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Warm strings with a pick?
- Thread starter moosemoosemoose
- Start date
+1 - I use a pick (Dunlop nylon) 100% of the time, and use SIT Powerwounds [nickel rounds] - warm / bright at the same time.
thanks for the help again guys.
I am of course trying out all the strings I can get my hands on. Just trying to save myself some time!
I would like to point you all back to this example (11 secs in) which I really like for aggressiveness and lack of scratchy roundwound treble (Somebody mentioned it was just an ampeg doing that).
Maybe I'm just looking for some warm, dark and aggresive roundwounds?!?!
Cheers
p.s. I'm just trying some 105 swing bass rotosounds at the moment, they're ok I guess. I do like the punch of a thicker string
I am of course trying out all the strings I can get my hands on. Just trying to save myself some time!
I would like to point you all back to this example (11 secs in) which I really like for aggressiveness and lack of scratchy roundwound treble (Somebody mentioned it was just an ampeg doing that).
Maybe I'm just looking for some warm, dark and aggresive roundwounds?!?!
Cheers
p.s. I'm just trying some 105 swing bass rotosounds at the moment, they're ok I guess. I do like the punch of a thicker string
If you think a brand or type of string is gonna help get you closer to a specific sound, I think you're barking up the wrong tree. Sure, there are differences in sound and feel between brands, but IMHO, strings are a fairly subtle contributing factor in tone. Your technique, the bass and pickups, and the amp have much higher impact on tone and/or warmth. Are you playing through a solid state rig? If so, it sounds like a tube amp might be better suited for you. Or at least try something like a San-amp bass driver pedal. By all means, try a bunch of different brands and types of strings, but I don't expect you'll find a string that will provide what you're looking for.
I don't know Jonesy, I play predominantly fingerstyle on my fretless ray 5... So when I bought my US '62 RI Jazz I was looking for a distinctively different sound - putting the Trubass 88 strings on, playing with a small hard pick definitely took care of that...It doesn't sound anything like the tooth-grating, jaw knawing tone most people using roundwounds on a Jazz get...
Sure, the sound is in your hands - in most cases, I can pick up any bass, play fingerstyle, and people who know me can recognize me by my playing... but you can certainly do things to "freshen up" ... It's all about having fun...
I maintain, if you try the TruBass88 strings, use a small, hard pick and plug in a severe smiley-face curve on your eq with some moderate compression, you will certainly get an interesting, deep, warm tone... depending on your speaker configuration, the post-attack tone of that sort of setup can do wonders for making the hair on the back of your neck stand up...
Sure, the sound is in your hands - in most cases, I can pick up any bass, play fingerstyle, and people who know me can recognize me by my playing... but you can certainly do things to "freshen up" ... It's all about having fun...
I maintain, if you try the TruBass88 strings, use a small, hard pick and plug in a severe smiley-face curve on your eq with some moderate compression, you will certainly get an interesting, deep, warm tone... depending on your speaker configuration, the post-attack tone of that sort of setup can do wonders for making the hair on the back of your neck stand up...
One thing that you ought to keep in mind is that no set of strings tells you first off how they'll sound once they've finally settled down and matured into their true sound. Some seem to take forever, and then, one day, you notice that warmth and musicality coming through. My absolute favorite strings (D'Addario ECB81 Chromes) don't lay down and behave until I've played on them an hour a day for, like 2 months.
I tried LaBella's and was hugely disappointed in them. For me, they seemed to go straight from new to dead, with nothing pleasant in between. But like someone said, much of the tone is in your hands.
Keep experimenting, but remember how much patience has to be involved. You can't rush flats.
Have fun!
Bill
I tried LaBella's and was hugely disappointed in them. For me, they seemed to go straight from new to dead, with nothing pleasant in between. But like someone said, much of the tone is in your hands.
Keep experimenting, but remember how much patience has to be involved. You can't rush flats.
Have fun!
Bill
I use a pick 99% of the time and play a P so here's my thoughts.
Elixir's have given me the best tone i have ever had with a P. One bass player at a gig came up and said he thought my Duck Dunn had more growl than his Jazz.
I like the higher tension they have and they feel smooth, like a flat. Last time i changed strings i went to Chromes and while i like them the flats tone isnt really for me.
Ive tried TI's 3 times and taken them off, on various basses. I love the feel but thought they sounded too flat. This is my second time with Chrome's and while im happy to use them i feel there is something missing. They just seem have less "music" in them IME.
Personally i would say nicks will do the job but you would have to do a bit of testing to find what ones. For me i like Fender 150's a lot, and they are cheap.
"Get Flats" seems to be the most widely used answer to fix most string issues. I doubt there are many string threads that dont have this but for me, flats are good at what they do but its not what i really want.
All IME of course.
Elixir's have given me the best tone i have ever had with a P. One bass player at a gig came up and said he thought my Duck Dunn had more growl than his Jazz.
I like the higher tension they have and they feel smooth, like a flat. Last time i changed strings i went to Chromes and while i like them the flats tone isnt really for me.
Ive tried TI's 3 times and taken them off, on various basses. I love the feel but thought they sounded too flat. This is my second time with Chrome's and while im happy to use them i feel there is something missing. They just seem have less "music" in them IME.
Personally i would say nicks will do the job but you would have to do a bit of testing to find what ones. For me i like Fender 150's a lot, and they are cheap.
"Get Flats" seems to be the most widely used answer to fix most string issues. I doubt there are many string threads that dont have this but for me, flats are good at what they do but its not what i really want.
All IME of course.
