What kind of strings do you use?

[Robiin]

D'Addario Chromes for me! The best all rounder IMO
DR Sunbeams a close second for a brighter tone

 

[Doug P]

Since early 1970’s….
Rotosound 66’s. Why change if your happy……./ right ?

 

[rickwebb]

D'Addario EXL-165's here.

 

[FSGrind]

Sorry if this has already been posted. Figured it might be fun to hear why people play the strings that they do. What strings do you play & why?

 

[kev451]

Elixir for my standard basses and Paysan for my Dingwall Droc
Elixir is strong and bright and cuts and they last a LONG time.

 

[Arthur U. Poon]

I use GHS Pressurewounds on one of my main 6-string basses. The first reason I use them is their tone. Their bottom end tone is thick and punchy, with a very prominent midrange, and their top end is defined, but it isn’t shrill or harsh. Their outer wrap goes through rollers, which makes it into an oval shape. This makes their outer surface smoother than your typical roundwound string. And they last a really long time. Their tone is similar to a freshly broken-in set of roundwounds.

For my roundwound needs I use GHS Bass Boomers. They’re one of the least bright sounding roundwounds that I’ve tried. I’ve been playing heavier styles of music lately, and I’ve been playing Spector basses with active EMG pickups, which can sometimes sound a little too bright for my needs. Bass Boomers have plenty of definition for my needs, and they seem to “tame” the very bright top end that my EMGs have.
Boomers have a defined but thick sounding low end, a punchy low midrange, and an articulate sounding top end, which isn’t overly bright. And for me, Bass Boomers have a tone that I haven’t found from any other brand of nickel plated roundwounds.

Another thing that I like about GHS bass strings is their consistency from one set to the next. I’ve never had a defective string out of a new set.

Considering that I’ve been using Bass Boomers since the late 80’s/early 90’s, this impresses me a lot.

I have a set of Rotosound Swing Bass 66 stainless steel roundwounds on my P-Bass. I’ve always loved the sound of Swing Bass 66’s on a Precision Bass.
IMO Swing Bass 66’s have a unique, sound that I haven’t found from any other brand of roundwound strings. They sound very defined from bottom to top. There’s a certain rawness in their midrange that’s unique to them.

 

[JohnNash]

I just use whatever the bass comes with lol.

 

[Jazzdogg]

Thomastik Infeld jazz flats. I love the way they sound and the way they feel under my hands. And, unlike rounds, finger and fret noise is at a minimum.

 

[HelpImaRock]

LaBella LTF. Uh, because they're a lower tension, stainless steel flatwound.

 

[GIBrat51]

I play a lot of different strings, spread out over (currently) 24 different basses. What are they - and why do I play them?
- One bass (MIK Rogue VB-100 violin bass) has Roto TruBass 88 Tapewounds on it. Why? Well Sir Paul has them on his Hofner, and I like that sound. Also; I've found that basses like this, with trapeze tailpieces and floating bridges, can be... fussy... about the strings that they'll intonate with; my VB-100 intonates perfectly with these strings. So, a win-win, AFAIC...
- One bass ('94 Gretsch Broadkaster) wears "short scale" TI Jazz Rounds. Why? Aside from the fact that they're about the nicest feeling rounds I've ever played, the TIJR's are the only strings I've tried on this bass, in the 16 or so years I've owned it, that didn't make it sound like a guitar, or a hippo fart in deep mud. The TI's make it sound like a bass guitar. Again, a win-win...
- As for the rest of my basses? Well, counting differences in gauge and scale length as "different strings", I have 15 different flatwounds spread over 22 different basses. Why? Well, I've been playing a bunch of basses, off and on, for over 50 years now; and, all of them had flats on them. I like flatwounds; a lot. And, one thing I've learned in that time, is that different flats have as many differences in their tone as rounds do. So, I try to match the strings to the bass, to get the tone I want from that bass - for what I want to play on that bass. So, I'm currently using flats from La Bella; D'Addario; Ernie Ball; Thomastik-Infeld; GHS; Fender; Optima; Galli; Dogal; Rotosound; DR; and Sadowsky. My new German Hofner 500/2 wears it's factory Hofner strings. When they die? Pyramids, probably... The bass with D'Addario Chromes is the only bass that I might re-string. I'm leaning towards Dunlop or SIT flats for that one. We'll see...

 

[Eric Swaim]

DR Hi Beam on bolt on basses and DR Low Beams on neck- thru- basses. Why?? Because I like the tension they have and they are comfortable to play all the different techniques I may play. The price is good too.

Favorite guage is 40-60-80-100

 

[oranje]

TI flats for me. Nothing else quite like them once they settle in.

 

[Bisheri]

Labella white tapewounds. Because I got them for free when I bought a second hand pickup and bridge. The bass I made cost 80$ so I wasn't about to spend 40$ on new strings. The fact that they were worn in was an added bonus.

 

[Gizmot]

I have TI Jazz Flats on all my basses. I love how these strings sound and feel. I also love how long they last - I change them every five years only because I feel guilty about playing them longer. If I ever use round wounds, I use DR Pure Blues because they sound smooth without any funky artifacts. I’ve tried many other brands of strings but these two are my faves

 

[Ric5]

I use these ... Because I like the way they sound and feel and play

Sometimes I use these

I never get dead strings out of the box and they last a long time

 

[Kevin Hailey]

Bass strings. Because I play bass.

 

[Dasgre0g]

I play all four strings usually. Depends on the song though

 

[Lackey]

Nickel rounds - balanced tension, and increasingly (decreasingly?) lower tension.

Sound and playability both are factors.

 

[BBassBassington]

Depends on the bass. Strings are a major part of an instruments sound so I do some balancing act of price:sound:construction. It's taken a while but I'm finding more nickel strings that I like the sound of.

As I own more and more expensive basses the ratio starts to look more like cheap:matches bass:nickels on the light-side.

 

[Kerem Koseoglu]

I play Dunlop Super Bright Nickel 45-105 exclusively. They sound good (to me), age very well, and their tension is neither too floppy nor too stiff. Both of my hands like them equally.