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Still in Search of My Perfect String. Does it Exist?

#21
Flatwoundround said:
Here is my criteria for the perfect string, which as yet I have not found:

1. No String Squeek Finger Noise (this suggests flats or tapes)

2. Good low end and punchiness (still suggests flats)

3. A more versatile sound that can sound a little more modern and even some slap potential and more old school via tone knob and palm muting (do I hear Chromes anyone? GHS pressurewounds?)

4. That do not feel too grippy under the slightest bit of heat and or humidity (Good Bye Flats)

Chromes

So I love Chromes. They fit the first 3 criteria above but not the 4th. My fingers will feel like they stick to the strings when it gets a little humid or too hot. That is a nightmare experience when you feel like you are fighting with your instrument and at a gig this sucks. Tried to spray finger ease but only helps a little. The problem is that flats are well flat, so the surface area of your skin makes the greatest contact with the flat surface. Thus the grippy or sticky feeling when there is heat or humidity.

GHS Pressurewound Strings.

These are awesome strings and satisfy all above except number 1. True they do not have as much string noise as your usual rounds but compared to flats there is a lot of it. Playing with the band of course the string noise is not an issue but when I play alone and record myself that noise I don't care for (my bandmates say they actually like it but I simply do not). I know some folks will say technique will cut this out alot but sorry, I have enough to work on already with my muting technique and slap, and many other things and still have to learn music too. I think tone wise these sound even better than the Chromes except these have the finger noise and Chromes do not.

Tapewounds

I tried the Labella gold tapes and they were great for all the criteria above except number 2. These strings felt so amazing but the tone was not nearly as good as the other two strings mentioned. They were not as deep and not as punchy as the other two strings even though they felt the best for sure. Yes they were also a little bit too loose feeling but I just gave the neck some more curve and that seemed to balance it out more.


Anybody got ideas? I wonder if fast fret would help the chromes on the grippy issue? Again I tried finger ease but to no avail. Is there such a thing as tapewound that could get a tone that is comparable to the Chromes or the GHS pressurewounds? Seems to me that would be the ultimate string.


Thanks.
Click to expand...

Have you tried coated strings?
 
#22
lixisoft said:
When Chromes are new they have more punch than D'Addario Nylons, but when the Chromes settle in they lose some of that "edge". The D'A Nylons don't really lose much of anything. I have a set of LaBella White Tapes (actually they look "clear" to me) and they are smoother than the D'A Nylons. The Black Nylons do seem to be a bit more "grippy" but not an issue for me after a few weeks. I tried the LaBella White tapes on few of my basses, but in all cases I liked the D'A Nylons or Chromes better, my all time favorite flats are TI Jazz Bass Flats. I have 4 Skyline basses, one with rounds (Dunlop Super Bright Nickels), one with Chromes, one with TI Jazz Flats, and one with D'A Black Nylons, that just about covers all my needs for now.
Click to expand...


Are the black nylons deeper sounding than the white nylons? I think you mentioned that you can actually slap on them? I have tried the gold labella tapes but they did not have the low end and punch that I get from my Chromes. Thanks for the tip.
 
#25
I don't know the answer, but does the sticky feel vary between flats of different materials? Nickel and stainless steel are most common, did you have that problem with both types?

Another thing that might work are old nickel rounds... With tone and technique adjustment, they can do lots of things... May need to find the right model and gauge...
 
#26
Thanks everyone for their replies and ideas.

I just spoke to Jason at BassStringsOnline and he gave me the truth that the tapes won't have the low end and punch that the Chromes do.

He gave me a tip to deal with the sticky grippy factor that can occur with Flats, which can be much worse with humidity and heat. He told me he had this problem with his upright and also an electric bass with flats. He said he would rub just a little bit of Almond Oil on his palm and then rub up and down the strings. He suggested to get a bottle of Almond oil but try to get without alot of additives etc.. He said the almond oil would not hurt the strings or the neck and that this would solve his problem with the grippiness. Ironically I did try olive oil years ago on a set of Labellas but Jason said Almond oil would be better because it is not as slippery, and also that olive oil may not be good if it gets on the neck. d

So I am actually going to give that a try. I am fortunate that I have two almost identical P-Bass setups so one will keep the GHS pressurewounds and the other will keep the Chromes. So I have some options here.

