String Help

[Ray Higginson]

Hi All,
I hope you are all well.
I’m a relative newbie so if possible could you answer my question please?
After learning the bass (to some degree, at least!) I decided to purchase a different bass and up-grade to a better bass guitar. So, I’ve just purchased a Squier mustang bass. It is described as ‘shorter than a trad bass’ but I want to change the strings.
Ideally, I want to put on ‘Black Beauties’ Now, on Amazon I can see that these Black Beauties are sold as ‘long scale’ &/ or ‘short scale’ -
As these particular strings are quite expensive (£40 per pack!) I want to make sure I get the correct size strings. Would I be right in thinking that I’d need ‘short scale’ strings for my new mustang bass? Will short scale strings fit?
Many thanks for you time.
Best wishes
Ray

 

[michael_t]

Ideally, I want to put on ‘Black Beauties’ Now, on Amazon I can see that these Black Beauties are sold as ‘long scale’ &/ or ‘short scale’ -
As these particular strings are quite expensive (£40 per pack!) I want to make sure I get the correct size strings.

Does your Mustang have the thru-body option? If so, the "short scale" Black Beauties would fit fine as they're 33.75" in winding length (ball end to taper), which is longer than the "short scale" strings by most other manufacturers.

 

[Ray Higginson]

Does your Mustang have the thru-body option? If so, the "short scale" Black Beauties would fit fine as they're 33.75" in winding length (ball end to taper), which is longer than the "short scale" strings by most other manufacturers.

Hi,
Yes, it is through body. Thank you very much; I’ve just ordered a set of the short scale BB’s. I hear that they are supposed to sound gorgeous. Thanks again,
Ray

 

[michael_t]

I hear that they are supposed to sound gorgeous.

Well, that would be a matter of personal taste.

 

[Ray Higginson]

Well, that would be a matter of personal taste.

Hi
Have you heard or played them before?
I’m looking for a deeper, jazzier sound & was told that BB’s sound the nearest to an acoustic double bass you can get, without actually getting a (huge) double bass!
If I continue to make progress what - in your expertise & opinion - would be a suitable or ‘best’ bass to get, to get that ‘mellow’ jazz sound? I’m guessing a ‘jazz bass’? But I’m not entirely sure. If you’ve ever heard the jazz album (Kind of Blue) by Miles Davis THAT’s the sound I’m after...!?
Many thanks
Ray

 

[Gorn]

Hi
Have you heard or played them before?
I’m looking for a deeper, jazzier sound & was told that BB’s sound the nearest to an acoustic double bass you can get, without actually getting a (huge) double bass!
If I continue to make progress what - in your expertise & opinion - would be a suitable or ‘best’ bass to get, to get that ‘mellow’ jazz sound? I’m guessing a ‘jazz bass’? But I’m not entirely sure. If you’ve ever heard the jazz album (Kind of Blue) by Miles Davis THAT’s the sound I’m after...!?
Many thanks
Ray

You've mistaken black nylon tapewounds for black beauties. The DR strings are just regular rounds that are black. The nylons are generally perceived to be uprightish in tone. They're not. No electric bass sounds like an upright. It's an unrealistic expectation lots of people have.

 

[michael_t]

I’m looking for a deeper, jazzier sound & was told that BB’s sound the nearest to an acoustic double bass you can get, without actually getting a (huge) double bass!

I haven't used Black Beauties for myself. What I do know is they're coated stainless steel roundwound on a round core, and as such, they're NOT designed to emulate the sound of an upright bass. There are better options for that.

As @Gorn already mentioned above, you should be looking into black nylon tapewounds for what you're trying to accomplish, although I do agree with him that no strings designed for the electric bass would be able to emulate the upright tone exactly.

 

[Ray Higginson]

You've mistaken black nylon tapewounds for black beauties. The DR strings are just regular rounds that are black. The nylons are generally perceived to be uprightish in tone. They're not. No electric bass sounds like an upright. It's an unrealistic expectation lots of people have.

Hi
Many thanks for your reply! As I ordered these on Amazon I was able to cancel the order - as I’ve done exactly what you said, namely I've mistaken BB’s for nylon strings!! I should have sought advice BEFORE ordering them!
Many thanks again!
Ray

 

[michael_t]

I've mistaken BB’s for nylon strings!!

Tru Bass 88 Nylon Tapewound Medium | 65-115 • Rotosound Music Strings

Rotosound "medium scale" = 35.25" in winding length (ball end to silk) = long enough for the thru-body Mustang.

The only thing is you might need to widen the nut slots to accommodate the gauges.

 

[coy garcia]

I really like the black beauties on my fretted basses...they sound great and hold up well. Short scale was the right choice otherwise they would be a little too loose and your action would have to be set higher to compensate...in my experience.. On my fretless basses (which I play almost 100%) I like the feel and tone of chromes.

 

[Ray Higginson]

Tru Bass 88 Nylon Tapewound Medium | 65-115 • Rotosound Music Strings

Rotosound "medium scale" = 35.25" in winding length (ball end to silk) = long enough for the thru-body Mustang.

The only thing is you might need to widen the nut slots to accommodate the gauges.

Hi
Many thanks!! These are the ones!
I’ve just ordered a set of these on Amazon & they are much cheaper than the BB’s too!

