Looking at stringing up an Epiphone T-Bird Pro IV that I recently was able to take home. Trying to figure out if this bass model is for me.
What do you guys string your Thunderbirds with, & why?
I've tried a few drastically different strings on my birds just to see what works best. The good news is, I haven't found a string that sounds bad on a Bird, just different.
Any discussion in strings should have at least four qualifiers with it otherwise you could end up going down the wrong path.
Four things to ask about every string recommendation...
1) What tone preference do you have - I like dark and deep, clear not muddy, subdued top end, little to no sizzle but still crisp notes with definition.
2) What touch preference do you have - I like ultra smooth, low to no finger noise, fast playing, low to mid tension, easy to bend strings.
3) What playing style do you have - I play strictly finger style, no slap or pop, no pick, usually over the neck pickup or closer to the neck, rarely play over the bridge pickup.
4) What type of music do you play - I play a lot of classic '60s and '70s rock along with some grunge, progressive rock and blues. I just recently started going down a modern swing path with lots of fast moving walking bass lines.
The strings I've tried and liked on my TBirds are Nickel Round Chromes, DR Black Beauties, La Bella Black Tapewounds, and Rotosound Jazz Bass 77 flats. The tapes and flats are more a function of the swing music I'm playing a lot of these days, the Chromes and Black Beauties met all my rock needs in spades. I know the tapes will last for 10+ years but I only have a couple of months on the Rotosounds so I don't know how they'll age but so far I'm loving the 77 Jazz flats and I've never been a flats fan, go figure.
Hope this helps.