Here's one from me. Intonation is spot on now. However, this is a Buzz Feiten bass, so probably irrelevant.
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Time to switch to Dunlop Super Brights!!!
- Thread starter mmbongo
- Start date
Here's one from me. Intonation is spot on now. However, this is a Buzz Feiten bass, so probably irrelevant.
Please excuse my dumb question, but:
Are the Dunlop Long Scale Super Bright Nickel Steel Round Wound strings too long for the Fender Jazz Bass (ball end to winding length)?
Just cut them? I didn't see if they offer a shorter length or maybe this is the current length for the Fender Jazz Bass?
Are the Dunlop Long Scale Super Bright Nickel Steel Round Wound strings too long for the Fender Jazz Bass (ball end to winding length)?
Just cut them? I didn't see if they offer a shorter length or maybe this is the current length for the Fender Jazz Bass?
Long scale generally means 34" scale, which is a Jazz bass (and 98% of 4 string basses out there). So yes, they fit perfectly.
Just wanted to post, as I am a new SB fan and have played them on a few gigs recently. I had been using DR Lo-Riders on my Jazz and P bass, which sound real good and I still like, however about a month or 2 ago when it was time to change strings, I tried my first set of SB's (Nickel Medium 45-105). I put them on my Jazz (1986 MIJ with nj4's) which has a bit of a darker/warmer tonal footprint..... and they seemed like a perfect fit for that bass and really livened it up. The first thing I noticed was they play like a lighter gauge than what they are, but are not twangy or rattly, real comfortable and easy on the hands. Second was how they respond, with a lighter tough they are warm, round, and full, dig in a little and they crunch and snap. Also they are very mid forward but more broadly than the DR's, meaning that both upper and lower mids seems to be enhanced, while retaining a tight and warm low end. I was getting a great tone last night, very clear and articulate in the mix, while being full/warm sounding with a crunchy edge. I think they are great string that seem to fit perfectly with a Jazz Bass.
hello
i have put a set on my 68 Jazz Bass and the super Bright fit very well.
The only thing, I prefer the string balance of the dr sunbeam but the sound of the dunlop is the best on my fender, I will take a look at the pure blues if the SBright dont stay bright so long.
i have put a set on my 68 Jazz Bass and the super Bright fit very well.
The only thing, I prefer the string balance of the dr sunbeam but the sound of the dunlop is the best on my fender, I will take a look at the pure blues if the SBright dont stay bright so long.
DR Pure Blues will never be as bright as the Dunlops. They are made of pure nickel, so they sound dead (by design) out of the pack.
Edit.....nevermind. See below.
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This is incorrect information. The guitar version of Pure Blues are pure nickel, the bass version is what DR calls "Quantum Nickel" which is probably something like a 2% nickel plating vs the standard 8% nickel plating. DR states that when developing the bass version of Pure Blues, they knew that could not use pure nickel to get a bass string that would offer some clang and grit, almost like stainless steel.
They are ever-so-slightly rougher than the D'addario XL's I used to use, but nothing like solid steels, and the low tension makes up for it. YMMV.
As I'm sure it's been said many times on here I will stress that Super Brights are very low tension and will fret out much more easily than even a round core string. If you are used to digging in hard there will definitely be a getting used to period with these. I could never make it work for me. They always felt like they were rolling under my fingers.
If you have a lighter touch these might be the best strings you'll ever play!
FWIW, I'm fairly ham-fisted and have no problems with the tension on Super Brights.
Yea these are definitely something to get used to. I'm still trying. At first I loved them, loved the soft supple feel, but I'm starting to miss a bit more tension for a bit more of that staccato funk stuff, digging in harder (especially live) and fast 16th note fills are harder for me to pull off. I love the tone, my left hand loves them too. My right hand is starting to complain a bit lol. TI Jazz flats were a big no no for me tension wise, for comparison, but those are even lower tension.
I still haven't received DR Sunbeams (which I haven't played in years) that I've ordered, as I wanted to compare them. They should be here soon, I'd honestly appreciate a bit more tension to them. And yet, I'm still thinking, maybe I should just go back to EB Slinkies (I'm thinking 45-105 for my jazz, my ray loved 45-100 though).
Man, what a conundrum
I only came back on this particular thread because about a week ago I found an unused .65 D Super Bright nickel string when I cleaned out the seat pockets in our truck. Out of curiosity I replaced the .65 D Prosteel string on my bass with the Super Bright and there was a lot of fret buzz with the Dunlop played with the same force. I did check the neck relief to make sure it hadn't changed when I installed the Super Bright.
These things are also highly bass dependent and I just like higher tension strings in general. Like I said a lot of players will think the Super Brights are the greatest thing since soft serve ice cream.
That's why they make different types of strings. If every string was what everyone wanted, there would only be one set.
I'm telling you - if you want a lower tension string but one that you can still dig into to DR Fatbeams are the shiznit!Yea these are definitely something to get used to. I'm still trying. At first I loved them, loved the soft supple feel, but I'm starting to miss a bit more tension for a bit more of that staccato funk stuff, digging in harder (especially live) and fast 16th note fills are harder for me to pull off. I love the tone, my left hand loves them too. My right hand is starting to complain a bit lol. TI Jazz flats were a big no no for me tension wise, for comparison, but those are even lower tension.
I still haven't received DR Sunbeams (which I haven't played in years) that I've ordered, as I wanted to compare them. They should be here soon, I'd honestly appreciate a bit more tension to them. And yet, I'm still thinking, maybe I should just go back to EB Slinkies (I'm thinking 45-105 for my jazz, my ray loved 45-100 though).
Man, what a conundrum
I'm totally with you on this. I love the nickel Super Brights tone and feel in a non live situation but they just don't respond the way I need them to when playing live or aggressive finger funk styles.
For the last year I've been playing a bass wearing LaBella Black Nylon tapewounds almost exclusively. Now that I'm back to playing rounds quite a bit more I've found the SuperBrights to be a wonderful thing. They have a tension more in line with the uber-low tension feel of the tapes that I've gotten so used to. I play with a pretty darn light touch these days, but if you're a player with a heavy right hand these might not be for you. Worth checking out at least, and if they're not a good fit there are plenty of other choices out there.
As Jimmy said they are ever-so-slightly rougher but my hands perceive it as a dry feeling. I have been dealing with some nerve issues in my pinky and ring finger to the point that sometimes I feel like I'm playing a string made of needles but the Dunlops texture actually seems to have alleviated this to a degree and the tension has been a godsend. Never worked much on playing chords in the past but they are fun to do with these strings. I haven't noticed any difference in fret wear compared to other nickel strings.
And there you go! A perfect match for you. Sorry you are dealing with these issues in your hands. About 2 years ago I started developing numbness in my right (plucking) hand and discovered a few things about why it was happening. 1 - I was pre-diabetic and this was already starting to affect my nerves, 2 - I was playing my bass too high up and this was causing circulatory problems, and 3 - I figured out that the sharp corners of my Carvin LB75 were actually creating circulatory issues in my arm due to where I was resting it on the body! I switched over to my ESP Jazz as my main instrument and these problems have all but disappeared.
I will also say this - I have found that I have to work less hard to get tone from higher tension strings with lower action than lower tension strings with higher action but again everyone's MMV. Just my two cents.