 

[Lenny JG]

I remember when I thought 40$ a pack was expensive. Haha

 

[ThomasTronics]

If your new i wouldn't delve into tapewounds just yet, they have a totally different feel and tension.

I have black beauties on 2 of my basses and they last long and so sound great.

 

[Paul New]

Yes, with the rotosound tapewound strings our Mustang will sound exactly like Paul Chambers on Kind of Blue. Now, you merely have to learn the notes!

 

[Pirate Captain]

Hi
Have you heard or played them before?
I’m looking for a deeper, jazzier sound & was told that BB’s sound the nearest to an acoustic double bass you can get, without actually getting a (huge) double bass!
If I continue to make progress what - in your expertise & opinion - would be a suitable or ‘best’ bass to get, to get that ‘mellow’ jazz sound? I’m guessing a ‘jazz bass’? But I’m not entirely sure. If you’ve ever heard the jazz album (Kind of Blue) by Miles Davis THAT’s the sound I’m after...!?
Many thanks
Ray

There are a lot of threads about this....but the general consensus is that it is extremely difficult to get an upright sound from an electric bass. If you want an upright sound you might want to consider an electric upright ("stick") bass or a Kala U-Bass (or knockoff). A Fender "Jazz" isn't going to sound any "jazzier" than any other bass.

 

[Ray Higginson]

Hi all,
So, my black nylon strings arrived & I put them on my new mustang bass. However, I fear I rushed-in too quickly (I should have waited for all of your advice first!) because after installing my strings I think they are too ‘thick’ / wide for the nut(??)
I’m not confident to get a file and start filing a brand new bass! I think the strings are too high...? Although I’m not sure!!! I know that sounds a daft things to say but I’ve limited experience. I’ve lowered the action as much as I can before there is string buzz & although I am very, very pleased with the ‘woody’ sound they make - they are also incredibly quiet; I have to turn-up the volume high to hear the D & G strings.
Thus, is there such a thing as strings being too high? Would filing the nut help? Or am I just being paranoid & fretting (pardon the pun) about nothing?
And have any of you any experience with nylon strings being quiet?
Lastly, the quality of this Squier is fantastic: it plays well (despite my issues above), it looks fab & appears & feels very well made! However, some people can make disparaging remarks about squire basses: there is too much snobbery around, I think! I absolutely love this thing & it was ‘only’ £335!
With Very Best wishes
Ray

 

[michael_t]

I fear I rushed-in too quickly (I should have waited for all of your advice first!) because after installing my strings I think they are too ‘thick’ / wide for the nut(??)

I did warn you about the gauges being too thick for the standard nut slots. See post #9.

Also, did you get the "short scale" set (32.25" ball end to silk) instead of the "medium scale" (35.25" ball end to silk) that was recommended for the thru-body Mustang? I ask because the start of the silk is just below the nut, which indicates they're "short scale".

 

[GIBrat51]

View attachment 4706794 View attachment 4706795 View attachment 4706796 View attachment 4706797 View attachment 4706798 Hi all,
So, my black nylon strings arrived & I put them on my new mustang bass. However, I fear I rushed-in too quickly (I should have waited for all of your advice first!) because after installing my strings I think they are too ‘thick’ / wide for the nut(??)
I’m not confident to get a file and start filing a brand new bass! I think the strings are too high...? Although I’m not sure!!! I know that sounds a daft things to say but I’ve limited experience. I’ve lowered the action as much as I can before there is string buzz & although I am very, very pleased with the ‘woody’ sound they make - they are also incredibly quiet; I have to turn-up the volume high to hear the D & G strings.
Thus, is there such a thing as strings being too high? Would filing the nut help? Or am I just being paranoid & fretting (pardon the pun) about nothing?
And have any of you any experience with nylon strings being quiet?
Lastly, the quality of this Squier is fantastic: it plays well (despite my issues above), it looks fab & appears & feels very well made! However, some people can make disparaging remarks about squire basses: there is too much snobbery around, I think! I absolutely love this thing & it was ‘only’ £335!
With Very Best wishes
Ray

I did warn you about the gauges being too thick for the standard nut slots. See post #9.

Also, did you get the "short scale" set (32.25" ball end to silk) instead of the "medium scale" (35.25" ball end to silk) that was recommended for the thru-body Mustang? I ask because the start of the silk is just below the nut, which indicates they're "short scale".

Yeah, that's definitely an "oopsie". But, that's how some of us learn, so... chalk it up to experience, and move on. In the future, you'll know that tapewounds require at least a couple of nut slots to be opened up. All of them on your bass, apparently... I had to do it to a couple of my basses, too, when I put Tapes on them. One of them - an old,, left handed Korean-made Rogue VB-100 violin bass - still wears Roto 88 Tapes. For several reasons...
As for wanting to sound like an upright bass? As others have mentioned; it's... not really possible, with a fretted electric bass. Best you can do with any electric Bass guitar, is to get somewhere in the ballpark. Which I can do with the Rogue, provided I play it like an upright bass, as best as I can. Playing technique does count for a lot... I can sorta fake an upright with one of my long scale Danelectro DC59s, too. It's a semi-hollow bass, with La Bella Flats on it. But, in any case, "sorta" and "fake it" are the operative words, and trying to sound like an upright bass was not my intent, anyway.
In any case... have fun with your Mustang!