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SG & EB Bass Club

Noted. Many moons ago I tried they Ernie Ball 2837 (a bass VI set) on my Silhouette Bass Guitar copy (OLP MM5 Baritone) and in my recollection the roundwound 090 sort of worked. However, I wanted flats, and gradually transitioned to a 105 low E.


It could have been operator error on my part but still I like a string that works with me, not one that lies there like a wet noodle. :laugh: I got the same feeling with TI's and I tried them twice.
 
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My first bass from 1970, which I restored not too long ago.

6D9B1786-9CF6-44E7-871A-485CFBA35939.jpeg
 
My first bass from 1970, which I restored not too long ago.

View attachment 4943358
That was my first bass as well but mine was white.
It was the only bass I have ever sold.

I traded it in on a '67 Coronado II which I liked better,
but now I realize the issue was probably that it needed a setup.

What does a kid know about setting up a bass?
And I definitely could not have afforded someone else to do it.

As I recall, I really liked the tone,
and I rocked it at many a gig while it lasted....057912
 
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Oh yeah, I went on a string quest during the early 2000's, it was expensive but I now know what I like and don't like. In the end it was worth it.
I'm going thru this now because in the past I'd just get the best priced or what's in the classified.
Also, I keep things until the wheels fall off so I have a lot of flats.

I tried TI's on my Coronado II and couldn't vibe with them because they were too floppy,
so they gathered dust for years until the other day when I put them on a long-scale PBass.

I don't dislike them on my LS, but I haven't played them enough to know why they are so loved either.
Plus I bought them used so I wonder if they are getting a fair trial.
At this point, the jury is still out....057912
 
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I'm going thru this now because in the past I'd just get the best priced or what's in the classified.
Also, I keep things until the wheels fall off so I have a lot of flats.

I tried TI's on my Coronado II and couldn't vibe with them because they were too floppy,
so they gathered dust for years until the other day when I put them on a long-scale PBass.

I don't dislike them on my LS, but I haven't played them enough to know why they are so loved either.
Plus I bought them used so I wonder if they are getting a fair trial.
At this point, the jury is still out....057912


I have piles of old strings too and a lot of them are from that 'string quest'. I tried TI's on a Rickenbacker years ago for several months, I thought they were very middy and I had to raise the action a lot to compensate for the low tension but took them off, as to me they were nothing special. I bought another set a few years ago, (figured everyone here raves about them so I must have missed something :laugh:) and put them on a P bass, again for me they were nothing special, middy with a lack of both top and bottom end and floppy. My two favorite flatwounds are La Bella DTB and Fenders, the La Bellas last a lot longer than the Fenders and the new Fenders sound different than the old ones, not sure why but I liked the old ones better.
I like strings that push back a little when I pluck or pick, both Rotos and DTB's do that. DR's are pretty good strings too, they last a real long time.
 
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While my string choice for an LTD Viper won't be as relevant for actual EB/SG users due to pickup type and position, maybe someone will benefit.
I finally found strings I love rather than just tolerate when I tried D'Addario Pro Steels EPS300.
They are long scale round wounds tapered at both ends, in a hybrid gauge of .043 .063 .085 .107 .
The package says "Super Bright" and that is true for a time, but of course they settle down like all the rest.
Their tone was exactly what I wanted--like Rotosounds but without the rough feel, lively and responsive. They sing.

What impressed me even more was that the volume and tension of each string matched the rest closer than any set I've ever tried before.
They sound and feel the same across the neck, which was a revelation.
Most interestingly, the setup I did afterwards seemed like a lot of intonation adjustment until I noticed that the bridge saddles ended up in almost a straight line that wasn't nearly as slanted as every other bass/guitar setup I had done for myself or my friends over the last 45 years.
Just a well balanced set of strings in every possible way.

I quickly ordered another set for a completely different bass--Ibanez Iceman--and the results were exactly the same.
 
While my string choice for an LTD Viper won't be as relevant for actual EB/SG users due to pickup type and position, maybe someone will benefit.
I finally found strings I love rather than just tolerate when I tried D'Addario Pro Steels EPS300.
They are long scale round wounds tapered at both ends, in a hybrid gauge of .043 .063 .085 .107 .
The package says "Super Bright" and that is true for a time, but of course they settle down like all the rest.
Their tone was exactly what I wanted--like Rotosounds but without the rough feel, lively and responsive. They sing.

What impressed me even more was that the volume and tension of each string matched the rest closer than any set I've ever tried before.
They sound and feel the same across the neck, which was a revelation.
Most interestingly, the setup I did afterwards seemed like a lot of intonation adjustment until I noticed that the bridge saddles ended up in almost a straight line that wasn't nearly as slanted as every other bass/guitar setup I had done for myself or my friends over the last 45 years.
Just a well balanced set of strings in every possible way.

I quickly ordered another set for a completely different bass--Ibanez Iceman--and the results were exactly the same.
Yeah, but have you found short-scale strings with the same characteristics?......057912
 
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People seem to either love those or hate them, I'm in the latter camp. :laugh: No, I don't hate them just found them kind of bla sounding and loose, especially for the money.

I dislike them because they are trying to be Pyramids and they fail at that. Pyramids are my favorite flats for short scale. I know some don't like them because of the inconsistency but I find that to be part of their charm. If I want absolutely consistency, I play my Modulus basses. They sound great on my '68 EB3 and '67 Starfire.
 
I dislike them because they are trying to be Pyramids and they fail at that. Pyramids are my favorite flats for short scale. I know some don't like them because of the inconsistency but I find that to be part of their charm. If I want absolutely consistency, I play my Modulus basses. They sound great on my '68 EB3 and '67 Starfire.


I've only tried them once and it was a long time ago, I don't think I was crazy about those either but I did like them a lot better than TI's, course....that's not saying much :laugh:.
 
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The biggest difference I found is that the TI's seem to have something weird in the midrange going on that sounds like the harmonic series isn't totally line up. I used them for years and they were close to what I was looking for, but once Pyramids started being available, I found that they had an overall smoother and deeper tonal response. But, I'm going for that late 60s/early 70s San Francisco sound, which is not everyone's cup of tea. I also play them with a pick. For most of my other basses, I'm all about DR Sunbeams. However, I just got my first P bass recently (after almost 50 years of playing) and love it with La Bella DTB flats! So many excellent options these days!
 
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