P Bass Strings for beginner

[Deleted member 271037]

The choice of strings will always depend on personal taste and what style of music you play.

For a beginner I would recommend strings that are sit pretty much in the middle of the spectrum with regards to tone, tension and general "feel". This will give you a good starting point, and a good reference when you get more experience and MIGHT want to move in a different direction: Brighter/warmer, stiffer/more supple, flats/rounds. I also think a beginner should stick with reasonably cheap strings. There's no point in spending $80 on a set of strings if you're not experience enough to know what you want.

My recommendation would be Fender 7250M (45-105). These are nickel plated steel, hex core roundwound, which is the most common type of strings. They are relatively cheap and have a "medium" tone/feel. They are very good strings, and in my opinion highly underrated. I believe they are made by D'Addario to Fender's specs. They share some similarities with D'Addario XLs but they're slightly warmer sounding and have a slightly more supple feel. They're not my personal #1 favorites but they're excellent allrounders that I always have installed on one of my P-basses, because they work for practically all kinds of music and playing styles.

I would ditch the D'Addario 50-105 set. The tension across the strings is extremely unbalanced and the D/G-strings are too high tension for a beginner IMO (and too high tension for my personal taste too).

 

[74hc]

Dunlop Super Bright in nickel if you want round wounds. Low, balanced tension that I found easier to play. Good thing those are lower priced as you'll just starting your string journey.

Another option is Pressure wounds. I enjoy those but my set has a custom E string, smaller gauge (iirc 100). Lower tension flats are nice too as those won't tear up your fingers as much in the beginning.

I did use EB Cobalt flats for almost two years, but I started to notice faster fret wear than expected. That's why I switched off of those. Otherwise, those are very nice strings. For a '73 fender, I'd hesitate to use cobalt or SS strings.

There was a period of about 15 years where I was focusing on my non-musical career and would only pick up the bass every now and then. I used Elixer coated strings as those last.

I currently use TI jazz flats but those are very pricey.

 

[iiipopes]

50-70-85-105 is a bit heavy on the treble side and would be very unbalanced tension-wise, i.e. D and G will feel much tighter than A and especially E string. If you are new to bass playing this may bother you.

Yes, but 50-100 was a standard Fender set back in the golden era. Try them to see what you think. You can always lighten up later to 45-105 or even lighter if you don't like them.

 

[GTHintz]

I just purchased a 1973 P Bass. Not sure what kind of strings are on it. I have a new set of DAddario EXL medium gauge round wound 50 to 105. I’ve had this set hanging around for a while. FYI, I’m not a bass player (acoustic guy). But I’m looking to learn. Should I put on the 50 to 105, Or wait and buy some new strings, lighter gauge? Thank you in advance for any help

I'd start with playing it as is and see what happens. From there think about how hard the strings are to press and figure out how you want to set it up. Sometimes all you need is some string height adjustment. But if you really don't like anything about the string then absolutely look at all the options. A p bass can handle anything from flats to rounds and pull a tone. You won't really know till you try some things but definitely try things. Bare minimum I'd say try the nickels but buy some stainless steels too and see what sounds best to you. I love steels and it's all I play but you could be different. Even try flats if you can. Barely starting out it's all trial and error. So have fun!

 

[ElectricBass72]

Agree with everyone who says 105-45, nickel rounds. That's a good starting point.

 

[GIBrat51]

Thank you that is exactly what I was thinking. Let me ask you this, if I was to buy tape wounds (Flat wound), what gauge would you recommend and if you have preference of particular manufacture?

Well...
Although Rotosound does refer to their tape wound strings as "flat wounds" (because the nylon outer wrap is, in fact, flat), no other company does. In common usage, strings with a nylon/plastic/whatever outer wrap are "Tape wounds"; strings with a flat metal outer wrap, are "Flat wounds". So...
If you want to put tape wounds on your P-Bass? Personally, I prefer Rotosound TruBass 88 tape wounds, for their dark, very woody tone and fast decay - much like an upright. Which is the reason Rotosound named them "Tru(e) Bass"... I have also used La Bella Black Tapes, and D'Addarios black tapes, as well. Also a dark tone, but... not quite as woody. La Bella also makes other tapes that are not quite so dark. In order from brightest to darkest; White, Gold, Copper, and Black. The first 3 also come in "normal" gauges; most other tape wounds are pretty large, and will likely require some slot widening at the nut. While I like Tapes, I consider them pretty much "Niche" strings; they sound great for some things, but... not for every thing...
Flat wounds? I learned to play bass on flats in 1968; a friend's '68 Rick 4001 with it's factory Maxima flats. And, I've hardly ever played any thing but flats, since. If you want to try them, I (and a lot of others) would recommend starting with Fender's 9050L flats. They're inexpensive (for flats); not too stiff (don't confuse that with pull-to-pitch tension; they aren't the same thing); pretty smooth for flats (but not as smooth as some); they break in quickly (for flats); and they have a very nice, "modern" mid-range-y tone. Decent low end; lots of low-mids and mids; and decent highs. They're an excellent flat to start with, as they're just about the dead center of the Flat wound spectrum. There are stiffer, and less stiff flats; darker/thumpier flats - and brighter ones. And, heavier or lighter gauges, too. I've used them for... well, a long time, on several basses. Still have them on two, right now. I had them on my '78 Fender P-Bass for several years, as well. But, the tone I wanted from my P-Bass was what it would have sounded like when it was fresh from the factory. The Squier flats that Fender put on P-Basses until 1982, and with the foam mute in the bridge cover. Best strings for that sound today? The 45-95 gauge GHS #3025 Precision Flats. GHS was founded by 3 people that worked for Squier strings, and their P-Flats are pretty much clones. I have P-Flats, in various gauges and scale lengths, on several of my 27 basses...
In any case? P-Basses work very well with just about any flat wound strings you can name, and it's pretty easy to find somebody here on Talk Bass that thinks they're just the best flats ever. And for them? Yes, they are the best ever. I've had several kinds of flats on my P-Bass since I bought it in 1988 - and liked them all. But for the particular sound I want from it? The GHS Precision Flats give it to me. Is it a tone that would work for every kind of music? Probably; but "work" isn't the same as "best". But, I have 26 other basses - for other kinds of music - so, my P-Bass can be a specialist in the kind of music I want to play with it...

 

[MrAB4003]

I just purchased a 1973 P Bass. Not sure what kind of strings are on it. I have a new set of DAddario EXL medium gauge round wound 50 to 105. I’ve had this set hanging around for a while. FYI, I’m not a bass player (acoustic guy). But I’m looking to learn. Should I put on the 50 to 105, Or wait and buy some new strings, lighter gauge? Thank you in advance for any help

I would get super light (40-95) gauge D'Addario Chromes given that you want flats and that you're just starting out. Why make your fingers work harder when you don't have to?

40-95 Super Light, Super Long Scale, XL Chromes Flat Wound Bass Guitar Strings | ECB80SL | D'Addario