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What strings do you use on your precision bass?
- Thread starter Mantis Tobaggan
- Start date
Gaolee
Official leathers tester and crash dummy
My 2 cents on this -- I've nearly gone broke buying and discarding string sets for THROUGH body bridges for the bass pictured in my thumbnail. Has this EB MM Stingray Classic 4 since 2011. It came with EB light gauge. I changed them out immediately for their Power Slinky gauges. Problem was for the $13+/set they went pussy on me in approx. 7 days. I went to GHS rounds, half rounds, rounds, D'addario EBCM 82 extra long or something like that. They were medium gauge and I have an exceptional heavy hand requiring 50 - 110's minimally. This went on for approx. a year and got to be rather expensive. Within the month someone suggested Rotosound 77's flats medium gauge. WOW! They made this bass (ready to be scrapped out of sheer frustration) SING like Ernie Ball Music Man (Leo's design) made it to. It does indeed sting and properly. In the wings are their 50 - 110 ga. after these current ones wear out. Finally, as far as I'm concerned, this EBMM Stingray Classic 4 is everything new Fender Deluxe P's are. But the Stingray is in a class all by itself. It gives everything I put it through in funk/jazz/soul/Blues of all kinds. It's a wonderful configuration for the session work I'm doing of late.
BTW, IMHO, there's no need for Rotosound rounds to be put on a P bass unless one cares nothing about fret wear. These 77's are wonderfully bright, full bodied, twang -- perhaps the best string I've ever had with the exception of my beloved '57 Precision with LaBella Deep Talkin' "Jamerson" set.
I've been using the Ernie Ball Nickel Wound Slinky bass strings for a while. I like the way they feel and sound when they are fresh, but they seem to die after about a month or so of playing.
Made a switch from LaBella flats to DR Pure Blues. Very warm strings with just the right amount of midrange.
I've owned my Precision V for about 9 years and so far it's had:
- TI Jazz flats - The previous owner put these on. I thought they sounded pretty good on it but I did NOT like the loose feel. I took them off after giving them a try for a few months.
- D'Addario Chromes - These replaced the TIs and I LOVED the tone and the feel. I left the first set on for several years before putting on the second set, which lasted another few years
- DR Nickel Lo Riders - These replaced the Chromes as an experiment and I LOVED the tone and feel. With these string, it sounded to me like a rock bass should sound. My favorite bass is my Stingray 5HH and I use that one more than any other, but with the Lo Riders my Precision V sounded fantastic in my southern rock band - to me and to the rest of the guys. Having said that, I'll add that Nickel Lo Riders are my favorite string and they're the only string I've tried that I've loved the sound and feel of on every bass I've tried them on. Haven't had a less than ecstatic experience with them yet.
- LaBella Deep Talking flats - About a year ago I decided to try something new and put the DTF's on it. Love the feel and I really like the sound, despite being quite different from the Chromes. Unfortunately my band has pretty much fizzled out so I haven't had an opportunity to play these out yet. But, having played them at home, I think I give a slight edge to the Chromes. Slight. But I still like these a lot.
TL/DR: Nickel Lo Riders for rounds and D'Addario Chromes for flats.
- TI Jazz flats - The previous owner put these on. I thought they sounded pretty good on it but I did NOT like the loose feel. I took them off after giving them a try for a few months.
- D'Addario Chromes - These replaced the TIs and I LOVED the tone and the feel. I left the first set on for several years before putting on the second set, which lasted another few years
- DR Nickel Lo Riders - These replaced the Chromes as an experiment and I LOVED the tone and feel. With these string, it sounded to me like a rock bass should sound. My favorite bass is my Stingray 5HH and I use that one more than any other, but with the Lo Riders my Precision V sounded fantastic in my southern rock band - to me and to the rest of the guys. Having said that, I'll add that Nickel Lo Riders are my favorite string and they're the only string I've tried that I've loved the sound and feel of on every bass I've tried them on. Haven't had a less than ecstatic experience with them yet.
- LaBella Deep Talking flats - About a year ago I decided to try something new and put the DTF's on it. Love the feel and I really like the sound, despite being quite different from the Chromes. Unfortunately my band has pretty much fizzled out so I haven't had an opportunity to play these out yet. But, having played them at home, I think I give a slight edge to the Chromes. Slight. But I still like these a lot.
TL/DR: Nickel Lo Riders for rounds and D'Addario Chromes for flats.
LaBella flats -- Deep Talkin' Bass 760FL. (It's a PJ and not a straight P. So sue me...)
EXACTLY! The "Jamersons" I used for a good 20 years straight on actual Fenders lasted for months! I was working 5-6 nights a week, 2-4 45 minute shows per night and the combination was 100% consistent night after night and these bands had expert musicians, the drummer and guitarist coming out of NRBQ and one from Nashville's record scene doing all that Outlaw music. I beat the bass faster than the strings wearing off all the finish and stuff. Wore certain sections down to bare wood. I also had the Acoustic 360 which changed and formed my playing. We played loud, hard, fast and tough for our money. Now at 65 with the EB MM Stingray I want more clean legato and fullness on the low end particularly. I don't know why certain brands and types wear out so fast. That gets expensive especially if one is dependent on a certain sound which I am. I can't work to have a portion of that going toward a new set every couple of weeks. I'm still looking for something that fits my needs. These Rotosounds 77's are close but set no. one within a month are worn out pretty much. :-(
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My '74 Precision wears Swing Bass 66 or it wears nothing at all. Been using them exclusively since the '70s.
I might experiment with some others on my new Jazz Bass, but I can't imagine the P sounding any better with anything else.
I might experiment with some others on my new Jazz Bass, but I can't imagine the P sounding any better with anything else.
Dead cheap roundwounds strings, Rotosounds Black Nylons, DR Black beauties, and now Labella white nylon gold strings, that's my evolution. been playing bass since I was 13. Just find all the songs you like and figure out what worked for the studio players. That's a good start. I play an American 2003 P bass with a Jazz neck.
I change my Rotosounds every two weeks on all of my P's. My frets are fine, and I play every day. Everyone needs fretwork eventually. Love me some bright hard hitting tone, and ain't gonna quit now!
What amp are you using? Through my union years it was stock Leo Fender P's through either a Dual Showman (or two, or three) or the Acoustic 360, the amp all the cats used because their design was made for Fender's sweet spot as were Fender amps. All that's changed and I am not necessarily convinced that's been a good thing throughout these many years since music's peak in the late 70's.
