Found out by accident that my wife is getting me a Paranormal Rascal bass for Christmas, FedEx didn't know better and left it on the front porch. I'm not much for round wound strings lately, prefer the sound and feel of flats. My Fender Jazz has Labella Low Tension Flats, Sire U5 has Labella Deep Talking Flats, and Eastwood Classic 4 has medium scale GHS Precision Flats. I know that the Rascal is string thru body only, so pretty sure standard short scale strings might be a bit too short. Does anyone know the length from ball end to nut on these basses as well as ball end to E tuner? Thought I saw 32.75" somewhere, but can't find it again. Has anyone put flats on theirs? If so, what gauges and brand? Once had a short scale jaguar bass with D'Addario tapes on it, liked that sound too. Prefer lower tension vs bridge cables{Roto77s}.
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String recommendations for Paranormal Rascal...
- Thread starter unclebass
- Start date
TI Jazz Flats. Or TI Jazz Rounds.
LowEnd Lobster, among others, reported (and demo'd on Youtube) good success with the La Bella 760FS Mustangs
Leak? Squier Paranormal Rascal Bass HH
(edited to add actual post link instead of my bookmark)
Leak? Squier Paranormal Rascal Bass HH
(edited to add actual post link instead of my bookmark)
Maybe you can consider on new launch EB Cobalt flat short scale.
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I remember trying those and they were too short for my string through 30” scale bases.
On the rascal, I started with TI flats, put regular cobalt flats on with no immediate problem but ultimately ended up with labella MUS which fit perfectly and sound great. I think they are staying. On the rascal the labellas can sound like Duck Dunn imitating Duck Dunn playing Duck Dunn.
I tried brighter strings and rounds but this bass/pickups really shine with flats. The rascal doesn’t seem to bring out the zing of rounds in a pleasing way to me.
I would not try long scale labella’s on here, but I did get long scale cobalts to work for a month with no problems. Probably shouldn’t really use any long scale flats on a short scale.
I remember trying those and they were too short for my string through 30” scale bases.
On the rascal, I started with TI flats, put regular cobalt flats on with no immediate problem but ultimately ended up with labella MUS which fit perfectly and sound great. I think they are staying. On the rascal the labellas can sound like Duck Dunn imitating Duck Dunn playing Duck Dunn.
I tried brighter strings and rounds but this bass/pickups really shine with flats. The rascal doesn’t seem to bring out the zing of rounds in a pleasing way to me.
I would not try long scale labella’s on here, but I did get long scale cobalts to work for a month with no problems. Probably shouldn’t really use any long scale flats on a short scale.
Agree, Rascal i play at music store sound more to ballsy dark to my ears. Darker than my Squier CV50P with aged LTF4A with 60% tone knob dial back.
Whatever you go with, you might consider a brighter flatwound.
My experience has been the Fender style bass humbuckers tend to be pretty dark. An already dark string may only muddy the waters further.
The EB Cobalt Flats were already suggested. Maybe Rotosound 77’s or D’Addario Chromes?
My experience has been the Fender style bass humbuckers tend to be pretty dark. An already dark string may only muddy the waters further.
The EB Cobalt Flats were already suggested. Maybe Rotosound 77’s or D’Addario Chromes?
I just bought one and love it. It's got massive low end as well as a great midrange voice with either of 3 pu combinations. It's basic darkness is why I kept the not bad nickel rounds on it it came with (I think D'Addario XL--4 colored ball ends) theyre ok but at some point I'll try the EB Cobalt flats... I do use LaBella LTF on a few bases (Guild starfire, Sterling Ray5, XL Jazz) but Cobalt for semi hollow body Reverend Dub King are Perfect...more attack/less sustain, darker than round wound but still blending in the high end like rounds for 2 stop chords (which I use allot). DR Blues might also be the answer for this bass.
I wish I had strings I could recommend, right now I am working on getting a Rascal... so jealous I hope you enjoy it! When I get my I want to put on La Bella I am thinking but I may give a try with some rounds or tapes... still figuring it out. Enjoy your new bass!
30" scale neck according to Fender:
...Other player-friendly details of this model include a short and easy-to-play 30" scale length, a slim and comfortable "C"-shape neck profile, and a gloss neck finish for a slick yet confident feel.
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Throw some D'Addario Half rounds on it. I'm a big flats/tapes person myself. But recently got into using half rounds on one of my jazz basses. Have really enjoyed them so far.
He asked about length from ball to nut, not scale length. The new Rascal has a Mustang-type bridge, with string-through-body loading.
Fender bass, Fender stock strings.
I’m thinking of picking one of these up and putting flats on it, too. Will be watching this thread for updates.
String through body prevents some “short scale” strings from working. I’m bummed I couldn’t get the new short scale cobalt flats to work.
GHS Boomers have a short scale offering with a heavier gauge, and Boomers are on the stiffer side of rounds which is beneficial at 30”. The new string zing mellows out quickly and they settle into a low mid forward sound with a touch of edge. Rounds with foam under the strings sound killer as a flat wound alternative if you need an old school thump sound or fast decaying pick tone. Cool instrument! I wish I could play one in my gig.
I didn't realize Fender and Squier were that familial. Or that Fender had multiple color ball ends. Because Ive never bought them.
btw I put EB Cobalt flat long scale on a Reverend Dubking short scale with string through body, and they fit fine.
Will La Bella Low Tension Flats work on the thru-body Squier Paranormal Rascal Bass? In particular, is the ball end of the string flexible enough to get up and over the bridge? (I know the Deep Talkin Flats for the older Mustang bass will work.) Thanks.
I thought I read somewhere that because of this Bridge and string through that regular short scale strings would not work on this bass. I am going to try some GHS Balanced Nickel Strings on this may have to use long scale if they do not make med scale
Do you already own the bass? Can you mark one of the strings with a sharpie where it meets the nut, then where the E string tuning post is (or would be, if you pick a different string), then remove it and measure the distance between each mark and the ball-end?
If the first measurement is 32.75" or lower, the short-scale Balanced Nickels will fit. The second measurement, as well as the diameter of the post times pi, will give you an idea how much full-gauge string will be wound on the post if you get the long-scale GHS (they taper at 37.25" from the ball).
I believe the Labella MUS strings are 34 inches to silks, pretty sure I’ve seen it written somewhere that ball end to nut on this bass is 32.75 inches, which makes most short sets too short and some medium sets too long. I pre-purchased a set of DR Legends shorts since they are 33 to 33.5 inches to the silks. If I’m not happy with them, the next ones I will try will be the MUS set.
