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What kind of strings do you use?
- Thread starter bryan bailey
- Start date
I voted for Roundwounds because that's what I'm currently playing, but I also play flatwounds.
Currently using La Bella Hard Rockin' Steels Custom Light (M43) on my Ibanez GSR-200FM with SD pickups. When I first bought the bass, I bought D'Addario Chromes because those were the only flats they had at GC, and the tone wasn't inspiring me. I'll probably try some other flats and see if I can find a good set.
Currently using La Bella Hard Rockin' Steels Custom Light (M43) on my Ibanez GSR-200FM with SD pickups. When I first bought the bass, I bought D'Addario Chromes because those were the only flats they had at GC, and the tone wasn't inspiring me. I'll probably try some other flats and see if I can find a good set.
GHS bass boomers all the way. I've tried rotosounds, blue steels, ernie ball, fender............GHS bass boomers have been the most reliable, tone saving strings I have owned.
Slig, to answer your question - I wouldn't spend money on strings made by musician's friend. Don't get me wrong, I buy all my stuff from them (living out in the middle of nowhere) and they have great deals. I just wouldn't trust any of THEIR equipment.
Slig, to answer your question - I wouldn't spend money on strings made by musician's friend. Don't get me wrong, I buy all my stuff from them (living out in the middle of nowhere) and they have great deals. I just wouldn't trust any of THEIR equipment.
songwriter21
I have an obsession for wood. The musical kind.
...since I use two brands/types of round wounds, that don't seem to be the norm. But I don't care, as they crush everything I've tried, and I've tried A LOT. I use FireWire and La Bella Hard Rockin' Steels on my Fender Jazz 24 (an absolute gem of a bass), and Hard Rockin' Steels, also, on my Ibanez SR506 fretless (custom-converted).
FireWire strings come from Canada (Link Removed, and I really think they're the stringworld's best-kept secret. This is a small company, but make the best, by far, overall string that a bassist can buy. They're customer sevice is very friendly, too. They're the best of every world, pretty much, and I'm not getting paid to say this, either. They are bright, but full-sounding, as well as evenly balanced, roundwounds made of nickel. This nickel, though, last waaaaay longer than traditional nickel. The wrap wire is so tight around the core, that not much crap gets on the inside, if anything, so they last about as long as coated strings. Plus, being nickel, they treat your frets well, and feel nice and smooth, much more than stainless. They feel almost as nice as flats, but are roundwounds, and they're not half's or groundwounds. They're very resposive, are nice and stiff, but slinky enough for a supple feel. I think they're fantastic, and beat every string, hands-down, in almost every department. The La Bella's are the only other string that I would choose, if I couldn't have the FireWires.
My La Bella Hard Rockin' Steels are a traditionally-wrapped and uncoated string, but they sound MEAN. They last pretty long, too. I've had them on my Jazz for a week now, and though a BIT tamer than brand new, they still sound phenomenal and alive. I've never heard so much growl/boom in a string, and these really deliver. Feel-wise, they're grittier than DR's by a little, but not nearly as hard on your frets as Rotosound, plus like I said, they last a hell of a lot longer. I think La Bella does wrap their wrap wire tighter than most companies, as the string life, again, definitely is lasting longer than other traditional strings. Plus, since I haven't had FireWires on my Jazz for a while (a La Bella rep gets me a deal), I kind of forget exactly how tight the E was with the Fires, but they were nice, don't get me wrong. All I know, is that the .105 E on these HRS's feels as tight as a .110-nice. These strings pretty much have every quality of the FIreWire's, but they sound meaner, and don't last as long as the Fires.
The bottom line is, that if you want a significantlly longer-lasting, more traditional-feeling string for gigging/recording, then FireWire is your company. The La Bella HRS's don't last as long for live playing, but are just as good, if not better (meaner sound), for the studio. Whew....
FireWire strings come from Canada (Link Removed, and I really think they're the stringworld's best-kept secret. This is a small company, but make the best, by far, overall string that a bassist can buy. They're customer sevice is very friendly, too. They're the best of every world, pretty much, and I'm not getting paid to say this, either. They are bright, but full-sounding, as well as evenly balanced, roundwounds made of nickel. This nickel, though, last waaaaay longer than traditional nickel. The wrap wire is so tight around the core, that not much crap gets on the inside, if anything, so they last about as long as coated strings. Plus, being nickel, they treat your frets well, and feel nice and smooth, much more than stainless. They feel almost as nice as flats, but are roundwounds, and they're not half's or groundwounds. They're very resposive, are nice and stiff, but slinky enough for a supple feel. I think they're fantastic, and beat every string, hands-down, in almost every department. The La Bella's are the only other string that I would choose, if I couldn't have the FireWires.
