String recommendation for comeback newbie?

[michael_t]

They may be too fat for you and may not fit your playing style, but I just put a set of Labella 760Ms on my P. Awesome fat, flat sound. IRRC, they go from 52 to 110. Had to file out the nut slots to accept the fat strings.
They are very comfortable to play.

No denying the La Bella 760M on a P is great.

However, it's definitely not something I would recommend to a newbie as a starting point of his string journey.

 

[Gravedigger Dav]

No denying the La Bella 760M on a P is great.

However, it's definitely not something I would recommend to a newbie as a starting point of his string journey.

I agree. That is way said they may be too fat. Also, if he is a metal guy, he won't like them. That's why I mentioned playing style.
IMHO, his only real problem is time. Once he gets his bass callouses, he'll be fine.
(and thanks for your vote of support for my setup. )

 

[michael_t]

(and thanks for your vote of support for my setup. )

P + La Bella Flats = Classic Thump.

I have a brand new set of 760FL (sorry, 0760M would be a tad too heavy for me) waiting to be put on my yet-to-be-acquired P bass. Something to look forward to.

 

[Gravedigger Dav]

P + La Bella Flats = Classic Thump.

I have a brand new set of 760FL (sorry, 0760M would be a tad too heavy for me) waiting to be put on my yet-to-be-acquired P bass. Something to look forward to.

Fat Bottom Women and Fat Flat Strings make the world go 'round.
Looking forward to the pics on your NBD.

 

[GIBrat51]

If you're not sure where to start, always start with something that's considered "middle of the road" and work your way from there once you have clearer ideas on what you want in terms of both tone and feel according to your personal preference.

My recommendation would be the D'Addario EXL170BT Light Gauge Nickel Rounds Balanced Tension Set (45-60-80-107).

Why this particular set? Several considerations:

• Readily available and affordable.
• Nickel rounds are probably the most versatile in the sense they're suited for a lot of different musical styles.
• Nickel-plated steel (NPS) is generally easier on your fingers due to its smoother texture compared to stainless steel (SS).
• The light-gauge set would be easy enough for your fretting hand without being too floppy for your plucking fingers.

Hope this helps.

Yeah, can't really fault this as a place to start. For personal reasons, though, I always start with EB Hybrid Slinkys; which, IMO, is another decent middle-of-the road string. Then, you can go off in other directions, depending on what you decide you want. Since I have.. several... basses, I can afford to be a little specialized in the strings/sound I want from a particular bass; but not everyone has that option. Play that bass; build up the proper calluses; and have fun.

 

[Linnin]

My recommendation would be the D'Addario EXL170BT Light Gauge Nickel Rounds Balanced Tension Set (45-60-80-107).

Somehow I missed this recommendation of yours, michael_t. Sorry about that, and yes I think they're far better than your 'run-of-the-mill' NPS hex core rounds. Anyway I hope the OP enjoys the set he has ordered.

 

[michael_t]

D'Addario EXL170BT's are on order based on your recommendations.

Make sure to report back how they work for you so we can provide you with further guidance, if needed.

 

[vindibona1]

Update... New string day!

The the EXL170BT's today and had to put them on right away. Did a couple seconds of testing before the change for comparison.

Disclaimer: For the moment I am playing thru a standard Line 6 Spider II 75/12 guitar amp at lower volume levels.

I was hoping for strings that would be smoother and easier to slide around on than the preexisting strings. Basically the same texture as those that I had. That's the bad news. The good news is that these strings are significantly brighter and twangier. Before I would leave the tone pot full up as turning it down would only make the sound dull. Now with tone pot on 10 it gets a bright piano-like sound (with both pickups on) but turning the tone down to around 4 can bring more of the bass guitar sound that you'd expect on a Beatles record. I could hear the snappiness of the sound even before plugging it into the amp.

The initial setup readjustment was simple. The low E buzzed a little more than I like and though I didn't do any measurements, I eyeballed the relief and loosened the truss rod less than 1/4 of a turn, maybe 1/8. Very slight. Seems fine now. String height is now 5/64ths at the 15th fret on the high G side and 6/64th's on the low E side. Seemingly no change in string height. Q)I'm supposed to measure basses at the 15th, right? On standard 6 string guitars I typically measure at the 17th.

I think in the future I may go for a bit smoother strings. This guitar can probably stand a string that is a hair more mellow, but these are fine for now. $16 hardly broke the bank. I have no idea how long the strings had been on it or if they'd ever been changed.

Thanks for all your help guys. Comments are certainly welcome and appreciated.

 

[Toptube]

As far as full on roundwounds go: Daddarios usually get good comments on ease of use for slides and general feel on the fingertips. give it a few days. Additionally, they will mellow out quite a bit. If you end up liking the feel, the twang and bite will subside after awhile. I'm actually not a big fan of Daddario's new tone. But they are one of my favorite broken in, two months old, tones.

If you want a string which is smoother in feel and sound, when new: you can try Dean Markley's nickel plated Blue Steels (confusing name, as there is a stainless steel version of the blue steels, which are more famous). These strings are relatively mellow from the start and have a smoother feel.

Making a splash on Talkbass right now, are Dunlop superbrights. The nickel plated version have a fairly outrageous tone when new and which lasts for about 3 weeks (of bedroom practice). After that, they start to age toward a really nice happy medium tone where they strike a nice balance between warmth and a little crunch. I think mine are . The feel on the finger tips is quite good, as well. Mine are 6 weeks old and I'm still quite happy with them.

 

[Klonk]

..or go flatwounds

 

[96Brigadier]

Rotosound Flats are not what I would consider a good "middle of the road" starting point for a newbie. In fact, based on all the research I've done, I have no interest in them for myself.

If you would like to try a set of flats, I would recommend the Fender 9050L (45-60-80-100) as a good entry point to the world of flats. I have them on my Fender Jazz and love the way they sound and feel!

I'm a newbie and personally I like the Roto 77's, favorite string to date. To each their own.

 

[vindibona1]

I'm a newbie and personally I like the Roto 77's, favorite string to date. To each their own.

So far I'm ok with the round wounds even though the next time I'm going to try the Roto 77's. Just coming up to speed on bass techique and learning some riffs. I played bass back in the day so it's not like I'm learning a foreign language but there are a lot of new techniques that weren't the thing in the 60's and 70's. So much different.