I use EB super slinky.
Because I like the feel. And any nickle round sounds the same live. So I go with feel
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What bass strings are you using and why?
- Thread starter Ilias0_7
- Start date
I use EB super slinky.
Because I like the feel. And any nickle round sounds the same live. So I go with feel
I'm down to two sets of strings that I use these days: TI Jazz Flats and Dunlop Super Bright Nickel rounds. I play fretless 99% of the time, and usually a Precision variant when I do play fretted. The things I love about these two strings are that they are both very flexible and they both have a great mid-range quality. I don't like stiff-feeling strings, and both of these really get me where I want to be tone-wise, especially on fretless.
PJ5 #1 - Currently TI Flats. Also wears Chromes and Cobalts
PJ5 #2 - Currently D'Addario tapewounds. Also wears Dunlop Marcus Miller light gauge stainless on occasion
I do Blues, 70's Rock and some original Singer/Songwriter stuff and prefer lighter gauge, lower tension strings
PJ5 #2 - Currently D'Addario tapewounds. Also wears Dunlop Marcus Miller light gauge stainless on occasion
I do Blues, 70's Rock and some original Singer/Songwriter stuff and prefer lighter gauge, lower tension strings
You sir, have a couple of classics on your basses. It’s hard to beat those two if you like what they do for you. I used Roto’s for years, and have tried dozens of different brands over the last 40+ years. I currently have 6 Basses and they all have different strings on them right now. My fretless Jazz has had D’Addario XLs on it for many years. To me these are a great string at a great value. My P-Bass has GHS Precision Flats, which so far, are my favorite flats that I have used.
89 Fender Corona 60's reissue P: TI flats. Just sounds good that way. Love the tone and the response. They allow me to add tonal and stylistic inflections that other strings cannot. While they have their limitations, the reason they're on this bass is because that's what I wanted this bass to be for in the first place. Sounds great played up close to the neck.
2011 Fender American Special P, modified with SPB3 Quarter Pounder, different tuners, Hipshot Type A bridge: At present it has D'Addario Tapewounds, just because I felt like it. It may eventually get Rotosound 66s back on it, though, as it's a great rock bass. I may revert it back to more of an old-school state, though. I generally have kept Fender 7150s on it in the past.
2012 MIM Fender Jazz: D'Addario Balanced Tension Super Light Nickel Rounds. They're pretty light, but I don't really like heavy strings. I almost never use effects, but with this one, I like to focus on the bridge pickup and run it through a Boss CEB-3 chorus, for that sort of classic 80's effect. I love the brightness and pliability of these strings, and they just work well this way.
98 Warwick Streamer LX: TI flats at the moment, although I have used a variety of strings on it in the past. This thing is a ridiculously bright instrument, and I love the tonal quality of TI flats, so it seemed like a good formula. I've tried other flats on this bass, and these are the only ones that work on it. Partly, it reduces that excessive brightness that I don't need right now, and partly its tendency to get bright allows me to bring out some of those interesting tones that you can get out of TIs. It's a lot of fun, given the tonal variety available from this instrument.
I should add that I am extremely prone to switching strings at any moment, and have tried quite a few different varieties, so just because I said what's on what bass now doesn't mean they'll be on them next week.
2011 Fender American Special P, modified with SPB3 Quarter Pounder, different tuners, Hipshot Type A bridge: At present it has D'Addario Tapewounds, just because I felt like it. It may eventually get Rotosound 66s back on it, though, as it's a great rock bass. I may revert it back to more of an old-school state, though. I generally have kept Fender 7150s on it in the past.
2012 MIM Fender Jazz: D'Addario Balanced Tension Super Light Nickel Rounds. They're pretty light, but I don't really like heavy strings. I almost never use effects, but with this one, I like to focus on the bridge pickup and run it through a Boss CEB-3 chorus, for that sort of classic 80's effect. I love the brightness and pliability of these strings, and they just work well this way.
98 Warwick Streamer LX: TI flats at the moment, although I have used a variety of strings on it in the past. This thing is a ridiculously bright instrument, and I love the tonal quality of TI flats, so it seemed like a good formula. I've tried other flats on this bass, and these are the only ones that work on it. Partly, it reduces that excessive brightness that I don't need right now, and partly its tendency to get bright allows me to bring out some of those interesting tones that you can get out of TIs. It's a lot of fun, given the tonal variety available from this instrument.
