Mixed Sets?

[e-flat]

I’m curious… How many of you have run mixed sets of strings on your basses to achieve desired balance / tone / feel?

I’m mixing old, broken-in sets of TI Jazz Flats (E/A) and Optima RB (D/G) on one of my P Basses and I love it. I love the slightly hollow, woody tone of the low strings in the TI set, but the TI high strings always “spoke” a little too prominently for my taste on this bass (regardless of pickup adjustments). The Optima RB high strings are very close in character but more subdued in the high end and lay back beautifully.

I’ve played with mixing DR Sunbeams and Nickel Low riders before and that was an interesting experiment . NLR for the E/A to tighten the lows & bring a little more midrange, Sunbeams on the D/G.

If you’ve mixed sets, what pairings did you have success with?

 

[Jon Moody]

It’s interesting that this isn’t very common in the bass guitar works, but is almost an understood in double bass circles.

 

[e-flat]

It’s interesting that this isn’t very common in the bass guitar works, but is almost an understood in double bass circles.

I’m curious… has a similar thinking informed the creation of the GHS Balanced Nickels ? (Amazing strings, BTW)

 

[michael_t]

I’m curious… How many of you have run mixed sets of strings on your basses to achieve desired balance / tone / feel?

The only mix-and-matching I've done is with the low B on my Yamaha, which wears the light set of GHS Pressurewound (40-96, Alloy 52 rollerwound) with a GHS Progressive .130 (Alloy 52 roundwound with exposed core).

Added clarity, definition and sustain from the Progressive 130 seem to match up better with the rest than the Pressurewound 128B (non-tapered) - at least on this particular bass.

 

[matt-o-]

Sometime ago I put tapewounds for E and A and roundwounds for D and G on my musicmaster bass. Both D'Addario. Worked pretty fine.