Lotsa threads about flats for the various Mustang basses but I'm just not a flats guy - I have a set of GHS Precision flats on there and they are my favorite flats but I'd rather have deep sounding rounds. Looking for something sonically different than D'Addario XL's - which I use on the Mustang sometimes but I prefer them on my Jerry Jones Singlecut bass with the lipstick pickups. I like strings that have a warm full tone. I generally play with my thumb or with a Phat Tone rubber coated pick. Any suggestions for medium scale round wounds? Some quick intel: I've never met a Rotosound string I liked. The old school GHS Bass Boomers with the dynamite on the package sounded great but I have not tried the newer Bass Boomers. I usually end up liking Nickel Strings because of the pick playing and trying to hear less clicking. Thanks for any recommendations!
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Rounds for a Squier Mustang Bass
- Thread starter don21480
- Start date
As far as I know, the regular Boomers haven't changed much over the years although they've gone through different packages.
Does your Mustang have the top-loading option or is it strictly thru-body? If you have the top-load option, you might like the short-scale GHS Balanced Nickels (pure nickel roundwound on a round core) for the "warm full tone" you're looking for.
Another suggestion would be the DR Sunbeams in "short scale". They're nickel-plated steel roundwound on a round core and a little more flexible in feel than the Boomers.
Please note DR's "short scale" is actually 33.75" in winding length (ball end to taper), so they're plenty long enough for thru-body on your Mustang.
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LaBella keeps discontinuing the strings I use, otherwise I would say medium scale Stainless Rounds. (They still make long scale though.) Given supply chain issues and my desire for balanced tension, I'd create a custom nickel round set on Stringjoy.
God's gift to short scale bass players are the GHS Balanced Pure Nickels round wounds. They are designed for short scale basses both top load and through body; they have a big round tone; they are consistent up the neck and string to string; they have enough tension to have stable intonation; they don't twang or thump; they last a long, long time (my set is going on two years); and they are reasonably priced.
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Are you saying 32.75" in winding length is long enough for thru-body on a Mustang?
That is what I understand. The scale length is 30 inches. That gives 2.75 inches to get over the bridge saddle and down through the body. If anybody has a better measurement, I am open to correction. This article says the length from ball to nut is less than 33 inches:
What are the correct strings for a Fender Mustang Bass? | Strings Direct
The last time I had a close call on a bass the difference between slack and up to pitch stretched the string about 1/4 inch so that the silk cleared the nut.
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TBer @Root 5's through-body Mustang has the following min/max E string requirements:
^ [Emphasis mine.]
On paper, 32.75" winding length may not be enough unless the body is thinner than usual. Then again, I've successfully fit a short-scale string on a through-body shortie by putting a credit card between nut and string, keeping the latter tuned higher than intended for a while, so as for it to stretch and clear the boardward side of the nut slot, without the tapering point getting caught in it.
Thanks for your analysis. Another item is the ferrule string anchors. They come in both deep-long and shallow-short lengths, and it appears from this discussion that the Mustangs have the shallow ferrules. I have a string-through bridge bass that I have installed the deep ferrules, which make about a 1/2 inch difference in the required string length. This might also be an option, but it does require drilling the string through holes deeper into the body to accommodate the deeper string anchor ferrules.
Thanks again.
I've never heard of the info that there are different depths/types of ferrules, but not surprising.
But what I can say from experience is I have 3 basses, Squier Musicmaster unmodded except for a refin and guard, a '78 Fender Musicmaster with Bronco neck, and Squier CV Mustang body with Bronco neck. The Fender MM was re-fit with a Squier MM through body bridge I was lucky enough to find.
And all 3 of them are strung with the same strings, D'addario Chromes flat wound strings. But I'd have to assume the lengths from ball to silk would be the same for rounds. There is a thread on here that covers lots of these lengths that may be helpful. Bass String Lengths by Manufacturer
I found the following for the D'addario Mediums......
I don't have a photo of the back but all sit nicely down in the ferrules, no ball ends sticking out that I've noticed. This is where the silk lines up on the basses, all 30" scale with through body bridges.
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I'll have to look at the back of all 3 now but that looks far different than I remember, much deeper.
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These guys put me on to them. I'm an Elixir Nanoweb guy. I like it bright and musical. But I was really thrown by Ernie Ball Cobalts. They really are flats, but they act like rounds and they last for quite some time. My Yamaha BB5000 proudly wears Cobalts and sounds better than it has for years.
I have a through body mustang tried the DRs sunbeams very sweet sounding but feels floppy,very low tention.
Medium scale ghs boomers were just right good tention and a nice punch.
If you are not looking for bright string it's a good choice.
Medium scale ghs boomers were just right good tention and a nice punch.
If you are not looking for bright string it's a good choice.
“Ernie Ball Medium Scale Slinky bass strings are constructed utilizing the same production methods and materials as our popular Slinky nickel wound bass strings. Offering the same slinky feel and bright balanced tone, these new strings are specifically engineered to fit basses up to 32.5” in scale length as well as short scale basses with string through bridges such as vintage Fender Mustangs.”
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A better way to say it is that because the current production of Mustang basses, whatever their iteration, use full-sized tuners, there may be less chance of breakage of the E string around the tuner post.
Again, let us all chant the mantra:
1) measure from the ball anchor to the headstock side of the nut;
2) measure from the ball anchor to the center of the lowest string tuner post;
3) purchase strings that the speaking length or winding length (whatever the manufacturer calls it) is between these two measurements.
If you can't find a favorite string in the proper scale length, make sure to purchase extra single strings, whether E or (if a 5-er) B, so you can have one at the ready when it breaks. (Yes, I said when, not if.)
Part of the problem overall would be resolved if more manufacturers used "reverse" headstocks on their short and medium scale basses, because 1) the G string is so small in diameter it doesn't matter if it goes around the tuner post (indeed - D'Addario doesn't even bother to taper their 45 & smaller wound bass strings, because they don't need to), and 2) this would give enough space behind the nut to clear the taper of the E string so only the leader goes around the tuner post.
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