Hey Guys (and gals ), Okay, so before christmas i bought myself a 62' P-Bass reissue. Guy was using lots of drop tuning, so has pretty heavy roundwounds on them. They're nice and all, but i prefer a lighter string. Also like the feel of Flats, but never actually used a pair on my own bass. I play mostly rocky, alternativey stuff, but wanna get better at slap. I like a bit of high end, so you can hear the bass cut through without being TOO bright, especially on the D and G. Any suggestions for strings? Thanks All, _Kar.
Hm, for now I wouldn't recommend flats if you're looking to do some slap. I personally slap on flats on occasion but I prefer the sound of slapped rounds. Just cuts through more, you might want to look into half rounds I think if you want to go near flats. As far as warm but not overly bright, DR nickel sunbeams might be you ticket? You might need a new nut if it's been cut too deep.
You know, your specification is just too varied - you like flats, you want to work on slap, they have to be bright but not too much. Hard to say what you would like. What gauge is there now? Are you used to 45 gauge? I would suggest 45 DR Sunbeams nickels. They cut through very well and are gentle to fingers.
Hmm, halfrounds are tempting. Can anyone suggest any good ones? I hear they can feel a little weird? I do quite like the idea of the halfrounds, but how do they work in practise? I live in ireland, so i kinda have to order online, havnt managed to find any really good local string places. Currently not sure what gauge or make is on it currently. They're heavy though. On my old bass i have D'Addario prosteel lights, i think.. probably 40-90 or something. I dont want to order/buy that many, i could probably get 2 sets of "good" strings? Possibly Halfrounds and something else. Ideas? _Kar. Edit: I Have tried Flats before, on a fretless jazz though. I quite liked them, but they mightn't be as nice on a fretted P.
Ok, been browsing the web obsessively. Gonna go for some Dean Marley Blue Steels, i think. I've read some excellent reviews about them, so they seem like a good bet. (if not, please tell me ) If they're much thinner than my current ones, can you predict any potential problems? possibly at the nut? _Kar.
DR Nickel Lo-Riders - sound should be similar to Sunbeams but the strigns will be a little stiffer because of the hex core. Personally, I like higher tension strings on P Basses.