My La Bella Hard Rockin' Steels are a traditionally-wrapped and uncoated string, but they sound MEAN. They last pretty long, too. I've had them on my Jazz for a week now, and though a BIT tamer than brand new, they still sound phenomenal and alive. I've never heard so much growl/boom in a string, and these really deliver. Feel-wise, they're grittier than DR's by a little, but not nearly as hard on your frets as Rotosound, plus like I said, they last a hell of a lot longer. I think La Bella does wrap their wrap wire tighter than most companies, as the string life, again, definitely is lasting longer than other traditional strings. Plus, since I haven't had FireWires on my Jazz for a while (a La Bella rep gets me a deal), I kind of forget exactly how tight the E was with the Fires, but they were nice, don't get me wrong. All I know, is that the .105 E on these HRS's feels as tight as a .110-nice. These strings pretty much have every quality of the FIreWire's, but they sound meaner, and don't last as long as the Fires.
The bottom line is, that if you want a significantlly longer-lasting, more traditional-feeling string for gigging/recording, then FireWire is your company. The La Bella HRS's don't last as long for live playing, but are just as good, if not better (meaner sound), for the studio. Whew....
songwriter21
I have an obsession for wood. The musical kind.
...the best place on the web, to buy strings, is [Invalid or Expired Link Removed]. They have EVERYTHING.
Man, I just put Ken Smith Slicks on my Ibanez Musicican (ash body, neck-through, fretted ebony fingerboard), and it has made me love that bass again! It's a beautiful and widely-acclaimed bass (among those who own them), yet I have felt that for the last few months that it is too sterile and harsh-sounding for my tastes, with far too much zing, crunch, growl, and string noise. I finally got some strings that I actually chose to buy for a reason other than convenience, and after trying medium-gauge Fender flatwounds and being disappointed by the enormous tension, stainless wrappings, and in my opinion not a lot of variation in sound (though they did get a good upright sound on that bass), and so I've had some unknown roundwounds on it for the last few months, but now with these Slicks it sounds how I want my bass to sound! Deep, with more snap as you travel up to the higher strings, and a miniscule amount of finger noise!
My only mild complaint is that the E string sounds much much deeper than the A string, but we'll see how that works out as the strings break in. At thirteen dollars a set, I bought a set of Compressors along with the Slicks, both M-L gauge, and I think I'm going to have a lot of fun deciding which to go with in the long run. The purple silk wrapping is awesome, too!
I wouldn't go so far as to say that I'm a Ken Smith string convert, as I still want to try out many other strings before settling on one particular type, but I do think that I'll be playing either compression-wound or half-round strings for a long time to come, and these Ken Smiths are quite inexpensive and seem to play very well.
-Stephen
My only mild complaint is that the E string sounds much much deeper than the A string, but we'll see how that works out as the strings break in. At thirteen dollars a set, I bought a set of Compressors along with the Slicks, both M-L gauge, and I think I'm going to have a lot of fun deciding which to go with in the long run. The purple silk wrapping is awesome, too!
I wouldn't go so far as to say that I'm a Ken Smith string convert, as I still want to try out many other strings before settling on one particular type, but I do think that I'll be playing either compression-wound or half-round strings for a long time to come, and these Ken Smiths are quite inexpensive and seem to play very well.
-Stephen
Optima gold strings on my Bass Collection fretless and DR Peacock Blue coated ones on my BC Fretted. Both basses are relatively new to me so I'm still experimenting. I fancy trying the firewires though.
I understand that string preference as with say....musical preference is subjective however I'd have to say the Rotosound swing bass 66 medium lights are the best I've tried...just seems they keep their "tone" for a longer period of time, have an incredible clarity and feel very comfortable to play. I understand that different musical styles and of course different playing styles require a certain tone and feel so all I can say is for me these have always sounded,lasted and felt the best. My own style is a bit like Les Claypool meets Geezer Butler meets Getty Lee which is basically old school finger playing (much like playing a banjo), based on this I find the Rotosounds I mentioned respond very well with either clean or overdriven tones and either soft or hard playing. Over the years I've tried many,many different types of strings and yet have not found any that feel as proper (for me) as the Swing Bass 66's, however I did notice that gauge does make a big difference-a few years ago I tried the medium lights (as opposed to the medium or heavy that I used at that time) - I was very impressed with how much deeper and cleaner the tone was with the lighter gauge, anyway just thought I'd share my particular view, thanks.
Of the 1,404 who responded to the poll "What strings do you use?" I admit that I was among the 1,077 (or 76.71%) that chose Roundwound strings. 
I know one bassist who loves roundwound strings. If he had 10 basses, I would not put it past him to put a set of Rotosound roundwound strings on every bass.
Sure, the bright and twangy sound quality is very appealing to the bassist, whether the music played is old C&W or the latest in techno or jazz-funk-fusion.
I've broken the addiction to roundwound strings. In addition to the roundwound strings, which I still use, I have returned to the soft and warm sound that can be obtained from flatwound strings. 
