mixing strings?

[Joris 55]

This old thread claims Thundercat may have done it at some point :
Thundercat - Which strings?

 

[OptimalOptimus]

I know John Patitucci use groundwound for C-E and then a roundwound B

Ive mixed round or flat but never have a few string flat and the rest round etc. It would fell weird on top of the sound being weird

 

[40Hz]

For bass guitar? I think the problems would outweigh the benefits for most players.

IMO you’d be better off sticking with a particular string brand and series and build yourself a custom gauged set. Several manufacturers offer single strings in different gauges so you can create your own signature set.

 

[CaptainStupido]

This old thread claims Thundercat may have done it at some point :
Thundercat - Which strings?

He still mixes LaBella flats on the E, A, and D strings, and uses LaBella white nylon tapes on the B, G, and C. I used the same mix on my 6 string and it felt great, considering doing it on my 5 string.

 

[bassfiddlesteve]

I’ve tried it, with my Music Man with weak G syndrome, flats on top rounds on bottom.

Off topic, but I found that pushing down the middle pole pieces solved this problem on my EBMM Stingray. There's a video about this on YouTube.

- Steve

 

[oranje]

I set up my LG 5 with a 4 string set of Sadowsky black flats I had laying around and added a labella 128 T B string. Works well, nicely balanced combination.

 

[sonicnuance]

I've always felt with acoustic instruments you want to match the strings to the instrument to get the desired effect. I see no reason not to mix strings on electric instruments for the same reason.

It is very time consuming though

 

[Ricky Rioli]

GHS Boomers are nickel wound GDA, with a nickel/stainless hybrid wrap on the E.

I like Boomers but the difference in character between the E and the rest has been beginning to get to me.

 

[Joris 55]

He still mixes LaBella flats on the E, A, and D strings, and uses LaBella white nylon tapes on the B, G, and C. I used the same mix on my 6 string and it felt great, considering doing it on my 5 string.

How's the difference in tension? Sound-wise, it sure seems to do the trick.

 

[Bobbadfinger]

I was given a Roto 77 set that came from a Gibson bass; tried to install them on a FSO, obviously G string didn't reached the tuner, so I subbed it for a roundwound string.
Sounded so terrible and unbalanced volumewise that I figured out a way to extend the G string with a piece of another string/solder.
Not pretty, but it's holding tune fine and now I have a complete flatwound set...

 

[CaptainStupido]

How's the difference in tension? Sound-wise, it sure seems to do the trick.

It felt pretty good even with a high tension flatwound, but it'd probably feel even better with low tension flats. The main reason I did it was because the 6 string sets of tapewounds tend to have some really floppy E, A, and D strings. I have some higher gauge tapewounds coming in soon so I'll see if that solves the problem.

 

[Nashrakh]

Reporting in.

I've now swapped my roundwound C string with a flatwound C string. I'm a happy camper, and I'm glad I tried the experiment. It feels (and looks) kind of odd at first, but sound-wise, it absolutely delivers. No more twangy C string, and to my surprise, on this particular bass (Yamaha TRB 1006), the flatwound doesn't actually sound as dark as on my other basses. It's also surprisingly slappable, but -- who slaps a C string extensively? That's why having a flatwound C wouldn't have bothered me.

So right now, my Yamaha wears three different types of strings:
EADG - DR Sunbeams
High C - Thomastik Infeld Flatwound
Low B - D'addario Nickel Roundwound (not sure what exactly) with Tapered core

 

[Leif Dering]

I've experimented with a stainless steel E and the rest nickelwound. I found the brighter lower string added a bit more clarity. That said, I find myself playing full pro-steels on my P bass and half rounds on my jazz bass and ibanez fiver. Just the sound I like at the moment.