What are the best bass strings for you?

Well, OK...
What do I think about DR Neon strings? Well, if that's what you want... seriously, though; quite a few people seem to like them, and DR's are good strings (I have a set of short scale Sunbeams on a bass, and they're pretty nice), but everybody's always saying how bright the Neons are. And, that's where they lose me, 'cause I don't like "bright" at all... But, lots of people do, so...there you are.
What strings do I use, and why? With the exception of these 2 basses - which have GHS hex core Boomers on them - and a violin bass with the Sunbeams - my 21 other basses all have flats (all different brands and gauges) or tapes (all Roto TruBass 88s) on them. Why? Because I think flats/tapes sound better with the music I like to play. And, because trying to keep 24 basses in round wounds gets real expensive, real quick. And that would cut into the money I spend on my Harleys...

 

To the OP: you will learn a lot if you check out many of the threads related to strings and people's preferences. People have many different preferences, and your question is worded in such general terms that you're not going to get a helpful answer. Those threads I mentioned also contain more specific questions which may be helpful to you.

 

I'll add only a couple of general observations to this:

1) If you're going to switch strings, it's helpful to know what you're switching from and what you're hoping to gain from the switch. "I play X Strings and I'm looking for a string with more/less of quality Y..." If you just want to try something different, that's cool, too, as long as you know it.

2) In addition to my preferences (which could include what I think will work well for certain kinds of music), I've noticed that different basses seem to "prefer" some strings over others. This can be a string tension thing (an instrument with a thin/whippy neck might not well tolerate higher tension strings) but can also be a feel/tone thing (just like drums and pianos, some basses respond/vibrate differently than others).

Example: I've had TI Flats on four instruments. On two, they feel plenty taut, respond well, and sound great. On two, they felt like noodles and sounded correspondingly wimpy. All of the instruments involved were 34" scale, so that actual tension on the strings should have been very nearly identical from instrument to instrument but, for whatever combination of reasons, they worked well on some and not on others.