• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join free Log in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

What brands of strings have you owned?

MrAB4003

MrAB4003

Feb 17, 2023
3,525
5,970
Orange County, CA
#1
This thread is inspired by a similar thread in the Basses forum. I will go first:

Currently own:
1) D'Addario (x2 - Nickel Rounds & Chromes)

Previously owned:
1) Rotosound (x5 - 55 Pressurewounds, 66 Rounds in SS and Nickel, 77 Flats, & 88 Tapes)
2) La Bella (x4 - Gold Flats, White Tapes, Gold White Tapes, & Black Tapes)
3) DR (DDTs)

I want to try:
1) D'Addario (Pro Steels)
2) Fender (9050 Flats)
 
#2
Dunlop Flats
D'addario Chrome flats ( have just about every gauge)
D'addario XL Nickel rounds (hate rounds, but they've been on some purchased basses)
GHS pressurewounds
La Bella 760FM
La Bella 0760M-B
Rotosound 77 monel flat ( just the one single, .050)
Waiting on a full set of Roto 77 flats
Might try GHS precision flats and maybe Galli jazz flats at some point. But for now I'm pretty much covered with Chromes, La Bella0760 and Roto77 when I get em.
 
  • Like
Reactions: MrAB4003
#4
Basses currently wearing Elixir Stainless Steel, Ernie Ball Cobalt Flats, D'Addario Chromes (semi retired bass) TI Jazz Flats (retired bass)

have owned…
Pedulla
MTD
Dunlop
GHS - various sets
LaBella - Super Steps
Dean Markley Blue Steels
D'addario - MANY various sets
DR - Stainless and nickel Lo Riders
Fodera - MANY various sets
Curt Mangan - yuck
Ernie Ball - various sets
Ken Smith
T.I.

favorites - Fodera and Elixir

been over a decade since I've ran Lo Riders. They were unstoppable on my old ATK305.

Wanna try -
Sadowsky
Warwick
Stringjoy
Rotosound
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: MrAB4003
#5
at this point, most of my basses wear d'addario nickel round super lights.

i have used
DR
labella
rotosound (first bass strings i tried - wow, are they stiff)
carvin (obviously back in the day)
newtone
EB slinky
GHS boomers (these were my faves for years)
fender

planning to try
GHS boomers round core
TI jazz rounds

when i played acoustic guitar
thomastik infelt plectrums - the creme de la creme for me
martin silk & steels - super nice
d'addarios
elixers (don't always like them but they were magical on my taylor GC8)

classical guitar
d'addario pro arte
augustine
 
  • Like
Reactions: MrAB4003 and Element Zero
#9
Have owned-
Fender-flats
Roto 66
GHS Boomers
Ken Smith Tapercore
LaBella Super Steps/LTFs
EB Super Slinkies
DR Fatbeams/Lo Riders

now-
Daddario XL Nickel
Fodera/DR nickel-giving them a shot. If no, Daddario on both.
 
Last edited:
#11
I did not realize I've tried and played many. From memory
19 brands - I think 53 models for bass and almost 78-80 models/SKUs if I include guitar.

Electric Bass:
D'Daddario - XL, Black Tapes, NYXL, Pro-Steel, Chromes
GCS
Stringjoy -
Thomastik Infeld - Jazz Flats, Jazz Rounds, Super Alloy
Pyramid - Gold Flats
Magma - UltraFlats, Stainless Steel Rounds
GHS - Boomer, Super Steel, Precision Flats, Brite Flats, Pressurewound
Ernie Ball - Slinky (various models ) and Cobalt Flats
Dunlop - Marcus Miller Super Bright
La Bella - Cooper and White Nylon, 760FL
DR - BlackBeauty, HiBeams, FatBeams, Legend Flats, SunBeams, PureBlues
Dean Markley
Fodera - Nickel Rounds
Fender - 9050 flats and rounds
Rotosound - Swingbass 66

Upright:
Pirastro - Flexocore Deluxe, Passione, Perpetual, Evah Pirazzi, Jazzer
Thomastik - Spirocore, Bel Canto, Superflexible
D'Addario - Zyex
La Bella Gut
Pistoy Gut

Guitar: Martin, DR, Stringjoy, Savarez, GCS, D'Addario, Thomasktik Infeld, Ernie Ball, Elixir
 
Last edited:
#12
Too many to count. I'm a sucker for trying a "new" set of strings, even though I may go back to what I played before, if available. This approach was borne of necessity when as a young man, just as I would get used to a set I liked, it would be discontinued. For example, D'A 1st generation Reds were perfect for college jazz band. But they discolored. So D'A discontinued them about the same time I graduated from college. More recently, of course, with its own thread, I had GHS Progressives in custom gauges 45-60-80-105 on my Rickenbacker 4002 (yes, "2," not "1" or "3") for over 20 years and never had to adjust either the bridge or the truss rod, and got the exact tone I wanted out of it. when they were discontinued I was able to find some NOS singles at an exorbitant price. When they finally die, it will be time for another string safari.
 
#14
GHS
SIT
FENDER
LABELLA
ERNIE BALL
D'ADDARIO
Never changed them for the first 40 years. Didn't know you had to........
Still have a few basses that have their original strings on them. Oldest is 12 and sounds fine.
 
#17
I have "gotta try 'em all" string-pokemon GAS. Nickel, steel, roundwound, flatwound, pressurewound, groundwound, taperwound, coated, uncoated, round core, hex core, budget brands, boutique brands, big brands... I've tried a lot. I still haven't found my "one" yet regarding strings.

D'Addario
GHS
Dean Markley
Dunlop
SIT
Ken Smith
Ritter Swordsteels
Infelds
Carvin
LaBella
Elixir
DR
BP (a no-name brand from a 90s mail order company)
Kerly Kues
Fodera
Rotosound
Ernie Ball
Fender

Objectively, I should like D'Addarios best (they feel good, sound good, intonate well, last a long time for me, are available everywhere, and don't break the bank), but don't give me that "oh yeah, baby! THAT'S my string right there, whoo!"

I could also objectively be a DR fan, especially since their steel Lo-Riders and Hi-Beams last the longest of any roundwounds I've used. After a year, when other strings go ploppy corpse dead on me, DRs are barely breaking in. But, again, they don't give me that "oh yeah baby!" feeling like "THAT is my string!"

And oftentimes, the bass kinda chooses the strings.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: Swerve
#19
I currently use:
D'addario ProSteels (43-107)
D'addario Tapewounds (50-105)
LaBella Low Tension flats (42-100)

I have used:
Ernie Ball Slinkys
Ernie Ball Phosphor Bronze
Elixir Nanoweb
D'addario Nickels
D'addario NYXL
D'addario Chromes
D'addario Half Rounds
Dunlop Flats
Rotosound Swing 66
Rotosound TruBass
DR Sunbeams
DR Hi-Beams
DR Lo-Riders
DR Super Brights
DR Legend Flatwounds
R.Cocco Stainless
R.Cocco Nickels
Fender 7250M
Fender 9050 Flats
T.I Flats
LaBella 760FS
LaBella 760FHBB
LaBella RX N4D
GHS Boomers
GHS Pressurewound
GHS Precision Flats
Hartke HSB H45
JVB Nickel

Would like to try:
S.I.T Strings
Apex Strings
LaBella "Jamerson" set
LaBella Nylon sets
D'Addario EXL280 Piccolo Bass set
Pyramid flats
 

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back