string choice advice for a newbie bass player

[norralylth]

Hi there,

Your advices about changing the pickups were very helpful

Now there is the second question..

My squier VM 70s jazz bass has 45-105 ernieball roundwound strings on it. Should i keep on using them?

I like Marcus Miller as a bass player and saw DR fat beams on the shelves. Should i switch to them, would it make a great difference?

Also 45-105 rotosound flatwound strings is another option which i havent used either.

 

[brotondo]

Give some flat wounds a go!
I'm a flat lover for life life now (thanks TB !!)

 

[norralylth]

Which one you would prefer then? DR fat beams or rotosound?

 

[brotondo]

Get both! Then you'll know, they're just strings( they come and go)
Search some string topics, get educated.
The 2 listed options will be VERY different from one another.
I love flats, but you might not , so get and try both..

 

[jamersonburton]

When the Ernie Balls can't hold their tune very well anymore, then I would say grab a set of Fat Beams and set your bass up for that.
In the mean time, I would suggest turn everything up on the bass and then boost either the bass or cut a hair of midrange on the amp (for that nice smooth but powerful slap tone).

 

[Low Class]

Hi there,

Your advices about changing the pickups were very helpful

Now there is the second question..

My squier VM 70s jazz bass has 45-105 ernieball roundwound strings on it. Should i keep on using them?

I like Marcus Miller as a bass player and saw DR fat beams on the shelves. Should i switch to them, would it make a great difference?

Also 45-105 rotosound flatwound strings is another option which i havent used either.

Would the DR's make a great difference? They will surely make a difference, question is will the difference be where you like them? Strings are a combination of what works for you and what works on your bass. One string may work great on one bass and not so great on another. Flats are a whole different world from roundwounds, nickels are different than steels. There seems to be 2 distinct camps with DR strings, either you love them or you hate them. I've tried them many times trying to figure out why people love them and wound up hating them every time. But that doesn't meant that one day I may have a bass that they may be the greatest thing ever. The bad thing about trying new strings is once you put them on and realize you don't like them you feel like you thrown away the money you just spent on them. If you like the Ernie Balls stick with them. If you don't like them and have the extra $ to experiment with new strings go for it, but there are a zillion different strings out there to try. You might browse through this forum and see what else a lot of people are using. D'Addario's are very popular and are what I've been using on MOST of my basses for 30 years, but they don't work good on every bass for me. Once you find a string that does it for you you'll know it, at least that how the D'Addarios's were for me. Good luck!

 

[fnordlyone]

Which one you would prefer then? DR fat beams or rotosound?

Okay, I am a lover of Roto Flats; I also have tried GHS flats (very afordable); they are good--better with a P bass type design.
Something about the Roto's AS 775 LD's on my Jazz type fiver, makes me never want to take them off. They have the perfect little zing while being very silent between attack. I like the tone!

fnord!

 

[elBandito]

Since you said you're a noobie, I would recommend lighter gauge strings for longer practice hours with less fatigue and injury.

 

[norralylth]

I decided to put the flats on my other bass, which is a squier precision bass. I can say, i am happy with the outcome. (used 45-105 rotosound flats). I like the way it sounds, the bulky and steady tones, just like a truck

On the other hand as elBantito says its harder to play with that strings and the thicker neck of the pbass adds to the difficulty, when compared with my jazz bass. I will play it less oftenly and keep on practicing with my jazz bass until i get more experience, endurance and dexterity in my pocket.

Thanks for your advices

 

[maestrovert]

Chromes, 40-100 would be my recommendation.

 

[fnordlyone]

Fatigue and injury? My Roto's are super responsive.
this delicate flower can handle it,
fnord!

 

[DougD]

What type of music do you play? DR Ft beams or High beams are my choice. Ive tried many, many strings but keep coming back to DR's. Theres no harm in experimenting to find the right string for you tho. Happy hunting

 

[elBandito]

I was addressing the OP. Noobs tend to have death grip syndrome. Noobs will spend more time practicing to get better. Lighter strings will help. Enjoy your manly strings.

Fatigue and injury? My Roto's are super responsive.
this delicate flower can handle it,
fnord!

 

[fnordlyone]

I was addressing the OP. Noobs tend to have death grip syndrome. Noobs will spend more time practicing to get better. Lighter strings will help. Enjoy your manly strings.

Hell, I'm a newb, too…(don't let my age fool you!)
rotten apple, I guess thats Fort Washington area of manhattan?
i kid because i love,
fnord!

 

[Bass_Nishi]

Rotosounds are my personal favorite

 

[Pier_]

with flats you'll go in the opposite way to Marcus Miller sound.

get a set of stainless steel roundwounds, better if with roundcore (Fat Beam or Hi Beam from DR, for example, or Flex Steel from D'Addario).

 

[Andy_D]

Having owned the same bass as the OP. I Agree that Fat Beams would be a solid choice, as would Sunbeams, or D'Adario XL Nickels. These are good "middle of the road" strings that will afford the player to cover a lot of ground and styles as opposed to say Flats (mostly thump), and Roto's or Flex Steels (Mostly Zing). For a noob I would say stay away from strings that lean towards either of the far ends of the tone spectrum. I say this because I experiment with lots of different strings trying to find the right bass/string combination and almost always my biggest disappointments come when using strings at the far end of the tone spectrum. They often seem to be missing "something". I've dabbled with flats and tapewounds and while I love some of the sounds I can get they never end up staying on for very long. Same thing with real bright strings. I have a set of Flex Steels on my 44-01 right now that I am trying to be patient with and hope they settle in. They have this fantastic piano like brilliance but there is something missing. Hell maybe it's just me as others swear by some of what I have just mentioned but I seldom get frustrated with my "middle of the road" strings.

 

[norralylth]

Having owned the same bass as the OP. I Agree that Fat Beams would be a solid choice, as would Sunbeams, or D'Adario XL Nickels. These are good "middle of the road" strings that will afford the player to cover a lot of ground and styles as opposed to say Flats (mostly thump), and Roto's or Flex Steels (Mostly Zing). For a noob I would say stay away from strings that lean towards either of the far ends of the tone spectrum. I say this because I experiment with lots of different strings trying to find the right bass/string combination and almost always my biggest disappointments come when using strings at the far end of the tone spectrum. They often seem to be missing "something". I've dabbled with flats and tapewounds and while I love some of the sounds I can get they never end up staying on for very long. Same thing with real bright strings. I have a set of Flex Steels on my 44-01 right now that I am trying to be patient with and hope they settle in. They have this fantastic piano like brilliance but there is something missing. Hell maybe it's just me as others swear by some of what I have just mentioned but I seldom get frustrated with my "middle of the road" strings.

Fat beams are not easy to find here.

My options are fender, ernie ball or di marzio strings. The other kinds of strings very rare here.

Which one should i consider using next?

 

[Pier_]

but you said that you saw them on the shelves...

don't get the Ernie Ball, they sound bright the first days, and then lose all the brightness. you need STEEL strings (not "nickel plated" nor "pure nickel").

buy them online. is usually cheaper and you'll find everything without problems.

 

[norralylth]

but you said that you saw them on the shelves...

don't get the Ernie Ball, they sound bright the first days, and then lose all the brightness. you need STEEL strings (not "nickel plated" nor "pure nickel").

buy them online. is usually cheaper and you'll find everything without problems.

True i saw them on the sheleves, just like my rotosound strings i saw only one packet. If you want to buy 2nd one, you cant find.

I agree with you about ordering the strings from the internet.

Do you recommend any steel string brands?