressed. Fairly smooth to the touch, not too noisy, and the best sounding B string I've personally experienced. Disclaimer - these are the first strings I've put on this 1988 Yamaha RBX-5. Since it's new to me, I can't say how much is due to the S.I.T. strings, and how much due to the bass and/or pickups, which are the stock Yamaha P/J setup. The bass is completely passive, just having a tone, pickup blend, and master volume controls.
sit npwl.jpg

S.I.T. Nickel Power Wound Lights
 
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#54
I'm open-minded, I have a set of NYXLs on the way for one of my 5's just to see what they're like, but I tend to always come back to SIT Power Wounds or Foundations. I like the Foundations a bit more, but the loose tension makes them tough in my bands where I have to tune down and they're available in fewer sizes.

I like Elixirs a lot too but I'm not making the kind of money where I can outfit all of my basses with $50-60 strings at once.
 
#57
After trying everything I could find in every gage imaginable on over a dozen different 5 string basses, I have settled on Low Rider nickel 40-120. The light B string sounds like it should and the other strings match it well. After a good setup, I don’t really notice the light gage. My tone is better if I turn up and lighten up my touch anyway.
 
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