What kind of strings do you use?

[funkybassinator]

dr lo-riders, but eb super slinkys r good to.

 

[LowDog]

I use DR LowRiders on my electrics, sometimes putting halfrounds on one. I use TI accoustic bass guitar strings on my accoustic bass guitar which is my main money ax.

 

[John Wentzien]

Webstrings Detroit stainless round-wound 105-45....
I used rotosound for 35 years--- these are better and a LOT cheaper

 

[Joeykun]

I like the D'Addario Pro Steels on my sadowsky 4 and Modulus 5. If you want the piano tone try these strings. They last forever too!

 

[HeebeeJB]

Good old Rotosound Swing Bass Nickels. 105's 'course

 

[Mahmoud]

Rotosound

 

[nfgrufio]

Curt Mangan's have been pretty good to me so far...

 

[ata]

GHS Boomers

 

[luknfur]

FWIW:

for TI jazz flats players with an intense aversion for the feel of the typical Michelin Man style rounds, Dean Markley 2000's have a very tolerable feel, a nice piano ring that lasts, and they're low tension strings like JF's. Good slap strings.

Not sure what they are technically but they must be along the lines of ground rounds cause they don't have the speed bumps.

 

[Scatterblak]

Depends on the gig/guitar:

Warwick Thumb NT4 Scalloped:
For funk gigs: Blue Steel Cryo
For studio: Rotosound Swing

Yamaha RBX-JM2 (Lots of gigging):
Elixers RW(last forever, easy on the hands)

Yamaha TRB-1006 (Country gigs / studio): Rotosound RW with about a month of funk on them - not fuzzy, but not new.


Other basses:
'wick 'vette 4 fretless: Elixer RW
OLP 5 fretless midi: Whatever's handy.

 

[Dunne]

I use Rotosound Roundwoods (.50-.110, I believe) I use them on all my basses (I currently only have 1 ) I think they sound pretty awesome I like the punchier tone I get out of them

 

[FunkyFlashFive]

D.R. low riders stainless

p.s. where's the carrot strings?!?

 

[Moving Pictures]

D.R. low riders stainless?

These are my favourites by far. I also use Chromes or TI's on my Precisions. Currently Chromes on the 50's Precision.

 

[DavidRavenMoon]

YUCK!!! I love a good dead sounding string, but after 2 months of D's nickelwound, they were shot and couldnt hold a tune if it was chained to em

Are you saying D'Addarios went dead after 2 months? Something's wrong there.

I've had sets last 6, and they stay pretty damn bright. I get three months out of them easily.

I'm always amazed how long they last. It makes it hard for me to justify putting new strings on my basses! You can't beat the twin pack either.

 

[DavidRavenMoon]

Agreed. That's one of the reasons I switched to flats. Rotos were my old fave until recently. I got two bad sets in a row and decided I ought to try something different. Wonder what's going on across the pond...

This is not a new problem... I used Swing Bass strings for years back in the 70's, and every now and then I got a bad set, or at least a set that wasn't so "fresh"

I knew a guy that worked for the US distributor (at that time it was Dallas Arbiter) and he said there were packs of Rotos laying around on the floor! Apparently some where on the floor for a long time! So maybe you don't get fresh strings all the time.

So between getting some sets that went dead quickly, and the strings deciding to remove the frets on my Ric 4001, I switched to Picato. Those were very consistent. When I couldn't get those (or Sound City strings.. any one remember these brands?) I switched to GHS Boomers.

Then I went to flats and half rounds. I really liked the D'Addario Half Rounds I, but hated the Half Rounds II... they were too bright. GHS Bright flats were ok. I had Fender flats on my P-bass, but the tension was too high for my Ric, so on that I used LaBella Deep Talkin' Bass stainless steel flats. I highly recommend those if you want non thuddy flats. You can get a good Sly and the Family Stone slap tone out of them.. bright, but not ringy like round wounds. And they last FOREVER. I had a set on for almost 4 years, until I broke one.

Now I love D'Addario XL's and Pro Steels.

 

[Freuds_cat]

Webstrings Detroit stainless round-wound 105-45....
I used rotosound for 35 years--- these are better and a LOT cheaper

I'm the same and totally agree

 

[nonohmic]

Rotosound Swing 66 Stainless 45-60-85-105-130 i think

not as defined in the highs as i wouldve liked but at ~$80 NZD for each set of strings i cant afford to try more than one set at a time!

 

[G.F.C.]

I agree that D'Addario's are fantastic. I play a Carvin Fretless P series and the tone is excellent... Surprisingly I get a very smooth tone and well wearing string out of standard Fender .50-.105's. The price is right and they, at least for me, last about as long as more expensive strings.

The Fender's have a longer breaking in period for me, however. They are very, VERY bright and jangly for about a week while as D'Addario's are smooth in about 3 days or so.

Anyone else have any experience with flatwounds for fretless basses? I'm looking for new a tone and am open to trying anything that's under $25 a set for a 4 string.

Thanks and keep focused on the goal...

 

[kingmacaw]

if you like jazz the sound of an upright bass, pay more & get the thomastik-Infeld jazz flats. i love that sound & i only play pop, rock, r n' b. by the way i play hard-smackin/or banging-bendin-slidin. la bella deep talkin' bass are incredibly fast smooth playing strings but they don't seem to give the sound T-I's can give. if you don't like an elastic string & prefer more tension it's your choice, rotos are good. (nickel rounds have a great sound but w/o the speed bumps of fretted fingerboards the screetchies suck.)

 

[squire4string]

Nickel round wound Peavey cirrus 4-strings ..yes Peavey makes a bass string they designed especially for their "Cirrus" Line of Basses, and they are by far the best sounding strings I've tried. I use them on my Squire P-bass.
Check them out!!!!!!!!!!!