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Overload.

MarkA

MarkA

In the doghouse.
Supporting Member
Sep 26, 2008
6,831
5,372
#1
I don't usually spend much time in the strings forum, but, having put in a good amount today, I've discovered that I need strings that are both heavier and lighter than those I currently use. They need to be flatwounds. They also need to be roundwounds. This combination will give me the clearest articulation, the most fundamental, the most present harmonics, and sit the best in a mix. It will decrease physical strain (though I have to be careful, because it will increase strain as well) and encourage good technique (though it could encourage bad technique).

As long as I keep this in mind, I will be okay.
 
#3
MarkA said:
I don't usually spend much time in the strings forum, but, having put in a good amount today, I've discovered that I need strings that are both heavier and lighter than those I currently use. They need to be flatwounds. They also need to be roundwounds. This combination will give me the clearest articulation, the most fundamental, the most present harmonics, and sit the best in a mix. It will decrease physical strain (though I have to be careful, because it will increase strain as well) and encourage good technique (though it could encourage bad technique).

As long as I keep this in mind, I will be okay.
Click to expand...

A challenge!!

Try this. One high tension Flat E. One low tension Flat E. One high tension Round E. One low tension Round E.

Hopefully 4 Es won't limit your technique much.
 
#4
One good thing is.......you got a lot of options! What makes it worse is that bass strings can be quite expensive to buy as well, limiting the amount you can buy to experiment with.

Do you have a brand that you already use and are quite familiar with? I'd say try out the different types of strings they offer. You can branch out to other brands from there.

Also, if you have a set for a short time and you want to try something new, then take the older set, wipe down the strings well and put into a freezer bag with the brand, type, and gauge listed for future use. You can use them again if the new set doesn't melt your better, or perhaps try them on a new bass later.

Good luck in your search. Remember the important thing is to find the strings that best suit your bass in sound and for the styles of music you play.
 
#5
You havent found the bass that really gives you the tone your looking for have you? Keep searching, try ones with types of pups you havent played before. If all youve played is J & P pup basses, try various ones that use soapbar and humbucker pups. Your expecting too much of your sound from strings rather then from the main platform of the bass itself. Imo.

First decide if you want crunchy or smooth voice. This is mostly going to come from pup voicing. Woods etc used in the bass tweak that tone some, but its mainly a pup voice thing. Articulation will also be mainly a pup voicing thing. With woods used helping to accent whichever part of the tone spectrum they are geared to and in some ways adding to the organicness of the tone.

Bass picked and used based on its voicing, then its time to do the final tweak which is strings. The most articulate, easy to get tap harmonics off of, strings, which also dont decrease crunch, are still going to do lousy sound on lousy sounding bass that couldnt do articulate or crunchy if it had to.

What bass and what strings do your fave bass players tone wise, use? What bass and what strings do your other fave bass players use? How do they setup their action? Also what gauges do most of them use? Go get one of those basses or a model made by that mfg that is close to it. And the strings most common among those two groups of fave bass players with gauges being most popular ones among those fave players. Get its action setup in similiar type. Then see if that helps you get your desired sound and playability. Action can affect sound char to you know.

Some people expect way to much of their instruments tone to come from the strings. As though you could have a "fender J" string set that made any bass sound like a fender J. Or "wal" string set to get any bass to sound like a wal. Lol.
 
#9
JimmyM said:
You forgot that they also need to be nylon tapewound and ground or compressed roundwounds. With and without neon coating.
Click to expand...

You know, I might need to give the neon some serious consideration. It's like passing a girl over because she wears 7" heels and chews bubble gum -- just 'cause she's flashy, don't mean there ain't substance, too, y'know?
 
#11
JustDavid said:
A challenge!!

Try this. One high tension Flat E. One low tension Flat E. One high tension Round E. One low tension Round E.

Hopefully 4 Es won't limit your technique much.
Click to expand...

I accept your challenge! I am all about doing more with less. Or less with more, depending.

(You could actually get something cool with four Es, I bet...)
 
#13
Need a Flat Wound but a Round Wound?

Get a Ground Wound!!! (aka Half Round / Slick Round / Brite Flat)

pic of one on the bottom here:

Characteristics of a Flat, playability of a round...

rwcmsra.jpg
 
#15
Alright. There are some people seriously trying to help me. I didn't expect that. I was pretty frustrated -- I'm still glazed over from all of the (at least seemingly) contradictory information I've taken in today -- and I let it out in a random, goofball outburst. The frustration is at least 2/3 related to me acting like a chump, and 1/3 related to instruments with which I have little time and familiarity. I'll address its string-related causes in a serious manner, but not right now.

[Invalid or Expired Link Removed] (bet you weren't expecting that!) is not the cause of the existential leakage of my first post.

Anyway, here it is. No tapewounds, groundwounds, or neons, but four strings, all tuned to "E," one take. OKAY... they're all tuned to "D" and capoed at the 2nd fret. I didn't want to tune my D up a whole step. The capo (which I only have to help me set neck relief during setup), was confusing.

E-string --> to D, A dropped to match.
D-string left alone, G dropped to match.
Capo @ 2nd fret.
4 strings --> two Es.

Took me a little time to get a Divshare account and upload... Not sure I like Divshare (can't get the player to embed, can't get it to save my sharing settings), but will use it for now. My first time doing anything like this.

Recorded direct from my new little GK MB200 into my Zoom H2. Bridge pickup, No EQ aside from having accidentally bumped the Lo-Mid knob down a bit when I set the amp on a chair. No effects except those caused by very loose strings in imperfect tune with each other.

It's full of flaws, and it's too long, but I still found a thing or two -- maybe two-and-a-half -- to like. Enjoy!
 
#19
wow,i need a dwink!,,,was going to recomend sit silencers,keep wanting to change and someday i will but they can do bright as well as thud(EQ),,,of course the Ken smith halfrounds look smoother(hmmm),confusion is supposed to be confronted on mondays!!!;)man it's hot here,come on 5 o'clock.

the 4 E string thing would work great for the guitardists i jam with that's they want'pound that root note',,,i'll mention it.
 
#20
MarkA said:
Alright. There are some people seriously trying to help me.
Click to expand...

Well, I wasn't one of them but if you went through the trouble to tune EEEE then record it I feel honour-bound to try.

I think all the advice in your OP is right. AND wrong. I feel it's all very dependant on the bassist & the sound they are after. My strings of choice might be perfect for you, or they may be the worst for you. It can be very hard indeed to sort the wheat from the chaff, & I mistook your post for sarcasm not frustration; I apologize.

I think the best advice possible is to try all strings, but that's extremely cost- & time-prohibitive. Having a 'tone in your head' & reading in Strings while taking the opinions with a huge grain of salt will likely help narrow your options. A purchase here & there based on readings & assessments will help narrow your focus.

Darkstorm (IIRC) has great advice. My own opinion weighs strings slightly higher but here we go again with 'opinions'.
 

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