new member question

[The Jukes]

Hi, all,

I have a friend who plays a passive bass and swears by the D'Addario NYXL bass strings. I have a Sadowsky Verdine White model that I usually keep in active mode. Does anyone have experience with the combination of an active bass and these strings? Please chime in. Thank you!

 

[michael_t]

String choices are a matter of personal preference. Try a set and decide for yourself.

 

[The Jukes]

You're right--I might as well try them . . .

 

[jmlee]

String choices are a matter of personal preference. Try a set and decide for yourself.

Right of course. However, since you did ask about our experience, NYXLs have become my go-to roundwound strings over the last year or two—in lieu of my previous DR brands like Hi-Beams, Pure Blues, or Sunbeams. These strings are a re-designed take on D'Addario's XL bass strings, with a nickel-plated steel wrap on a hex "NY steel" core (yup, this stuff matters). They're quite bright at first, but settle down into a very focussed (well-defined note pitch), rich-sounding (a bit of extra harmonic content), and long-lasting string. Apparently they're hard to break if you're inclinded to thrash playing or have problems with through-body mounting. My favourite feature is that they have less finger noise when sliding your hands along the strings during quiet moments on stage and especially in recording. It takes a couple of months to really get a sense of what these strings are about, but then they're super-stable for a long time, with being coated with anything. Now, mind you, my hands are bone dry when I play; if you're a sweaty-handed player your experience may vary, but I'd think that the corrosion-resistance would work to advantage. Anyway, I like them a lot.

 

[The Jukes]

Thank you, jmlee, for the detailed response! I particularly like the "rich sound" and "less finger noise when sliding." I most certainly will give them a go!

 

[Pdaddy1978]

Don't know about the strings question.
But... Welcome to the fold! 🖐

 

[Killing Floor]

Welcome.

String choice is personal. There is no best.
But in 4 decades playing both active and passive and some basses that are active/passive, I've never noticed this having any affect on my preference for strings on an instrument.

 

[The Jukes]

Don't know about the strings question.
But... Welcome to the fold! 🖐

Thank you, Pdaddy1978!

 

[The Jukes]

Welcome.

String choice is personal. There is no best.
But in 4 decades playing both active and passive and some basses that are active/passive, I've never noticed this having any affect on my preference for strings on an instrument.

Oh, OK! Well, my friend with the passive bass said he thought the NYXL strings were middy sounding. I guess I assumed my bass with a two-band EQ (bass & treble only) would scoop some of the mids and therefore sound different.

 

[Nebadon2000]

Oh, OK! Well, my friend with the passive bass said he thought the NYXL strings were middy sounding. I guess I assumed my bass with a two-band EQ (bass & treble only) would scoop some of the mids and therefore sound different.

Yes if you add Bass and treble with Active Bass it may sound mid-scooped but you in most cases have Active Bass and Treble with your amp that will accomplish the same whether using Passive or Active

Your Bass doesn't scoop the mids you do

 

[The Jukes]

Well, when I tried my active bass in passive mode and boosted the bass and treble on the amp, it didn't sound the same as when the amp was set flat and the bass and treble were boosted on the preamp. Boosting those settings on the amp with the bass in passive mode made it sound much more scooped sounding. I guess the amp itself and/or the active preamp (with whatever "tone curve" is built in) has a big influence . . .

 

[Killing Floor]

Yes if you add Bass and treble with Active Bas it may sound mid-scooped but you in most cases have Active Bass and Treble with your amp that will accomplish the same whether using Passive or Active

Your Bass doesn't scoop the mids you do

Right. There are some notable differences between pickups and active electronics can enhance that but as you pointed out, you can typically enhance the same with your amp. Or not at all. And you may like a string set better on one bass than another.

 

[dbsfgyd1]

Hi, all,

I have a friend who plays a passive bass and swears by the D'Addario NYXL bass strings. I have a Sadowsky Verdine White model that I usually keep in active mode. Does anyone have experience with the combination of an active bass and these strings? Please chime in. Thank you!

Go buy a set and see if you like them. If you don’t like them, buy a different set.

Personally I don’t look at a set of strings as an investment, but as a critical part of my sound. Typically I buy about 10 sets a year and are swapped after somewhere around 75-100 hours of play..

 

[The Jukes]

Go buy a set and see if you like them. If you don’t like them, buy a different set.

Personally I don’t look at a set of strings as an investment, but as a critical part of my sound. Typically I buy about 10 sets a year and are swapped after somewhere around 75-100 hours of play..

Very affordable to buy about a set a month, yes . . .