Most of my electric basses have roundwound strings, but I also have two basses with flatwound strings: my Rogue VB-100 (imitation "Beatle Bass") and my Vox White Shadow Bass (a fretless bass). My other fretless bass, the modified Fender Mustang Bass has roundwound strings.
I plan to put a set of flatwound strings on my Rogue AB-304 acoustic electric bass. I just haven't decided what set to buy (i.e., Fender 9050-M).
For a genuine 1950's or 1960's sound, or a sound that is as close to an upright bass sound as one can get with a standard electric bass (i.e., Fender Precision Bass or a Hofner 500/1 "Beatle Bass"), flatwounds are a must.
I know one bassist who loves roundwound strings. If he had 10 basses, I would not put it past him to put a set of Rotosound roundwound strings on every bass.
Sure, the bright and twangy sound quality is very appealing to the bassist, whether the music played is old C&W or the latest in techno or jazz-funk-fusion.
I've broken the addiction to roundwound strings. In addition to the roundwound strings, which I still use, I have returned to the soft and warm sound that can be obtained from flatwound strings.
Most of my electric basses have roundwound strings, but I also have two basses with flatwound strings: my Rogue VB-100 (imitation "Beatle Bass") and my Vox White Shadow Bass (a fretless bass). My other fretless bass, the modified Fender Mustang Bass has roundwound strings.
I plan to put a set of flatwound strings on my Rogue AB-304 acoustic electric bass. I just haven't decided what set to buy (i.e., Fender 9050-M).
For a genuine 1950's or 1960's sound, or a sound that is as close to an upright bass sound as one can get with a standard electric bass (i.e., Fender Precision Bass or a Hofner 500/1 "Beatle Bass"), flatwounds are a must.
I have a friend who swears by GHS Flea Sig. Boomers. I might try those next. But I REALLY dig my D'addario Half Rounds! They're not overly mellow like a flat and not harsh like a round. They sound just right and feel nice and smooth. I'm playing them on my MIM Standard Jazz FSR FMT. She'll be getting a pair of DiMarzio Model Js next week. Can't wait to hear it!!!!!!
D'Addario XL roundwound's on my Fender American P-Bass. Yeah, some guy said it's a sin to use anything but flats, but **** him. Seriously, I play with a pick and I try to rock it. Flats just seemed...flat. And dull. I played one show with them and HATED it. I typically get the .105 kit. I used to play with something heavier than that on my old Yamaha. Can't remember what exactly.
I think it's such a feel thing. Slap (which I've never been able to do) guys like way different things than pick guys usually do it seems.
I think it's such a feel thing. Slap (which I've never been able to do) guys like way different things than pick guys usually do it seems.
rotosound RS55LD Solo bass linear finish strings.Used 'em on the same bass for 18 years and the frets have hardly worn!
I have also gone to flatwounds, though for me it is different cus I started on rounds: http://www.talkbass.com/forum/showthread.php?t=263713
It's true, you can't get within a mile of an uprightish tone w/ rounds, no matter how hard you EQ it.
From now on, it's chromes all the way!
It's true, you can't get within a mile of an uprightish tone w/ rounds, no matter how hard you EQ it.
From now on, it's chromes all the way!
I have used roundwounds for over 20 years as a semi-pro bassist, I have used DRs, Rotosounds, Trace elliots, Bluesteels, Superslinkys, Boomers, and just put some Chromes on 2 days ago.
HOLY CRAP!!! After 2 rehearsals, 1 with a low volume old school country and gospel group, and 1 with a high volume Blues and funk group, this is the sound I have searched 4 for many years!!!!!!
Flat wounds are incredible sounding!!!!
HOLY CRAP!!! After 2 rehearsals, 1 with a low volume old school country and gospel group, and 1 with a high volume Blues and funk group, this is the sound I have searched 4 for many years!!!!!!
Flat wounds are incredible sounding!!!!
Been playing bass over 30 years and have used & liked these a lot:
1. Elixir Nanowebs
2. Pedulla Stainless Roundwounds
3. DR Longnecks
4. Rotosound Swingbass
Different basses seem to work better with different strings; the Pedullas work really well on my '64 Jazz; the DR's are killer on a Guild Pilot IV.
1. Elixir Nanowebs
2. Pedulla Stainless Roundwounds
3. DR Longnecks
4. Rotosound Swingbass
Different basses seem to work better with different strings; the Pedullas work really well on my '64 Jazz; the DR's are killer on a Guild Pilot IV.
songwriter21
I have an obsession for wood. The musical kind.
I really can't find a string that sounds more massive and huge than La Bella Hard Rockin' Steels-they're exceptional.
Thomastic-Infeld Jazz Flats. They're pure nickel wraps, solid fundamental, and complex, woody, mid. Exactly the tone I like for old-school country. Great for blues, and R&B, too.
But the best part is the feel.
Nothing else like them.
But the best part is the feel.
Nothing else like them.
