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Strings for vintage Music Man basses

R

rjlionheart

Apr 28, 2012
10
0
#1
Does anybody have any recommendations on strings for a 1979 vintage Music Man Stingray bass? I generally use flatwounds. I just installed Rotosound 77 Jazz flatwounds and I'm not crazy for the tone - a bit too much metallic sounding for me.

Also, how about flatwounds for a 1979 Music Man Sabre Fretless with Rosewood fingerboard?

Another thing... On the '79 Sting Ray, it has through-body strings. I noticed D'Addario strings are not long enough to string this bass. The silk end windings lay on the nut slots. Are these lengths long scale or extra long scale?

Thanks,
RJ

:bassist:
 
#3
I've used stainless DR highbeams or R Coccos. Love 'em.

But about a year ago, in a pinch I picked up a set of nickel GHS Boomers for a gig and was pleasantly suprised on how good they sounded on the old Ray, and they lasted me several months too. It had been 20 years since I used them.

I've never got along with EB slinkys in either tone or any kind of longetivity.
 
#4
Since the Ray strings thru the body, do you need to use Long Scale or Extra Long Scale strings? D'Addario's are too short - the fabric wrapping extends onto the nut slots with the long scales, while the Rotosound Long Scales just clear the nut slots.
 
#5
On my string thru Ray's, all three I mentioned above fit perfect. And in the case of the Boomers with the silk wrap, they fit properly, meaning the wrapping stayed on the heastock side and didn't touch the nut.

But I've been in love with the R Coccos most of all, and they offer a nickel string too (and no silk wrap) which I've been using the nickels on a couple basses.
 
#6
Caca de Kick said:
I've used stainless DR highbeams or R Coccos. Love 'em.

But about a year ago, in a pinch I picked up a set of nickel GHS Boomers for a gig and was pleasantly suprised on how good they sounded on the old Ray, and they lasted me several months too. It had been 20 years since I used them.

I've never got along with EB slinkys in either tone or any kind of longetivity.
Click to expand...

I usually prefer DR strings and other brands like Fodera.... But on my Bongo and Stingray the Slinkies sounded the best but just didn't last long enough. Not sure what it was about the strings but they paired perfectly... Seeing as how they're the same parent company it makes sense.
 
#9
Leo used GHS strings. They first shipped with Precision Flats, and by mid '79 when I bought my first StingRay at least some came with Brite-Flats and some with Boomers.

When EB bought the rights to Music Man they weren't making strings themselves. EB was D'Addario's west-coast warehouse and all EB strings were D'Addario.

Doesn't matter though because the best strings for ANY bass are the ones that work best for the particular player. Bernard Edwards, Louis Johnson, and Pino Pallidino all made great classic bass parts on pre EB StingRays using very different strings at the time- Edwards used unknown flats, Johnson used D'Addario Nickle rounds, and Pino used very light Rotosound stainless steel. Abe Laboriel used GHS Brite Flats (on a fretless Sabre) for much of his session work (especially the CHIPS TV work) as did Joel DiBartolo with Doc Severenson on the real Tonight show.

John
 
#12
Interesting info JTE, I recently put some GHS precision flats on my 96 Sterling, and was totally blown away by how good they sound on that bass for what I do. It really revived my enjoyment of that instrument, and it's all I've been playing since. I've got the Nordstand pickup in there FWIW, which is supposed to sound more like an old AlNiCo stingray pickup.
 
#16
Strings for vintage Music Man basses
Does anybody have any recommendations on strings for a 1979 vintage Music Man Stingray bass? I generally use flatwounds. I just installed Rotosound 77 Jazz flatwounds and I'm not crazy for the tone - a bit too much metallic sounding for me.

Also, how about flatwounds for a 1979 Music Man Sabre Fretless with Rosewood fingerboard?

Another thing... On the '79 Sting Ray, it has through-body strings. I noticed D'Addario strings are not long enough to string this bass. The silk end windings lay on the nut slots. Are these lengths long scale or extra long scale?

Thanks,
RJ

:bassist:
 

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