So, what are your favorite strings to use??

[Fliptrique]

Brand new (as in - fresh out of the box) and light gauge. Prefereably nickel. Everything else is secondary.

 

[thunderstation]

I've been using d'addario half rounds on my precision since the 70's.- they've always fit my style of playing. I get a nice round tone and plenty of sustain.
they don't seem to work as well on my Specter & Fender Jazz though.- the jazz I use flat rounds - and I have no idea whats on the specter -whatever brand was on them when i bought it

 

[El-Bob]

I think Circle K's balanced sets are the best thing going right now for bass strings.

 

[gregmon79]

Circle K huh?? I'm not too familiar with them.

 

[lyes4string]

used to use DR religously, then Elixer, but now i am back where i started with Ernie Ball Slinkies and i dont think i will ever play another string. theres a reason they've been around forever!

 

[gregmon79]

Thanks el-bob, these strings look great. I know this may sound like a stupid question, but I have an ibanez at 300 series bass, it has a 22 fret count. What scale should I go with on the circle K's? Is that standard scale?

 

[gregmon79]

That it is 4 string. But I looked up the site for the bass string as well. Look and from it sounds like, nice too.

 

[Joe Louvar]

Hello to all,
I'm curious to know what all you think are the best strings. I've never been a huge fan of one particular string or the other, favored a couple though. I'm, at the moment, using DR NEONS (green). But I'd like to find a really good, bright yet hard string with some warmth to it. What about y'all??

I use nickel wound D'Addario EXP170TP (twin pack) strings, but you may like the D’Addario Pro Steel or may be the steel Rotosound bass strings.

 

[backup]

i just switched from my beloved dr sunbeams to fender flats. i like the fender flats more.

 

[harmendebresser]

Well, my Pyramid endorsement aside, if need be when I'm on the road & out of strings for bass guitar I can always go with D'Addario nickels & La Bella flatwounds.
For upright I have been enjoying Pirastro Evah's for about 2 years now!

 

[lijazz]

I'm surprised nobody's said D'Addario ProSteels yet...

Anyway, they catch my vote! I was blown away when I first started using them. They provide for a great extremely-bright, punchy, metallic tone. I always string my ADJ bass with the Regular Light guage ProSteels. Really, very excellent strings.

Agree. I used DR LoRiders for about two years, great strings. But wanted to try something new and a bit brighter and still hex-core. Pro-Steels did the trick. Great bright tone, seem to last a while (so far).

 

[BassPlayer900]

Right now, Rotosound Solo Bass 55's.

 

[adivin]

Roto 66

 

[billgwx]

After almost a year of experimentation I've settled on a few favorites right now: My J-bass either wears GHS Boomers (medium gauge rounds) or D'Addario Chromes (light gauge flats). On the P-bass I alternate between D'Addario Nylon Tapewounds (medium gauge), La Bella Deep Talkin' Bass 760FL (light gauge flats), or D'Addario EXL230 (heavy gauge rounds). Right now it's GHS Boomers on the J and D'Addario tapes on the P.

Up until about 3 years ago, I used stainless steel rounds quite a bit on my J-bass, either GHS Super Steels or Ken Smith, and switched to nickel rounds on the suggestion of my bass tech--definitely a warmer sound and the strings are easier on the fingers. Decided last week to see if my mind had changed on the subject, and got a set of RotoSound Swing Bass 66 stainless strings. Verdict in--I could see using stainless rounds if I were primarily a slapper, but I'm a 99.9% finger-style player, so staying with nickels is the right thing for me.

 

[armybass]

I started out nearly 30 years ago on Rotosound Swing Bass 66's. From there I had long periods of using D'Addarios, Ken Smith and DR's. I am ironically back to Rotosounds at this point. I really like the tone of them on my Rics. I also am a huge fan of LaBella 760FL flatwounds and always have a bass with them on it. In addition love Fodera strings, TI flats and Ernie Ball Slinky's are still a great option. Strings I am done with.?????.....????? Antyhing Dean Markley, Elixrs, D'Addarios, Ernie Ball Cobolts.

 

[El-Bob]

Thanks el-bob, these strings look great. I know this may sound like a stupid question, but I have an ibanez at 300 series bass, it has a 22 fret count. What scale should I go with on the circle K's? Is that standard scale?

Fret count isn't related to scale, just fingerboard length

Your Ibanez is a 34" scale, so you would want the "34 to 35 Scale Length Balanced" sets. You'll probably want an E gauge similar to what you're used to, or maybe slightly heavier, and I think you will be happy.

 

[Bassamatic]

There will be as many favorites as there are strings. To each his one taste! My 2 cents -

For Rounds -
I start every new bass with D'Addario XL 160s. These are a great, bright, neutral string, and let me see the true sound of the bass. Also - they are very affordable.

Then - If I want a warmer sound I will use the DR Sunbeams.
For a smoother sound and feel - the Elixirs are fantastic, and last a very long time.

For flats - The T.I Jazz Flats are absolutely the best with an amazing rich sound, But LaBellas are the gold standard and a lot less expensive. Also, many don't like the low tension of the T.I.s.

 

[Bass-4-God]

I recently switched back to D'Addario Nickels and I am very pleased with my tone, I'm down with D'Addario.

 

[zachoff]

Circle K balanced. .112 on my E std. basses & .118 on my D std. basses.

 

[gregmon79]

I just picked up some d'addario nickels after reading everyone's posts. I'd really like to try the circle K's and will probably order some once I need some more.