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String choice for Lakland 44-60 jazz bass

TheRealGru

TheRealGru

Supporting Member
Sep 28, 2013
687
1,033
Chicago, IL
#1
I spent literally all afternoon digging through posts trying to find a thread about this and here we are.

I'm about to get a Lakland 44-60 jazz bass and was wondering if any Lakland owners can help me pick some good string for it. I think bass will be strung with the Lakland SS. I'll give it a shot but I'm more of a round nickel guy (my 77 P bass wears TIs).

Any ideas on what sounds good on these basses?

Any input would be appreciated.
 
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#9
michael_t said:
If you have TI's on your P-bass, can we assume you like something fairly flexible and supple feeling on your J-bass as well? If so, Dunlop Super Bright Nickels and DR Sunbeams, mentioned above, are both good options. You might want to consider DR Pure Blues as well.
Click to expand...

michael_t,

I'm using GHS (your favorite brand I think?) Steels right now and my fingers are hurting. Lol. Have not played SS forever. Which of the two you recommended would be with a little bit less tension than GHS Steels (LAKLAND SS)? I am ready to put some nickels! I know, I know... And I'm not a wuss!

I got both Dunlops and DRs in my drawer.
 
#10
TheRealGru said:
Which of the two you recommended would be with a little bit less tension than GHS Steels (LAKLAND SS)? I am ready to put some nickels! I know, I know... And I'm not a wuss!

I got both Dunlops and DRs in my drawer.
Click to expand...

Comparing similar gauges, both the DR Sunbeams and Dunlop Super Brights are noticeably looser-feeling than the GHS Super Steels. So, it would be your personal choice between the two.
 
#12
I tried DR Hi Beams (ok but rough on my fingers and couldn't stand the string noise), LoRiders (didn't like the stiffness), Sunbeams (nice and warm but too polite) and settled down on ... Pure Blues. Damn! These on my 44-60 and the deep switch engaged on Mesa TT-800, and I was in heaven! Could not put the bass down. I think, unless these aren't going to sound good in the mix, I got no reason to swap them for anything else, for now.
 
#13
My DR PureBlues set died quickly :( Less then a month? Is that normal for every other day playing?

I ghad liked DR Sunbeams I had before, but thought they were too mellow. I need a little bit of more kick to it but no zingyness. I was thinking of trying D'Addario NYXLs 45-105 on this bass. Any feedback on this pair? I used them before on the Fender Jazz I had and I liked them. Not sure what to expect from this Lakland?
 
#14
I ended trying XL from D'Addario by a recommendation of one of the TBers. Simply, not surprised this string set is considered one of the best sellers. I am kind of embarrassed to say this is the first time I tried these XLs, ever. They sound so good on my Lakland. I am sure there are other brands that would sound good too but so far I am impressed. Hope they don't die as quickly as DR PBs.
 
#15
Since then, I have exclusively been using Sunbeams. Safe bet on Jazz. I got string GAS :) and got myself a set of TI JF344, to arrive on Tuesday. While I'm a bit OCD and hate silks, I can't wait to put these on my Lakland 44-60. To be continued...

I hope this will be a good change and I have couple of sets of Sunbeams in hand, just in case
 
#17
Ti were a good choice for flexible and hopefully they last. The other thing that might work for you if you want more brightness would be Marcus Miller super brights by Dunlop. I've heard that ti strings really hold up well though so you should be good for a while. SIT foundations might work for you down the road. I'll try them at some point since I've tried Dunlop a few times and never had a bad string.
 
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#18
The strings arrived!

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#19
TI's JF344 installed. First thoughts (am not that good at describing sound):

First of all. Very solid strings and nice midrange forward sounds coming out of the bass. Really pleased and quite suprised. I was expecting somewhat hollow type of sound out of them at first. I got solid, midrange tones and nothing like the flats I had imagined, listened to via headphones on YouTube.

To be honest, I had had Chromes on my old Fender Precision in the past, but they sounded not even close to this Jazz/TI combo.

Now, after over an hour long playing session at living room volume levels, my finger tips are now sore. Weird, as I don't have that issue with any type of nickel strings, even when brand new.

Question:

They are somewhat sticky. Will that go away? I wonder if that contributed to the sore fingertips. Not a big deal as I am sure this will go away eventually.

I will use them at tomorrow's rehearsal in part band setting. Hoping to still really like them then. I read they sit really well in the mix.
 

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