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What's your B like?

#61
KsPiNeSh said:
I've owned a lot of 5-stringers (as my profile will attest :)) and honestly haven't the slightest clue what they were all strung with. I do know that the only B-strings I didn't like were on my Dingwall Afterburner II and Combustion... all others got the job done with authority :)
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The Dingwalls should have had awesome B strings. What were they strung with, fence wire? :confused:
 
#62
I wonder if it really is mostly strings. I've had two five strings that did not have the feel and tone out of their low B that my new Roscoe does. I only tried a couple of different types of strings on each bass, but I still had the impression there were other major factors. Scale length mostly? The Roscoe has the best i've ever played, so far!
 
#63
Bass Viking said:
The Dingwalls should have had awesome B strings. What were they strung with, fence wire? :confused:
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Nope - strung with Dingwall strings. Intonated correctly, fantastic setups, the works. I played with pickup height, EQ, technique, changed batteries, you name it... no good to my ears :hmm: I ultimately sold them for a bevy of reasons, but I was very surprised. Others seem to rave about them, so I'm thinking perhaps that sound just isn't for me. The basses were otherwise top-notch and of impeccable quality.
 
#65
The Dingwall Voodoo I previously owned had a prefect B. The Jackson C5A I have now has a tolerable one. It is currently strung with D'Addario Pro Steels (w/a .135) and it's pretty tight and playable enough for my needs.

Looking forward to trying a set of DR DDT's next as I like them on the other basses I've used.
 
#66
For me also its my Dingwall AB11 has clear even tone across the board, with a nice punchy B, also have a Dingwall Combustion which is pretty good too although you can get a booster magnet for the B on these from Sheldon if your not happy with the sound, but if your on a budget i can recommend the G&L 2500 tribute, which i found to be surprisingly good for a 34' scale bass.
 
#69
So many responses I didn't read through them all, but I will say this:

I owned a peavy fury 6 as my 3rd bass (within 2 years of playing). With the stock strings that came with it, everything was tight; great sound versatility with amp/bass level settings preferenced. Not very snappy as far as the strings went. BUT AFTER OWNING 2 MORE 5 STRINGED I REALIZE HOW NICE THAT B STRING TENSION/SOUND WAS.

I spent about $550 for the bass on sale, and loved it. But needed new strings after not very long and just traded it for a profit cause I couldn't slap on it. REGRET NOW!

Hate light strings, I always use medium sets, whatever specs that is. Heavies I've tried a few times but I don't have that great of finger strength so even though I like the tone 16th notes and quick playing are hard for me.
 
#71
the best bee's in the biz are on my Modulus Genesis strung with eb's 130 and my roscoe 6er with 130 too. i have never played a 34 in b that sounded as good with out lots of fuss. It sux becouse i really want a american p bass 5er.
 
#73
bassfreakah said:
the best bee's in the biz are on my Modulus Genesis strung with eb's 130 and my roscoe 6er with 130 too. i have never played a 34 in b that sounded as good with out lots of fuss. It sux becouse i really want a american p bass 5er.
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I really try to not buy/keep basses with nasty B strings. So I'd rate mine only down to "OK". Which resides on my MIM Fender Deluxe. Oddly my SX basses have better B strings. From there B strings pretty much depend on strings and the cost of the bass. I choose strings for tone not B string action. G&Ls have great B strings. Ken Smith just great. Alembic still better. And of course, my Modulus sits right at the top with to die for B string. And the Modulus is 35" although it's not THAT much better than the KS or Alembic which are 34".

I use a variety of strings from SIT bright rounds, through pressure wounds, ground wounds, flat wounds, even nylon wrapped. Mostly they are medium gauge, but a couple are light gauge. My "standard" round wound choice is plain old D'Addario XLs (which is what is on my Modulus and also a few others including SX).

I suppose it's not surprising that high dollar basses have great B strings, but I am surprised at how good the B strings on my SX or OLP basses are. A cheap bass is not a guarantee of a "floppy" B string. But then If I try a bass in a store and the B is floppy, it gets put back without a second look.

One interesting point is that I was just adjusting my G&L setup today. And what struck me was that as I adjusted the Truss rod, saddle heights etc. There were certain settings where the B string suddenly felt rather floppy! I was really surprised that a setup would make that much difference to the feel of the B string.
 
#74
I am learning that I like a thicker string for more sustain. On my Jackson I went from a .135 Pro Steel to a .125 DR DDT and sustain suffered. I had assumed the thinner string would allow for more harmonic content but on this bass the thicker string sounded better overall.

On a custom bass I just got I also put on the thicker D'Addario set; being a better-made bass it has far more sustain, even on the B than the C5A.
 
#76
lulz. i saw this thread and jumped to the end to post something about how awesome the B is on my Dingwall AB I sixer. and how it blew away every other bass i'd ever played in that department.

annnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnd......... looks like that's already been covered.
 

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