I should add that I am extremely prone to switching strings at any moment, and have tried quite a few different varieties, so just because I said what's on what bass now doesn't mean they'll be on them next week.
Fender PB 57 US RI: La Bella 1954 original flatwounds. I love that classic thumpy and clicly sound and I enjoy the high tension.
Lakland Skyline 44-60 JO: A couple of days ago I string it with a set of TI Flats, to try a low-tension, round core nickel flat. So far I like them,
I wanted to experience a string with different feel to the La Bellas. Sadly with the covid situation I dont have a band expierence with said strings.
Sterling By Musicman Ray34 CA: DR Sunbeams. I really like these rounds, they arent overly bright, just the right amount and very warm. A pleasant sounding string.
Lakland Skyline 44-60 JO: A couple of days ago I string it with a set of TI Flats, to try a low-tension, round core nickel flat. So far I like them,
I wanted to experience a string with different feel to the La Bellas. Sadly with the covid situation I dont have a band expierence with said strings.
Sterling By Musicman Ray34 CA: DR Sunbeams. I really like these rounds, they arent overly bright, just the right amount and very warm. A pleasant sounding string.
Double Ball Ends, that's somehow self-explaining ... .45 - .125 gauge to be exact. 
Ernie Ball Slinky .32-.130
They sound great and last a long time for me.
They sound great and last a long time for me.
If somebody makes flat wounds, there's a very good chance I have a set of them on one of my 23 basses. I have never understood the "flats all sound thumpy and dead" people. AFAIC, they're either deaf, or they've never played flats... To my ears, a set of Labella DTFs sounds as different from a set of Fender 9050s, as a set of hex core Boomers does from a set of DR Sunbeams. And, they are no more a "ones size fits all" string than any rounds are. I match them to a particular bass, to get the sound I want from that bass. And, in all but a couple of cases? It ain't "thump"... In fact, I just got two new kinds of flats to experiment with; Galli flats, and a set of Dogal Carbonsteels. The Dogals are supposed to be such a low tension string, that they'll make TI's seem like bridge cables. Well, we'll find out - soon... 
Last edited:
- Jul 7, 2010
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- Endorsing Artist for: Duncan Pickups; Line6, Hipshot, GHS Strings, Somnium Guitars
fretless PJs:
roto swing 66s, light gauge = i love a bad habit now and again.
TI jazz rounds = i love taking a bad habit up a notch or two....now and again.
for real: i'm used to both of them. i got hip to the TIs from TB cats who swore by them. i started using the rotos in the 70's after i started EB from DB from sax from..... they felt so 'manipulable'.
either of those two would work for me, always. i've tried different string brands and models but those two are reliably consistent (re: expectations) for me.
roto swing 66s, light gauge = i love a bad habit now and again.
TI jazz rounds = i love taking a bad habit up a notch or two....now and again.
for real: i'm used to both of them. i got hip to the TIs from TB cats who swore by them. i started using the rotos in the 70's after i started EB from DB from sax from..... they felt so 'manipulable'.
either of those two would work for me, always. i've tried different string brands and models but those two are reliably consistent (re: expectations) for me.
I've been playing bass since 1965 and during the 60's and 70's used flat wounds. From about 1971 on I used the Fender nylon tape flats. Then my bass was stolen in 1976 (along with all my touring gear - house was burlarized).
Took me until 1985 to find another Jazz Bass ('82 with maple neck) that had the same neck profile as my '65 Jazz did. Felt like coming home when I picked it up and played it. That one came with Dean Markley Blue Steel strings. Put a couple more sets of those on over the years. Then I replaced those with the DR Black Beauty strings. Had a better balance of sound than the Blue Steels. Wore those out about 2 years ago and from a You Tube comparison that Scott from SBL did showing flats, rounds, and tape wound flats, all on the same bass playing the same tune, I decided to give the LaBella tape wound flats a try. I ordered the White tapewounds from the TB store.
Just love those strings. They have far more upper mids and high end harmonics than flats I've used before. And yet they are much better balanced string to string across the bass. They are easier on the fingers and much lower string and fret noise too. Took me a bit to get used to them because they are so smooth my fingers would slide past my target if I wasn't careful at first. Now they go where they should.
In short, great sound, great feel, reduced string and fret noise. I will be buying more when I wear these out.
Whenever I get a new bass I tend to experiment a little.obviously I’m not going to spend like a grand trying dozens of different strings but I like to try two or three. All my basses actually have different strings
