Poll: How many different brands/styles of strings do you use?

[JimmyM]

If my basses want to choose the strings, then they can bloody well pay for them. Till then, I decide.

 

[J-Mags]

Flats: Fender 9050s

Rounds: Various DRs, although I may end up using Pure Blues for everything.

 

[kumimajava]

Do you use the same brand on all your basses? Or does each bass 'choose' the string? lol

Pretty much the latter. I'm not particularly interested in replicating the same sound on all/most of my basses, and some instruments seem to naturally sound better with certain strings, than others.

From a practical point, the windings/construction of the strings also matter. On one bass, I had the bridge saddles lowered all the way down, but couldn't get the action quite low enough. Switching to exposed-core strings gave that bass just that little bit nicer/lower action, without having to shim the neck, etc.

 

[logdrum]

Sometimes I use different brands or types or models on one bass, not just on the upright, where that is a common thing

 

[JRA]

Do you use the same brand on all your basses? Or does each bass 'choose' the string? lol

i've chosen the strings. my go-to brands are roto 66 and TI jazz rounds, but i like trying other light-gauge rounds, too, so my collection of axes currently sports at least 4 different brands. i voted "every bass is different." however, at some point, all of them might get a set of TI jazz rounds (or rotos).

 

[Killing Floor]

At this time I think 4. TI Jazz Flats on most. TI Jazz rounds on one 5-fretted. LaBella DTF on fretlesses, I like the tension on fretless. And DR HiBeams on Ray and Sabre.

rrrrt, should have said 5, LaBella white tapes on my ABGs.

 

[Earl Jam]

These days I like Roto 66's for rounds, and Dunlops for flats.

I'm about to test out some Steve Harris Rotos (110-50) on a bass I want to tune to C standard. I've read his strings are crazy stiff so hoping they feel more normal tuned that low.

 

[Passinwind]

Do you use the same brand on all your basses? Or does each bass 'choose' the string? lol

Yep, I try to let the instruments tell me what they want, but I don't always listen if they're being brats. Same for my preamp and amp designs too. To me the whole point of having different instruments and amps is for them to not be consistent in sound or play feel.

 

[bmusic]

Cobalt flats on the StingRay, La Bella nylon flats on the Rob Allen, GHS Precision flats on a Jazz Bass, Fender flats on a P, rounds on the Mensinger Joker B (whatever came on it), TI jazz flats on the other Jazz bass and another P. The other 4 have La Bella DTFs.

Yes, the bass decides.

 

[MrAB4003]

I voted carrots because I have La Bella White Nylon Tapes (both the regular white and gold white versions) on all my basses except my piccolo bass. On that one, I use D'Addario piccolo bass strings.

I used to play Rotosounds (55s, 66s, and 77s) exclusively for 12 years. But I recently switched to the La Bella Tapes and I still wonder why I didn't do it sooner.

 

[KohanMike]

I used to have 31 bass ukes/mini bass guitars with a variety of strings, but recently due to nerve damage to my neck spinal cord from radiation treatments for cancer long ago, I cut it down to be able to use one type of string, Kala/Galli flatwound with a nylon core.

 

[Michael Stanley 2112]

Flats = LaBella
Rounds = D'Addario EXL165

There is only one (future) exception. I am seriously considering pressure wounds on my "J Bass clone".

 

[KevinDBassist]

Roto Swingbass 66 stainless rounds on my Jazz bass and Precision bass .

 

[Samatza]

• DR Hi Beams on most basses
• Slinky's on the Stingrays
• D'Addario Chromes on the P Bass & fretless basses
• D'Addario nylons on 5 string fretless
• Pyramid Gold Flats on the Hofner

I've used GHS Boomers quite a bit recently but I kill the E string pretty quickly for some reason. D'Addario XL an NYXL also but for me they don't last as long as the DR. The DRs seem to stay brighter for longer but that could just be my body chemistry.

I know a guy who can kill the strings dead in one gig, he sweats a lot and his sweat is corrosive. He used my bass once and even the plating on the bridge started to come off, go figure.

 

[HMZ]

I used D'addario XL 45-65-85-105 for many years on all my basses. Lately, I have been trying different Flatwound and I'm really digging the Fender 9050 stainless flatwounds the most. I have also been using Ernie Ball Slinkys and Ernie Ball cobalt strings on my other basses. I also tried a set of Dunlop bright nickels on my G&L Kiloton. At first, I thought they were too rubber band-like but I'm getting used to them now.

 

[FenderBassist]

Rounds: D'Addario EXL-170s

Flats: Fender 9050Ls

 

[bigswifty1]

Detuned 2-band Stingray: Sadowsky Black Nickels
Normal tuned 3-band Stingray: Either Sadowsky Black Nickels or the OEM Slinkys
Sandberg Cali: The OEM steels, forget what they are called

 

[badinage]

Always nickel rounds on everything. Depending what's the best deal at the time, either GHS Boomers, D'Adddario XL's, or Fender nickel wounds.

These are generally relatively cheap so I can change them more often. In my time I've tried everything from Black Diamonds to TI's, and without exception they all go dead relatively quickly, so for me I find no real advantage in big dollar strings.

Pretty much exactly my thoughts on the subject, right down to the exact strings in my inventory at this moment.

They last a few months for me, sometimes years, sometimes weeks. Probably depending on what's on my hands when I'm playing. I guess.

 

[Rib 13]

im a "new bright strings" guy so I change them very often......so I get whatever is cheapest at my store, usually D'addario Nickel XLs (I dont like the feel of Stainless Steel)

 

[rafunk]

After doing many tests for years, I no longer change:
Flats: TI Jazz flats (both fretless and fretted)
Rounds: DR Sunbeams (both fretless and fretted)