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Strings for AGB newbie

BLDavis

BLDavis

May the Tort be with you.
May 21, 2009
1,258
1,833
Ellenboro, NC
#1
I asked this question over in the Bass section as a reply to another post. I hope it's ok to ask here as well.
I'm picking up a Thundercheif next week and I have a question for those of you who have owned them. What strings worked best for you? This is my first ABG so I'm starting from scratch. I'll be using it mainly for un-plugged bluegrass and Americana. I've played a few in stores or at jams and was usually unimpressed. All of them had RW electric bass strings that felt, sounded and played like crap. Been playing Jazz basses for 40ish years, mostly with flats or tapes so I'm thinking I'll start there. . All opinions welcome and appreciated.
Thanks, B.
 
#2
For what you're doing, I'd say go with the highest gauge tapewound you can stand, and keep the action on the high side. It's the only way you'll even begin have enough bass in an unplugged bluegrass jam.

Personally, I prefer a played-in set of bronze roundwounds on ABG. They are louder than flats and tapes, much higher tension than nickel rounds, thus driving the top better. I have tried all the strings on my ABG's. With bronze , I can play Americana (I play in a roots band myself), Celtic, Bluegrass, and yet pick up a heavy pick and also play Violent Femmes. It's a trade-off.
 
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#5
bholder said:
The GHS Pressurewound Bronze are my favorites - all the volume of bronze rounds, but none of the finger squeaks and noise.
Click to expand...
GHS Pressurewound Bronze is also what I have currently on my ABG for the exact same reasons (bronze volume with less finger squeaks). Previously it had Elixir 80/20 Bronze Nanoweb, due to the same reasons.
 
#10
I've tried rounds, flats and tapes on my ABG.
I did record a nice song on flats, but eventually stuck with tapes (I've got an ABG with a plastic back and I thought flats sounded too plasticky on it). try both.

as for 50-105 vs 60-115, tried both, but didn't feel like thicker strings made it louder. in any case it's not a loud instrument, it's okay for some quiet unplugged rehearsals, but not really more.

as I side note, just yesterday tuned my ABG to drop D and was surprised it does handle it somewhat better than my electric.
 
#12
Clicked to find out what an AGB was!

I've tried any number of strings with mine and it was always a compromise between volume and tone. For sheer volume and the ability to get some definition with a small group of acoustic instruments, I prefer round wounds. I've even had the bridge and nut replaced with bone. That seemed to shift the mids a bit, but it wasn't the drastic change I was hoping for. In the end I've come to realize several things. A) I come from an electric bass background and it's never going to be that. B) If I'm playing thing anything bigger than living room, it's most likely going to require a little amplification. And I do mean little; I keep several Peavey Microbass amps around for this purpose. They're cheap and readily available. Hoping to find a great deal on a Roland Microcube, just for the battery factor. And C) When I play this bass I'm supposed to be emulating an upright bass, which means my parts should be reflecting that, and not just electric parts played on an acoustic bass. Old habits die hard. And for that reason, I should probably re-investigate flats or tapes on that bass. Someday.

And as I do every time a Thunderchief thread comes up- If anybody has a line on a hard shell case for this bass, please pass it on! Half the reason this bass doesn't go out very much is the lack of protection the gig bag it's offers. TIA.
 
#13
trevcda said:
And as I do every time a Thunderchief thread comes up- If anybody has a line on a hard shell case for this bass, please pass it on! Half the reason this bass doesn't go out very much is the lack of protection the gig bag it's offers. TIA.
Click to expand...
Have you test fit one of these? https://www.musiciansfriend.com/acc...eight-acoustic-bass-guitar-case#productDetail
  • Interior dimensions:
  • Body length: 25"
  • Body height: 6-1/2"
  • Upper bout: 13-3/4"
  • Lower bout: 17-1/4"
  • Middle bout: 12"
I don't remember this case being quite that expensive when I got it, but that was probably 12 years ago.
 

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