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Softer strings?

J

justanotherUN

Aug 8, 2013
19
0
London
#1
Hey, so I have a reoccurring tendonitis problem, which is one of the most annoying things ever to happen to a musician. In fact if your just starting out and are reading this, make sure you warm up and warm down every time you play!

Anyway a friend of mine mentioned Nylon strings, while in the "rehab" stage of this issue these types of strings may be useful. One of the issues is not having allot of strength in my fretting hand to actually fret the note properly. I was looking at the D'addario nylon tapewound strings, does anyone use these? I seem to remember using strings like these YEARS ago and remember them being fairly light on the fingers? Any opinions?
 
#2
The white tape wound La Bella strings in light guage are quite low tension and smooth, almost slippery to the touch and feels easier to play. They are also quite bright for that type of string. However, more importantly I think you should have your bass set up with as low action (i.e low string height) as you can and play with a light touch.
 
#4
if you like the sound of roundwound strings, use a set of 35-95 or 30-90.

if you like the sound of flatwound strings, go with nylons. usually they are light gauge rounds wound with nylon, so you'll get a standard or big gauge, but the feeling of a light gauge string.
 
#5
Nylon tapewounds are very low tension.

For rounds, you can even get away with 30-75 if low tension is ultra critical. You can beef up the lows with your amp & onboard your instrument ( if active ).

I keep an instrument strung 30-80 and it sounds just fine.
 
#6
I've used the Rotosound Funkmaster set on three of my basses (a PJ, a J and a MM), and I didn't have to boost the low frequencies. I like them the way they are :D the lacking frequencies are the mid-low, around 300-500 hz. lows (20-100hz) are nice on light gauge strings, because they tend to oscillate more than stiff strings, and the highs are nice and musical.
I found out myself adding a bit of mid-low using them on the MM bass (with an EMG MMCS pickup), but with J and PJ bass they were perfect:

fingerstyle on a Jazz Classic Vibe (neck tone open, neck tone closed, center tone open, center tone closed, bridge tone open, bridge tone closed)



fingerstyle on a PJ (in order P, PJ and J):





PJ random with finger:



Kramer Disciple (EMG MMCS and EMG BTS), various combinations in EQ settings:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/37gh28wsg...osound Funkmaster - tutte le combinazioni.zip
 
#8
Good luck with your health bud
Just had my own "young mans immortality complex" brutally shattered by some nasty RSI. Aquired in one day of playing through pain and now 2 months and counting waiting for it to recover :(
 
#9
Will check out all of these strings, currently trying to find a good price on some of them. Not sure if I should risk an ebay import from the US, might get stung by customs!?

Shabz, don't sweat it man, I've been there. Rest up, do some theory work and take it slow.
 
#12
Munjibunga said:
Thomastik-Infeld Power Bass. Nice and soft, but with monster tone.
Click to expand...

are they really soft? I was thinking of try them, but I can't find any sound clip or info. just a couple od threads here with few posts... but in a post the user said that they were not soft in tension, so I don't know what to think...

how do they sound? bright like steel strings? do they last long?
 
#13
Pier_ said:
are they really soft? I was thinking of try them, but I can't find any sound clip or info. just a couple od threads here with few posts... but in a post the user said that they were not soft in tension, so I don't know what to think...

how do they sound? bright like steel strings? do they last long?
Click to expand...
That user was wrong. I'd say they sound more like nickel.
 
#15
Pier_ said:
are they really soft? I was thinking of try them, but I can't find any sound clip or info. just a couple od threads here with few posts... but in a post the user said that they were not soft in tension, so I don't know what to think...
Click to expand...

The Power Bass are not low tension, both the Jazz flats & Jazz rounds are much lower.
 
#17
justanotherUN said:
Hey, so I have a reoccurring tendonitis problem, which is one of the most annoying things ever to happen to a musician. In fact if your just starting out and are reading this, make sure you warm up and warm down every time you play!

Anyway a friend of mine mentioned Nylon strings, while in the "rehab" stage of this issue these types of strings may be useful. One of the issues is not having allot of strength in my fretting hand to actually fret the note properly. I was looking at the D'addario nylon tapewound strings, does anyone use these? I seem to remember using strings like these YEARS ago and remember them being fairly light on the fingers? Any opinions?
Click to expand...
Many round core strings can be low in tension, I prefer that feel myself!

TI jazz flats, TI jazz rounds, DR fatbeams, all awesome strings with low tension. I love LaBella black nylon flats too, but the gauge is so heavy I usually de-tune them (DGCF or even BEAD) and that gives ultra low tension and freaking monster bootylicious tone
 
#18
Dean Markley's round-core strings feel a bit 'softer' or more flexible than most hex-cores. Lots of happy users.
And another ++ on the LaBella tapes- really like the Copper White Tapes- way flexy, and slide like lubed for bends.
 
#19
The tension alone doesn't give you the answer.

The problem is that lower tension strings can take "wider swings" during the note and hit the frets from a higher position than higher tension strings. That requires you put the lower tension strings higher, and now you don't know which one will need more or less effective finger force for a non-snarl clear sound. Having said that, I like round cores like the hi-beams and the sunbeams and although I have them a tiny bit higher I think they end up overall easier to play.

I also think the the Legends are much easier to play. I didn't research why, maybe it's just the flatness but they seem easier than the Chromes.
 
#20
Tension and flexibility are two diff things, altho lower tension may result in more flexibility.
Tension is what you see in the tension charts avail from D'Addario, GHS, etc- the tension on a string at a particular pitch.
Flexibility is what you feel- using round-cores and some other methods of manufacture can result in more flexible strings at the same gauge and pitch.
More flexible strings and (usually) lower tension strings do in fact oscillate in a bit larger area than stiffer strings.
On electric bass, what affects the magnetic field in proximity to the pickups is mostly the size of the oscillation, given near-same mass strings.
There will be some variables, tho, given diff string mat'ls, pickups, playing style, etc.
 

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