I’ve just recently purchased a semi-hollow bass and am looking at some phosphor bronze strings to outfit it with. I’ve found a few interesting options but I’ve only had experience playing Earthwood strings on an acoustic bass.
My bass is a medium scale, semi-hollow body constructed from some typically bright sounding woods. Concerned some tone balancing may be an issue.
(What follows assume your semi-hollowbody only has magnetic pickups. If it also, or only has a piezo pickup, you could really use any type of string)
I've never bothered experimenting with it myself, but from what I've seen/heard from YouTube videos ("acoustic strings on electric guitar", or similar keywords), the brightness of bronze doesn't translate through magnetic pickups for a simple reason: bronze is not magnetically active. They aren't terminally dull, because the relative flexible roundwound construction allows for some movement of the part of the string that does get sensed by the pickup i.e. the core. But zingy they're not (when plugged in, that is).
Try it. Get an inexpensive set, like this one
Warwick Red Label Acoustic Bass String Sets | Bronze
(as you can see, medium-scale is available)
and if it doesn't work, get a string with at least the underwindings made of magnetic material. For example, GHS 4L-RBB Pressurewound Bronze would be promising
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if not for the fact it's long-scale only, and would end up with a crowded E-string tuning post.
