What to do against the "new string brightness"

[dave64o]

Thank you very much david!
I would not have expected such a detailed answer. But to be honest I dont have THAT much of a problem with fresh stings, I just wanted some opinions and approaches for the "zing", because other than playing a few weeks I knew no solution. I never wanted to go afford any equipment for eliminating exactly the brightness of fresh stings. If I had a gig tomorrow and only had brandnew strings, of course, I would dial back the treble. But I thought it obvious, that I have already thought about that.

I think I will go for roundwounds with less treble, like the ones mentioned!

Ha! Well, since you were kind of insistent about not wanting to compromise, it was a fun exercise to think about what some other options really might be and that's what I came up with. Honestly, if you can pull off #3, you probably have people here who'd be willing to buy a set of bTD Zingless Rounds!

But I think deciding to go for warmer, less trebly rounds is the best overall solution and you've got a lot of good suggestions for nickel wrapped sets to try.

Have fun - and keep your sanity. Trying out strings is as big a rabbit hole as trying out dirt/overdrive/distortion pedals!

 

[LBS-bass]

+1 to both of these statements. They start off like a broken in round wound and pretty much stay that way. I have them on two of my basses. They last forever. Seriously. Love 'em.

Backing off the treble doesn't work quite as well as a solution, IMO. By the time you eliminate the zing, it sounds like you're playing from under a blanket. Most tone controls are too coarse for this sort of fine control.

It's also a royal pain to have to adjust settings every time you change strings. It's not like your tone will go from super bright to broken-in all at once, either. Nope, you'll be fiddling with those knobs every single day for a couple of weeks and, if you're lucky, you'll remember where your sweet spot was for the broken-in strings once they get there. One of the things I loved about the pressurewounds was that they freed me from all that. They sound broken in right from the start and they don't really change much.

 

[Chrisk-K]

Eat Buffalo wings with your bare hands and then play the bass. The new strings will sound dead in no time.

 

[klyph]

Eat Buffalo wings with your bare hands and then play the bass. The new strings will sound dead in no time.

A better option is to apply ghee (clarified butter) to the string and then wipe it down before putting it on the bass.

 

[john_g]

I tried GHS Pressurewounds and found them to be pretty consistently good right from the start. They didn't sound so bright right out of the package and have maintained their punchiness. You might give those a try.

This. However, as I have said several times here, I am sensitive to string tension (seems to be the only thing im sensitive to playing bass lol) and Pressurewounds are a little higher tension than the rounds I normally use (DR HiBeams). This is just my experience. You may not even notice. They sound great though, have them on a couple basses and did some recording over this past week and they just work so well.

 

[michael_t]

I am sensitive to string tension (seems to be the only thing im sensitive to playing bass lol) and Pressurewounds are a little higher tension than the rounds I normally use (DR HiBeams).

Which specific sets of gauges are you referring to when comparing the stiffness/flexibility between the PWs and the HBs?

 

[Dragan]

It's so hard to wait week or two?

 

[red_rhino]

This. However, as I have said several times here, I am sensitive to string tension (seems to be the only thing im sensitive to playing bass lol) and Pressurewounds are a little higher tension than the rounds I normally use (DR HiBeams). This is just my experience. You may not even notice.

Agreed, a bit higher tension. I went with a light gauge PW on both my Tobias Classic and my 65 P. Tension was perfect without having to adjust the neck relief at all, plus the lighter guage has more flexibility and feels more like a medium gauge. There wasn't really a need to adjust my feel, playing, or anything.

It's so hard to wait week or two?

Yes. There's no point to pointless suffering.

 

[Horseflesh]

I know that the flatter the outside of the string is, the less zwoooosh you get from sliding your fingers around. Do flatter exteriors also reduce other artifacts? I get a fraction of a second of buzz when I lift a finger off a fret and it drives me nuts. (I'm keeping the finger in contact with the string, but still.)

 

[dougjwray]

The closest I've come to what you seek are Dunlop Super Bright Nickels. (Ignore the name.)
They are very supple, with really nice mids, and are crystal clear on top with no zing or clank. I think of them as the most "gentle" roundwounds that I've ever tried. Yet they don't sound like they are under a blanket. They're kind of unique. Cheap, too! Maybe worth a try.

 

[Jefenator]

I like my rounds broken in, too but I just deal with the "zing" for a period.
I feel it is good to occasionally get nudged to clean up my RH technique.
My acoustic bass guitar with bronze rounds & piezo pickup stays that way even after break-in. The treble can be very harsh when I'm not careful. But when played properly, there are sweet sounds to be had. (So much so that some clients actively prefer the ABG - zing and all.)
I've never been tempted to try any chemical method to accelerate the break-in process. I don't like dead rounds and I don't like having to buy & change strings more often than I have to.

 

[Hounddog409]

To all the "turn the treble down" Guys: Come on, his is CLEARLY not the same effect! I mean sure you can kinda get there but the "zing" of fresh strings is probably around 10kHz or so? In order to get the same affect, you would have to eq quite a lot, its not just the treble, the string behaves somewhat different…it must be very specific frequencies that contribute to the "fresh sting tone" I think.

Who said anything about treble?

I do this everytime I change strings. It is that easy. Yes It might take a combination of a couple nobs. Tone, gain, mids, treble. That is why they are there. To use.

Guess what? Once you figure it out once, take a freakin picture for reference next time.

My God, people act like its a mortal sin to adjust your amp.

 

[lermgalieu]

Don't change your strings. Or switch to flats (in which case you won't ever need to change them either). What's my prize?

 

[eriky4003]

OP, DR Sunbeams over DR LoRiders for the sound you want. Nickel over stainless steel LoRiders for the sound you want. I love the ss LoRiders but I'm a bright string lover. Probably Pure Blues over Fat Beams, again, for the sound you want.

 

[john_g]

Which specific sets of gauges are you referring to when comparing the stiffness/flexibility between the PWs and the HBs?

DRs 40-100s and PWs 40-96s. Again, this is my personal experience, YMMV

 

[Kukulkan61]

Play the out of it or go with flats...

 

[Mudfuzz]

- other than playing for a few weeks or so

Ok so watch this instructional video and do all these things to your strings.

 

[eJake]

If this were a poll, I would vote for fried chicken

 

[brianrost]

My basses came with tone controls. They do the trick.

 

[Tim Skaggs]

- other than playing for a few weeks or so

You all know it, the crazy treble that brandnew roundwounds produce. Some love it, some hate it...It goes away after a few weeks of playing.
BUT: sometimes I want to change my strings and have the perfect stabile tone of "played in" strings instantly..

Is there a string that has a little less of this high treble straight out of the package? (talking about roundwounds)

Can you archieve the state of condition of a "played in" string otherwise? I mean basicly its a mechanical thing of skin and rust beween the windings, right?

Tone control on bass, tone control on amp. Either or both will resolve the issue.