Thanks again to everyone for their ideas and insights.

Signing off,
FlatwoundRound.
 
#28
I think the sticky when sweaty issue is more with smoth flats..no small gaps between the wraps which means more finger contact area. TI and EB Cobalt flats may be worth a try. Punchy and tone wise depends on the bass they are on.
 
#29
pbass2 said:
Never had that sticky/grippy thing happen w Chromes or other flats - I love flats, but…..man, I wonder if just some REALLY broken in nickel rounds are the ticket for you? Like, nice and old.
Click to expand...


Thanks. I am hoping that between my GHS pressurewounds getting older over time that will reduce the noise more. Also looking forward to trying out the old almond oil trick when all else fails technique on my Chromes.
 
#34
If you already like chromes, I would also suggest buffing them with a Scotchbrite pad and then cleaning off the residue with some alcohol. This will help them become smoother, possibly eliminating the stickiness you are experiencing.
 
#36
There is no perfect string. "Old school" and "Slap" are almost opposite concepts.

I would think, from my experience of having played just about every string out there in the last forty years, that either Pressurewounds or La Bella White Tapes (not black, gold, or silver) is just about the best compromise. I have used both for essentially the same reasons: needing no noise and versatility combined.
 
#39
Well...all of this is super subjective of course, but after working with the D'Addario black nylon tapes for more than a year now they are definitely the closest thing to "perfect" I have tried, and I have easily spent enough money testing strings to buy a couple of new basses.

They have everything you expect from good flats; the smooth feel, the big fundamental, the punch, the warmth, but don't have the stuff that bugs some people about flats: the stiffness, the high tension, stickiness when you get sweaty. They always sound organic in a way that I can't ever get from a steel wrapped string.

I know Jason and respect his expertise (I'm a repeat customer!) but I definitely don't feel there's a lack of low end punch in the DAD tapes compared to flats.

If you MUST have flats, try the Ernie Ball traditional flatwounds (not the Cobalt Slinky ones). They have a lot of the best qualities of La Bellas right out of the pack, but with infinitely better consistency, i.e. all 4 strings actually sound alike. La Bellas only get that way after about a year of playing the snot out of them IME.

The Cobalt Flats are just weird to me. I get the concept, roundwound brightness with flatwound feel, but they don't get either for me.
 
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#40
JustForSport said:
I think the sticky when sweaty issue is more with smoth flats..no small gaps between the wraps which means more finger contact area. TI and EB Cobalt flats may be worth a try. Punchy and tone wise depends on the bass they are on.
Click to expand...

Why would the EB cobalt flats be
Sparkdog said:
Well...all of this is super subjective of course, but after working with the D'Addario black nylon tapes for more than a year now they are definitely the closest thing to "perfect" I have tried, and I have easily spent enough money testing strings to buy a couple of new basses.

They have everything you expect from good flats; the smooth feel, the big fundamental, the punch, the warmth, but don't have the stuff that bugs some people about flats: the stiffness, the high tension, stickiness when you get sweaty. They always sound organic in a way that I can't ever get from a steel wrapped string.

I know Jason and respect his expertise (I'm a repeat customer!) but I definitely don't feel there's a lack of low end punch in the DAD tapes compared to flats.

If you MUST have flats, try the Ernie Ball traditional flatwounds (not the Cobalt Slinky ones). They have a lot of the best qualities of La Bellas right out of the pack, but with infinitely better consistency, i.e. all 4 strings actually sound alike. La Bellas only get that way after about a year of playing the snot out of them IME.

The Cobalt Flats are just weird to me. I get the concept, roundwound brightness with flatwound feel, but they don't get either for me.
Click to expand...


Thanks. I might just give the DAD black tapes a try.
 

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