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Strings recommendations for Fender Am Pro II P Bass V

K

KoalaBass

Aug 12, 2011
242
80
#1
Hi everyone!
Recently got this Miami blue five string P bass, my first venture into the world of fivers.
If you have/have had one, which strings did you have success with? Mostly regarding the B string (intonation, blending well with the rest, etc…).
Right now it has 40-125 EB slinkies on, which work pretty well IMO. I did try Rotosound 40-125 very briefly but the B string was still sharp even with the bridge saddle maxed out. And the tone wasn’t very good either, lots of overtones, which the Ernie Ball don’t have.

I will be placing an order soon on thomann, I’m looking at the following sets (all rounds, in the 40-95 - 40-100 range):
-Labella RX 40-118, nickels and steels
-DR Hi-Beam 40-120
-Daddario XL 40-125, or Pro Steels 40-125
-GHS Boomers 40-120 (although I fear those may be too dark)

I think I’ll try some steels anyway to see If I get a clearer B (and will probably get a spare set of slinkies just in case).

Have you had any good/bad experience with any of those?


(not looking to start a debate on 34 inches vs 35 inches scale for a clear B string, just want to get the best I can out of I have ;))
 

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#2
I don't own a Fender Am Pro II P V as such, but finding a set with a decent B string for my two Yamaha 5-string basses has been a journey with lots of experiments.

That said, I'm quite happy with the SIT Power Wound Nickel 40-100 and the exposed-core 125B that I've been trying for the last couple of months. In fact, I like them enough to have another few sets on order, this time with the taperwound 130B to try out.
 
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#7
I've used all of those strings. I can't speak to how they match up with your particular bass since I'm not a Fender player, but I can speak to my personal experience with those strings on the various basses I've used them on over the years.

LaBella Rx
If you are a nickel player thinking of trying steels, I would recommend the LaBella RX steels. I currently have the 40-118 steel set on a 34" scale 5-string and they feel, sound, and intonate nicely. The texture feels less rough and the sound's warmer than most steel strings (and even some nickel strings) I've tried. I don't know what sorcery LaBella uses to make that 118 B feel and sound tighter than some thicker-gauged Bs from other brands, but it is a damn good B.

I've tried the LaBella Rx nickels 40-118 on another bass and while they feel great (in terms of both suppleness and texture) and sound alright, they don't stand out from the nickel round crowd. If you're going to go LaBella Rx, go with the steels. They're something special.

D'Addario
You can't go wrong with D'Addario either. To me they look good, feel good, sound good, intonate very well, last a long time for me, are available everywhere, and don't break the bank. They're IMO the best "middle of the road" string in that they don't excel at any one thing but will not let you down either. The bass I have the LaBella Rx steels on also really likes D'Addario ProSteels 40-125. (The ProSteels have a fairly supple feel but a somewhat rough texture).

DR
With DRs, although the Hi-Beams have a nice supple feel under the fingers, I prefer the steel Lo-Riders. The Hi-Beams use round cores which can be a challenge to intonate. The hex-core Lo-Riders feel stiffer but are easier to intonate. What I love about DRs is that they last forever. Lo-Rider and Hi-Beam steels still sound amazing a year later. When other strings are breaking down, DRs are breaking in.

GHS Boomers
As for the GHS Boomers, the 40-120 set is as close to an off-the-shelf balanced tension 5-string set as you can get, if you're into that. However, Boomers break in pretty quickly and hold that broken-in tone for several months. This is why some people say they die quickly. If "new string zing" is your thing, then GHS Boomers are not for you.

Anything else:
I've never been a fan of Ernie Balls. They feel good, but do not last long for me. Same with Dunlop SuperBrights. Their steels feel lovely under my fingers but die quick. My body chemistry doesn't like them.

I wish you the best of luck in your quest to find your string! (When it comes to strings, I "gotta try 'em all" like Pokemon).
 
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#8
Ended up ordering a set of La Bella steels in 40-118 and a set of D’addario XL 40-125. I put the former on my bass and didn’t have good results with the B string, intonation wasn’t that good (still too sharp), very noticeable flangery-chorusy effect when playing the open string and first few frets, very little sustain from the 7th fret on and the overall tone was just meh (sort of like the Rotosound B). I guess I may have had a bad string or may have damaged it during installation. (though I did it carefully, put the right amount of wraps on the tuning peg, set witness points etc… I did wait a couple of days before to see if anything was to settle in but nothing changed. )
Really liked the other 4 strings though, kinda warm for steels and nice texture too. No intonation or sustain issues, no weird tones either.
I then put the D’addarios on and the B string was much better regarding intonation. No sustain issues, no weird flangery effect. Bit a on the dark side but I can live with that, I will stick with them for the time being. Maybe this bass just doesn’t like steels :whistle:

Oh and also thanks to everyone who answered, always nice to read about your experiences :)
 

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