What kind of strings do you use?

[mpdd]

just got a vintage lynx bass with ernie ball slinky's and i'm kinda feelin them like i was in the 90s
i'm out of dunlop nickels, going to start using the la bella nickel rounds and i'll post some thoughts when i switch them out

 

[BassJunkie]

I use DR High Beams on my Precision Bass and a the short scale High Beams on my 5 String. I find that the strings have the most versatility for the price. I can get a lot of tones out of them for studio work and live settings.

 

[songwriter21]

Elixir. They never die...at least not for a crapload of time.

I just received these, because I want to try them....

La Bella Strings

 

[Leftka]

i really like the la bella black tape wounds on my acoustic EAB and my gretsch short scale.

 

[michael_t]

Time for another flip-flop...

La Bella 760FL now off of my P (...again); GHS ML7200 back on it.
Fender 9050CL will stay on my J...at least for now.

Now I'm a recovering flatwound junkie.

I just realized I forgot to do an update when I put my old set of Pressurewounds back on my J a couple of months ago.

GHS Pressurewound ML7200 (10 mths old) on my J.
GHS Pressurewound ML7200 (9 mths old) on my P.

Will be another update in July when I put a set of GHS Boomers (custom, 45-60-80-105) on my P.
Meanwhile, I'm in a hunt for a third bass (either P or J) for my Fender 9050CL.

p.s. I'm no longer a flatwound addict!

 

[Yahboy]

Labella LTF4A in my Squier Classic Vibe 50P bass few day ago and i put it on my CV 60P yesterday, this flat sound really nice with both bass. Nice broke-in tone from fresh pack, output and tone is nice balance from string to string , comfort tension without floopy issue.
LTF4A carry on my previous 760FL tone With better MID present. Sit nicely in mix .
From ECB81 > 9050L > 760FL > Sadow Blk Label 40-100 > 9050CL > DR Legend > GHS M3050 , the tone produced by Labella LTF4A is the kind of sound that i looking for woody classic P vibe with nice tension and focus/clear sound E string.

My new order of Ti JF344 will arrive in this few day, will put in my CV60P and the LTF4A going back to CV50P.

 

[Felken]

Light gauge prosteels V. I love light gauge because it needs less tension to hit required note, hence more buzz. I love fret buzz.

 

[Emanuel Apascaritei]

After d'addario, la Bella, dunlops, all very good strings, I installed a set of super light Fodera nickel and call it home. Blows my mind off. Too bad it can't be find more often here in the Madrid area!

 

[michael_t]

After d'addario, la Bella, dunlops, all very good strings, I installed a set of super light Fodera nickel and call it home. Blows my mind off. Too bad it can't be find more often here in the Madrid area!

Have you ever tried the GHS Round Core Boomers? They do come in exactly the same gauges as the Fodera Super Lights, 40-55-75-95, and may be more readily available where you are. Just a suggestion...

 

[Emanuel Apascaritei]

Have you ever tried the GHS Round Core Boomers? They do come in exactly the same gauges as the Fodera Super Lights, 40-55-75-95, and may be more readily available where you are. Just a suggestion...

Thanks for the suggestion, if they come with 120 low b I'll surely try them. That's another reason I prefer Fodera, i play the low b really high up the neck (even after the 12 fret) and sounds terrific.

 

[4StringDave]

D'addario XL nickel. Nice solid tone for most things, especially after a couple of gigs. I've tried flats and like the sound, but they feel weird to me, and actually hurt/burnt my fingers when moving between notes..........

 

[gypsyfelon]

Hey folkes.
Has anybody tried the TI rounds?
I'm breaking in a set and so far so good.
Peace.

 

[Thegrandwazoo]

I use GHS Pressurewounds, the 'ML7200' set (.044-.102), on my Ernie Ball Music Man Sterling HS and my '88 Japanese Fender Jazz Bass Special (P body, J neck, P/J pickups, TBX tone control) fretless. Historically I've always used Warwick EMP (coated stainless roundwounds), and have always been happy with them. When I got my Sterling, however, I realized I kinda needed something to tame the high-end zing a bit. I despise the feel and, to a lesser extent, sound of flats, and a great deal of research led me to try these things out.

Man, am I glad I did! For my gear and style, there's no way there's a better string out there. They're deep as the ocean without being muddy, the tension is delicious, there's plenty of brightness there if I want it, amazingly responsive, ultra-punchy in the midrange, super well-balanced, just the right amount of finger noise, last forever... On and on. They're hex-core and the compressed wrap wire is what they call 'Alloy 52', which seems to me to be stainless for all intents and purposes.

If anyone thinks there's any chance that these babies might be what they're looking for, try a set as soon as humanly possible. For me, they're the end-all, be-all. I'm really bummed out that it took me 15 years of playing to learn about them.

 

[michael_t]

I use GHS Pressurewounds, the 'ML7200' set (.044-.102)...

They're deep as the ocean without being muddy, the tension is delicious, there's plenty of brightness there if I want it, amazingly responsive, ultra-punchy in the midrange, super well-balanced, just the right amount of finger noise, last forever... On and on.

They're hex-core and the compressed wrap wire is what they call 'Alloy 52', which seems to me to be stainless for all intents and purposes.

Fyi... Alloy 52 is a nickel-iron alloy, which is magnetically more active than either Stainless Steel or Nickel-plated Steel, resulting in extra punch and crunch. Being a nickel alloy, it's also very friendly to the fretboard/fingerboard.

 

[Thegrandwazoo]

Fyi... Alloy 52 is a nickel-iron alloy, which is magnetically more active than either Stainless Steel or Nickel-plated Steel, resulting in extra punch and crunch. Being a nickel alloy, it's also very friendly to the fretboard/fingerboard.

I knew it was nickel/iron, and the 52 represents the percentage of one or the other (iron, I would think). I guess 'for all intents and purposes' wasn't the right way to word that, as you're exactly right: they are more potent magnetically and easy on frets. What I was trying and failing to say was that they seem to be equally corrosion resistant as stainless, which is reasonable with such a lot of nickel (I think). I'm pretty good about wiping my strings/fingerboard with Fast-Fret before/after playing, so maybe I'm a dumbass on the stainlesslike properties, but they seem to stay bright (in appearance as well as tone) and 'alive' for as long as or longer than any uncoated stainless strings I've used. Sorry for the confusion, I'm pretty sleepy, haha!

 

[michael_t]

What I was trying and failing to say was that they seem to be equally corrosion resistant as stainless, which is reasonable with such a lot of nickel (I think).

I kind of figured that's what you meant. I posted my comment about Alloy 52 for those who might be reading your comment who may not be as familiar with the term.

I do agree about their longevity; they have lasted longer than any nickel rounds I've tried.

 

[Thegrandwazoo]

I'm still on my first sets of them, I think somewhere around 2 months on my Music Man and a month on my Fender, and they sound fantastic. For an uncoated string (which I admittedly have little experience with), that seems like forever to me.

 

[michael_t]

I'm still on my first sets of them, I think somewhere around 2 months on my Music Man and a month on my Fender, and they sound fantastic. For an uncoated string (which I admittedly have little experience with), that seems like forever to me.

Both my P and J are currently wearing the ML7200 set. One is 10 mths old and the other 9 mths old.

You still have a long way to go.

 

[Thegrandwazoo]

Man, that's like flatwound territory. Are they still snappy at all?

 

[michael_t]

Man, that's like flatwound territory. Are they still snappy at all?

I would describe them as "punchy and crunchy with no zing". They still sound like when they were a month old.