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Original strings on a 7 year old Dean acoustic guitar bass

B

BVZT

Jan 10, 2022
7
1
#1
Hello! Does anyone know what kind of strings Dean guitars put on their acoustic fretted guitar bases around 2015 or so? Their official specs simply identify the strings as "OEM". This is not a string brand or a type of string. It means Original Equipment Manufacturer. I emailed Dean in Florida and got a rapid response but it was not helpful. Basically it said the strings that were on there when new are the strings that were on there.
This bass, which I'm happy to say is not a toy, sounds pretty good played acoustically with the original strings, especially if tuned down one whole step. I might want to replace these strings eventually with the same kind but I've been able to discover nothing. The winding is smoother than typical round-wound but they are not flat-wound.
Can anyone solve this small mystery?
thanks and Happy New Year,
BVZT
 
#2
BVZT said:
Hello! Does anyone know what kind of strings Dean guitars put on their acoustic fretted guitar bases around 2015 or so? Their official specs simply identify the strings as "OEM". This is not a string brand or a type of string. It means Original Equipment Manufacturer. I emailed Dean in Florida and got a rapid response but it was not helpful. Basically it said the strings that were on there when new are the strings that were on there.
This bass, which I'm happy to say is not a toy, sounds pretty good played acoustically with the original strings, especially if tuned down one whole step. I might want to replace these strings eventually with the same kind but I've been able to discover nothing. The winding is smoother than typical round-wound but they are not flat-wound.
Can anyone solve this small mystery?
thanks and Happy New Year,
BVZT
Click to expand...

It would help if you could post a couple of pics of the strings, one at the headstock and one at the bridge. Also, any way of checking to see if the ball ends are colored or not?
 
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#3
More precisely, they seem to be flat wound but they are not wound as tightly as typical flat-wound strings which makes the feel slightly less smooth. I know the gauges used in 2022 are .045-100 but in 2014 or 15 they may have been different. I'll find my micrometer and see.
@michael_t: thanks for the quick reply. I'd rather not loosen these aged strings and age them further by pulling one out to examine the ball end and re-tuning it. I expect that as OEM strings they would not have color-coded ball ends. Sure, I'll take some photos and post them here. It looks not too complicated.
 
#5
michael_t said:
It would help if you could post a couple of pics of the strings, one at the headstock and one at the bridge. Also, any way of checking to see if the ball ends are colored or not?
Click to expand...

Here are the two requested photos plus 2 more which show the winding more clearly.
IMG_3360.JPG
IMG_3365.JPG
IMG_3368.JPG
IMG_3369.JPG
 
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#11
Obese Chess said:
My recollection is that Chromes do not have purple silks at the bridge end - they may be GHS Precision Flats.
Click to expand...

The D'A Chromes do have blue silk at both ends, although it's usually darker than the one in the OP's pics. I've seen them in lighter shades of blue here and there, though.

GHS Precision Flats come with purple silk only at the tuner end.
 
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#16
clockworkcorpse said:
well one thing's for sure, if they are chromes we now know that that particular bass can handle higher tension... i really wanted flats on the only acoustic bass i've ever owned (sold now) and settled for tapes because of the tension of chromes...
Click to expand...

It does handle them well. The neck is still straight. BUT... it sounds better and feels better tuned down a step.
 
#18
farace said:
Well, huh, when I bought a brand-new Dean ABM several years back, it came with some nondescript phosphor bronze roundwound strings (which I immediately replaced, following advice, with, IIRC, Ernie Ball Earthwood strings). Did you buy this instrument new?
Click to expand...

My wife bought it new about 8 or 7 years ago. I think it was from Musicians Friend (?) website. It's been a while so our memory is hazy.
 

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