Question For Bass Players With Many Basses

[ejaggers]

I’ve seen many family photos here on TB which has raised string management questions.
I believe I saw one family of all blue Jazz basses, @TBird1958 has multiple Birds.
Some families are diverse like mine which includes SS, MS, and LS.

I don’t have any duplicate model basses in my collection,
nor have I used the same brand/model strings on more than one.
There’s no philosophy behind this it’s just how it happened.

Strings are expensive and also harder to find now days,
So my questions are:

1. Do you use the same brand/model strings on multiple basses?
2. Do you think it best to put flats on basses you only play every now and then?
3. Do you find a brand/model that you like and stick with them for years?
4. And of course, the controversial question, do you prefer flats, rounds or both depending on the bass?

057912

 

[Ghastly]

Overall, I prefer flats, but I also have tapewounds and a round-wound. I mix and match string brands because I'm always experimenting.

I have seven; three assorted Fender Jazzes and two Fender Precisions, plus one custom P, and a Guild acoustic.

 

[Jek Porkins]

I have seven basses. I use several string types and I have a dragons hood of new strings in a drawer. Only my Steve Harris sig P bass has flats on it. Earnie Ball and DiAddario make up the bulk of the others. I mostly prefer rounds but a P with flats is a must have!

 

[ZedLepp]

I have a few basses that have "good" strings on them, but most of them have "cheapies" on them.
I look on ebay for like Alice strings that are $5-6 a set. Then I just go and buy like 20 sets at a time.
I prefer rounds myself.

 

[ejaggers]

....but a P with flats is a must have!

I totally agree about the P....057912

I have a few basses that have "good" strings on them, but most of them have "cheapies" on them.
I look on ebay for like Alice strings that are $5-6 a set. Then I just go and buy like 20 sets at a time.
I prefer rounds myself.

I have a set of cheap Chinese RW's on my medium scale bass, and they are awsome believe it or not.

 

[Dave TB Killer]

The only real consistent on my varied instruments is a drop tuning. I prefer flatwound Chromes, but the source i used to get them from no longer sells single strings. Crap. I like a heavy 55-110 or 50-110 and tune down a full step. I now seem to gravitating more to the EB sets that I can buy as a stock set. Changing string gauges is an issue due to the nut slot size and height. I use brass nut because I like them and once they are all set up there is really no worry, except if I want to change string types and gauges. This is why i have so many Basses. I know it seems absurd, but this how my OCD works!

 

[ajkula66]

There was a time when I used to have the same type of strings on all of my long scale basses - Billy Sheehan Rotos - but that ended ~30 years ago. The short scale ones always wore La Bella Deep Talkin' Rounds until they were pushed out of production...

Between my bass-playing-son and myself, here's where we stand right now:

P-Bass clone # 1 : Roto Flats
P-Bass clone # 2 : Ernie Ball Nickel Rounds
'63 Gibson EB-0 : DR Hi-Beams
'69 Gibson EB-0 : La Bella White Nylon Tapewounds
'84 Yamaha BB300: La Bella White Nylon Tapewounds
'87 Gibson Bass IV : APEX Stainless Steel Rounds
'87 Gibson Bass V : GHS Contact Core Super Steels

 

[Goatrope]

Fender Ps, fretted and fretless, Gibson TBird, EBMM StingRay, Rick 4001, Warwick NT Thumb.

I use the same brand and gauge on all basses except one.

Dunlop Super Bright Nickel on all but one, and a set of LaBella flats on one P bass.

I change out the rounds when they die. The LaBellas have been on several years.

 

[MonetBass]

Fender Jazz: DR Sunbeams
Cort Artisan fretless: EB Hybrid Slinkies
Samick Corsair Micro: D'Addario piccolo

So, it depends for sure.

 

[TBird1958]

Lots of Thunderbirds but they're not all alike by any means, so I've tried quite a few different brands of strings over the years, presently I use 3 different brands, SIT Power Steel rounds, Ken Smith Rock Masters and DR Jonas Hellborg rounds - they're all quite different and enjoy what they bring out in certain Birds.

Ken Smith Rock Masters on this one

 

[Joe Nerve]

I've got just a few short of 30 basses. I've tried just about every string under the sun, and keep coming back to 1 of 3, all of which are very similar to me. I used to prefer steel, but honestly - I can't really tell the difference anymore. Part of that is my hearing is shot, the other part is that they all sound different on different basses and its really hard for me to tell. So with that being said, I generally use nickel or steel roundwounds from whoever has them in stock at the best price.

Either:

D'addario
Fender
Ernie Ball

 

[mikewalker]

I had 'way too many' basses until recently - now aiming for just three short-scale basses: one with Stainless rounds, one with low tension flats, and one with tapewounds. Still on the fence about exact brands, etc...

 

[Bikeguy57]

Chromes on everything. Keep trying others, always come back!

 

[Gigas444]

It depends by the bass, to me different strings on different basses, like, let's say, off road tires on an enduro bike and slick tires on a motogp = stainless steel rounds on warwick thumb and flats on precision

 

[godofthunder59]

Different basses different strings. All of my Thunderbirds get Rotosound RS66LD or nickle wound. Hofners, Kliras and Fretless Precisions get Labella Deep Talk'n Flats. The vast majority of my basses have Rotosound RS66LD. Lately I have been trying Ernie Ball short scale rounds for my EB0s and EB3s decent enough sound and cheap.
I have over 60 basses 25 or so are Thunderbird of various stripes. I have a small fortune invested in straps, strap locks and cases.

 

[Ric5]

View attachment 4258610 I’ve seen many family photos here on TB which has raised string management questions.
I believe I saw one family of all blue Jazz basses, @TBird1958 has multiple Birds.
Some families are diverse like mine which includes SS, MS, and LS.

I don’t have any duplicate model basses in my collection,
nor have I used the same brand/model strings on more than one.
There’s no philosophy behind this it’s just how it happened.

Strings are expensive and also harder to find now days,
So my questions are:

1. Do you use the same brand/model strings on multiple basses?
2. Do you think it best to put flats on basses you only play every now and then?
3. Do you find a brand/model that you like and stick with them for years?
4. And of course, the controversial question, do you prefer flats, rounds or both depending on the bass?

057912

THESE GUYS MAKE REALLY GOOD STRINGS

 

[ElectricBass72]

LaBella White Gold Tapewounds on the ESP Fretless. Ernie Ball Cobalt Flats on the Fender Player P. Ernie Ball Slinky rounds on the Stingray.... and Dunlop Super Bright Stainless Steels on all other basses.

 

[west al]

Overall, I prefer flats, but I also have tapewounds and a round-wound. I mix and match string brands because I'm always experimenting.

I have seven; three assorted Fender Jazzes and two Fender Precisions, plus one custom P, and a Guild acoustic.

View attachment 4258616

A FAMILY TRADITION! Looking good Ghastly, as always!

 

[vvvmmm]

Whatever came on the bass ...

 

[Pings Bass]

I used to use rotosounds exclusively, back when I only had two BGs. Now I've got 6(?), and they mostly have what they came with (i.e. a mix of dead rounds and flats).

I still like the zing of steel rounds, but I've come around to flats on my fretless instruments. They definitely sound better dead than steel rounds.