Strings For Harley Benton RB-414?

[TeeSee]

I'm a very old newbie. I played bass back in the 70's and 80's where you went into your music shop for strings and they'd only have a very small selection of rounds, flats or groundwounds.
Having now retaken up the bass a few years ago I've picked up a HB RB-414 amongst other basses. I've heavily modded it and just added a filtertron neck PU and rewired it V/T V/T.
I'm just a bedroom noodler these days, the strings are Daddario rounds but I put them on a year ago and the bottom 'E' now just sounds 'meh' no life at all.
I've recently put on a set of Elixir Nano's on my 5 string and they sound superb. But the HB is a superlong scale and it's difficult to get hold of the Elixir SL scale strings where I live. Does anyone have any suggestions whether some of the more mainstream manufacturers make a similar string? I like them ringing on the RB if that makes sense?
Cheers all.

 

[michael_t]

What's the actual measurement on that bass from where the ball end is seated to where the string clears the nut?

 

[TeeSee]

Thanks Michael for getting back, I'm going to have to take a flyer on this as I can't measure from the ball exactly due to the bridge, but it looks like 36" and 5/8 to about 36" and 3/4 or about 933 to 935 mm.
Cheers

 

[HaphAsSard]

View attachment 5293186 View attachment 5293188 Thanks Michael for getting back, I'm going to have to take a flyer on this as I can't measure from the ball exactly due to the bridge, but it looks like 36" and 5/8 to about 36" and 3/4 or about 933 to 935 mm.
Cheers

Possible good news is the Elixirs might fit. Most standard, long-scale strings nowadays are about 37" long ball to taper. Take out the E string from the five-string bass, or measure it, to be sure.

Can you also measure from the crown of the octave, 12th fret to the fretboard-side of the nut? This measurement, times two, gives us the nominal scale length (which is not relevant for your query, just me being curious). The Thomann site says 864mm, but I'm inferring something somewhat longer, from your pics.

 

[michael_t]

View attachment 5293186 View attachment 5293188 Thanks Michael for getting back, I'm going to have to take a flyer on this as I can't measure from the ball exactly due to the bridge, but it looks like 36" and 5/8 to about 36" and 3/4 or about 933 to 935 mm.
Cheers

Elixir "long scale" = 36.5" ball end to taper, which is shorter than the "long scale" by most other manufacturers. You should be able to use the "long scale" by most other brands as they range from 37" to 37.75" (ball end to taper/silk), including D'Addario, GHS, Dunlop, Ernie Ball, Rotosound, DR and SIT, etc. You won't be needing "extra long scale" strings by those companies.

 

[HaphAsSard]

Elixir "long scale" = 36.5" ball end to taper, which is shorter than the "long scale" by most other manufacturers.

The info may be outdated. Right now I'm holding in my hand an Elixir bronze 100 low E which tapers at 37.8" (is it because it's bronze? or tolerances? I don't know. That's why I suggested the OP check the length of the long-scale Elixir he owns).

 

[TeeSee]

Possible good news is the Elixirs might fit. Most standard, long-scale strings nowadays are about 37" long ball to taper. Take out the E string from the five-string bass, or measure it, to be sure.

Can you also measure from the crown of the octave, 12th fret to the fretboard-side of the nut? This measurement, times two, gives us the nominal scale length (which is not relevant for your query, just me being curious). The Thomann site says 864mm, but I'm inferring something somewhat longer, from your pics.

I think that's a very good idea thank you. I'll do that and let you know.
As an aside, it's strange when I mistakenly bought Long Scale D'addarios some time ago that the taper started just before the nut, so the long scales didn't fit this guitar.
But thanks to everyone for your help.

 

[PBandJazzBass]

I had Rotosound 66 Extra Long-Scale on mine and thought they sounded great.

 

[thickenbacker]

I use D’addario Chromes Light XL (Extra Long Scale), I tried their long scale initially but the silk/taper started a 1/2 inch before meeting the nut. So for reference I know that 37”-38” is ideal for the RB-414. I think other manufacturers tend to have that as their normal long scale length. Basically just do your research