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Which strings do you use/like/prefer on your P Bass?

#161
vindibona1 said:
Thanks for your thoughts. I don't think rounds are necessarily what I want on the P bass.
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Unlike with a JB, I was never a fan of rounds on a PB. I drew the line at pressure rounds although I still preferred flats. Preferably in a lighter 45-100 gauge.

I really do like the LaBella Copper White Nylons. Which surprised me because after trying just about every other nylon set on the market I concluded nylons weren’t my thing. But these strings are quite different. Totally unique feel under the fingers for starters. I’ll confess I’m a bit of a string junkie. So I’ve played a lot of different strings over the years. Sound-wise the Coppers have a nice touch of clean top end, a focused low end, and some really warm and complex mids. Which works out really well for a mid forward bass like a PB IMO. These are definitely keepers. :thumbsup:

Just recently I put a set of (don’t laugh) Gibson flats on my MIM that’s currently rocking a Fender Pure Vintage ‘63 pickup. And it’s a match made in heaven. Nice classic PB vibe with a slight but noticeably darker tone than I could pull out of my other goto for PBs, which are LaBella flats. Felt like I was back in the 70s in my real first band.

I haven’t used Gibson bass strings since the early 70s. (I think Gibson even discontinued making bass strings for awhile.) And I think they changed the formulation for them somewhere along the line. Because this new set isn’t as shiny and polished as I remember them being from back in the day. They’re duller colored and don’t have their previous almost glassy feeling and tightly wrapped texture. Which seems to indicate different alloy formulation and a looser wrap. Which is probably why the new set is breaking in extremely quickly and sounding better with each passing day whereas the old set took forever to fully open up.

I think these are going to become keepers too.
 
#162
I use my P in two very different sounding bands. One needs that thumpy sound you’d get with flats the other I play almost like a guitar, using a pick and playing chords and upper register stuff with effects.

I tried to make flats work with both but even Cobalts didn’t fit well in the latter band. So I’m experimenting heavily with various rounds. My P likes heavy gauges. So I’m running a hybrid Slinky set 110-90-70-50 with crazy low action, barely have to touch the strings.
 
#163
vindibona1 said:
I agree. While I had been planning to go to rehearsal yesterday with my Sandberg I decided to take my P Bass as it would be the last oppportunity before beginning full run-throughs. I thought that I was more facile on the Sandberg... and then I got to rehearsal and was surprised at how fast I could move on the P bass though it has a wider neck and bigger body. I liked the beefy thick sound which is different than the Sandberg while seems be biased toward a "Music Man" sort of sound. Like my Yamaha I think I'm going to stick with the EBCF's for now until its time to change strings. But now my Yamaha is mostly for backup and rehearsals and may pull some Black Beauties out of the drawer to try on that bass?

Right now the two amps I have/use are a GK MB 112 and TC Electronic BG250-112. Thinking about a MarkBass but on the fence about if and which one as they have a unique sound.



Thanks for your thoughts. I don't think rounds are necessarily what I want on the P bass. When I got it I was thinking "Motown" though my Yamaha TRBX does a pretty good job with that sound and Cobalt Flats. I'm very familiar with DR Sunbeams as I have them on both my jazz basses and can get some good growl, particularly with my Jazz5 with an Audere preamp installed.
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If you want to go ahead with Markbass, make sure to do an A/B comparison against your GK MB 112.

I tested a Marbass 115 and 2x10 against my GK Neo IV 112 and ran out the door with the GK very quickly ! The Markbass stuff was good but the GK was way more musical and a pleasure to listen to.

Those tests were done with Fender precision and jazz basses, both with rounds.
 
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#164
dave64o said:
When using my P bass as a rock bass, I love nickel plated DR Lo Riders. The stainless steel version is great, also. But the nickels fit my needs better and, to be honest, will sound great in any musical setting I'll play in.

When using it for acoustic rock, for blues, or for anything not as loud as general rock, LaBella DeepTalkin' Flats are my choice. That's what's on it now.

If I want a good, solid tone that is never wrong, D'Addario Chromes.

But I think I like the nickel Lo Riders best overall.
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I've heard these are pretty stiff. How do these relate to the flats you play on your other basses tension wise?
 
#165
Only two choices, 50-110 or 52-110.
Oh yeh


Steve Harris.jpeg
images (11).jpeg
 
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#176
vindibona1 said:
Just got a new P Bass 5er last week, my first P Bass ever. Obviously it comes with Fender strings but I wasn't crazy about them. I then tried a set of Ernie Ball Cobalt Flats, and while they felt good I feel like they're lacking something on that bass. I've now as of this morning put on a set of Elixir 45-130s and they seem ok and have a little more zing that can be toned down with the tone knob.

What do you like/prefer on your P?
View attachment 5391795
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Since I have 26 other basses besides my "A-spec"- necked '78 P-Bass, I don't want - or need - it to be very versatile. What I want it to sound like, is an as-it-came-from-the-factory P-Bass - in the late '60s/early '70s. So, since - far as I can tell - the strings that come closest to the original factory Squier Flats are the GHS Precision Flats? It wears the M3050 P-Flats, under the pickup cover and the foam mute in the bridge cover. And, I'm a very happy camper...:whistle:
 
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#177
GIBrat51 said:
Since I have 26 other basses besides my "A-spec"- necked '78 P-Bass, I don't want - or need - it to be very versatile. What I want it to sound like, is an as-it-came-from-the-factory P-Bass - in the late '60s/early '70s. So, since - far as I can tell - the strings that come closest to the original factory Squier Flats are the GHS Precision Flats? It wears the M3050 P-Flats, under the pickup cover and the foam mute in the bridge cover. And, I'm a very happy camper...:whistle:
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I put the GHS P flats in my shopping cart and "save for later".

Perhaps I've grown used to the Ernie Ball Cobalt Flats on my P bass, but also have some control when I go through my Fishman EQ/DI box where I can really tweak frenquencies, compress, boosts and cuts, etc. I gigged it last night and find that I use a much lighter touch than with my other basses. I also seem to like a glove on my left hand, but not my right.
 
#178
vindibona1 said:
I put the GHS P flats in my shopping cart and "save for later".

Perhaps I've grown used to the Ernie Ball Cobalt Flats on my P bass, but also have some control when I go through my Fishman EQ/DI box where I can really tweak frenquencies, compress, boosts and cuts, etc. I gigged it last night and find that I use a much lighter touch than with my other basses. I also seem to like a glove on my left hand, but not my right.
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Honestly, I can't think of any flats that would actually sound "bad" on a P-Bass. Since I bought mine from it's original owner in 1988, it's worn Roto RS77LD's; La Bella 760FS's; Fender 9050L's; and, finally, the GHS #M3050 P-Flats. I can think of several flats that I would never put on my P-Bass, but only because they would be only marginally suitable for any of the music that I like to play. What's on it now, definitely works best for what I use it for... although, to be exactly "correct"? It should be wearing GHS's #3025 P-Flats, since they're a little closer to the gauges of the original factory flats... Still, there's people around here, with any flat wound you can think of on their P-Bass. And, they love them to Death...:cool:
 
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