what strings did you use when you first started playing?

[DocShocker]

First set, I think, was Ken Smith nickle rounds. But it may have been GHS or Roto's. I know my first set of flats were GHS precision flats, and they scared me off of flatswound strings for almost 10 years, until I discovered Chromes.

 

[steve_ss]

My PJ Special and new Mustang both have Fender rounds. My used DeArmond came with some brand of rounds but I switched over to D'Addario flat chromes this morning. The flats will take some getting used to, but so far so good. They feel really different.

 

[Linnin]

I played the strings that came on my brand new 1972 Fender Precision Electric Bass Guitar! Fender Flatwound Electric Bass Strings! Fender didn't make roundwounds at that time.

 

[Arthur U. Poon]

My first bass was a cheap Jazz copy that I bought out of the Sears catalog, and it came with flatwounds.

Early on, I tried Picato Roundwounds, then Rotosound 66's, I tried GHS Brite Flats, then D'Addario XLs, then D'Addario Half Rounds, I used the Half Rounds for quite a few years, then I used XLs for decades, along with GHS Boomers and Ernie Ball Slinkys.

I've "recently" tried Infeld Superalloys, which have an incredible lifespan, Fodera Nickel roundwounds, which are awesome, and next up are GHS Pressurewounds.

 

[Arthur U. Poon]

One of the many strings I tried stands out among the standard fare of Roto 66's, GHS Bass Boomers and Chromes. That one was a set that was made with Copper wraps, round wounds. I think they were made by D'addario but I don't really remember. They made my fingers green and made my Peavey T-40 reek like a sack of pennies.

I also messed with Dean Markley Blue Steel and D'addario XL's but what I really locked into was Ken Smith Stainless Steel...I bought them by the case in a custom gauge to accommodate drop D tuning with my Hipshot D-Tuner, I was the first one on the block with one of those. Once I switched to 5 string basses I reverted back to experimental mode.

I remember those copper roundwounds! I think they were called D'Addario XL Reds, or something to that effect. They were kind of a budget priced string, but they were really good strings, IMO.

 

[JaketheB]

Ernie ball

 

[devnulljp]

Roto 66s

 

[bobalu]

Ernie Ball Super Slinkies. They were inexpensive and easy to find everywhere. I still experiment with all sorts of other brands and there's lots of great strings out there now for sure, but the EB's tend to be my standard go to's in a pinch.

 

[MTN.bass72]

Ernie ball Regular Slinkys , then switched to whatever the pink pack is...
Now DR Black Beauties and won't look back.
Plus about to put my first set of LaBella 760's on my Lakland Skyline Duck Dunn

 

[kevteop]

when i first started playing, i used rotosound swingbass 66's

Same here.Still do on Jazzes.

 

[Wesley R]

My very first bass came from the JC Penny outlet store, it had flats. My next bass came strung with Labella Tapewounds. Everything I have owned since (except current machine) had Tape Wounds.

 

[PBFACTOR]

started with ghs boomers. use d'addario exl170 for the last 20 years or so.

 

[klokker]

I started off on nickels. DR, Sadowsky, Dunlops. Now I'm SS DR lo riders for my main bass. Prefer flats, but needed something that would sit better in our mix and be a little "clankier" for a couple of solos I have.

 

[Phalex]

I tried a different set of strings almost every time I changed strings on my bass. I settled on GHS Boomers for a very long time because I liked the sound I got out of them as well as the feel. (They make my Ric sound like..... Well...... my Ric)

These days mostly every bass I own wears a set of something from GHS. Brite flats on my P, Boomers on my Ric, and Progressives on my Nordy. I like GHS. They make a string to fit all of my needs, and the factory is maybe 30 miles from my house. So I buy locally made strings, support my local economy, and every one of my basses sings with a voice of its very own.

 

[Mystic Michael]

when i first started playing, i used rotosound swingbass 66's because my buddy in the band i had been singing for always used them. i didn't love them, but i didn't hate them, either. over time, i've moved toward different strings.

so what strings did you use when you first started playing bass, and are you still using them or have you moved to other strings? and why?

When I was a noob, it was either GHS Boomers or D'Addario Half Rounds. Why? Because they're both decent strings, and because they were among the relatively few makes/models that were widely available at that time. (In the pre-Internet era, you had to schlep over to your friendly neighborhood music store in order to get strings. So distribution and availability were very limiting factors.)

FWIW, I don't use either model anymore, preferring DRs mostly, but am also taking an interest in GHS Pressure Wounds, Dunlop Super Brights, Kalium Hybrids, among others.

MM

 

[eddiebo]

used the RotoSound Swing Bass 66 Standard Gauge for years when I started out and all I played was a P. Now it depends on the bass. My favorite replacement for the Rotos are GHS Super Steels which are punchy AF, on vintage basses where I need rounds I use DRs, either HI Beams or Low Riders because they are softer and easier on the frets, (not a nickel strings guy), La Bella Deep Talkin' Flats on a 60s P-Bass, and DR Hi Beam 125 - 45s on a 5er

 

[japhy4529]

I'm not sure what strings I used when I first started playing bass in 1987 (probably rotosounds) but I know I used Dean Markley Blue Steels for many years. Nowadays I switch back and forth between DR Hi-beams and Dunlop Super Brights.

 

[MYLOWFREQ]

Daddario nickels.

 

[NortyFiner]

I used whatever roundwounds came on my first instrument. After some experimenting, I became a flats convert, and these days I use EB Cobalt flats.

 

[Marial]

GHS Boomers. Broke two, haven't used them since (this was the late eighties). Right now I'm using EB cobalt flats on my fretless and Dunlop superbrite rounds on my fretted (both Jazz basses).