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LaBella Gold tapewounds.
Just put them on my new PJ...bought the strings before I bought the bass!
Ok, I simply can't put this thing down...the tone is heavenly, there's just no other word for it. Fooling around with the pickups and tone switch I was able to duplicate the "Come Together" bass line to a T...downright uncanny...and that's just the beginning. More importantly, the originals I play with my band never sounded better. Seriously, I still can't get over the variety of different sounds I can get out of the combination of the P and J pickup along with a very responsive tone control.
Of course, my Markbass CMD-121P is a BIG part of my sound.
As for the strings, I just might never buy any other type.
Just put them on my new PJ...bought the strings before I bought the bass!
Ok, I simply can't put this thing down...the tone is heavenly, there's just no other word for it. Fooling around with the pickups and tone switch I was able to duplicate the "Come Together" bass line to a T...downright uncanny...and that's just the beginning. More importantly, the originals I play with my band never sounded better. Seriously, I still can't get over the variety of different sounds I can get out of the combination of the P and J pickup along with a very responsive tone control.
Of course, my Markbass CMD-121P is a BIG part of my sound.
As for the strings, I just might never buy any other type.
Dunlop Super Bright Nickels, of course. Perfectly balanced, beautiful mids, deep lows, no zinginess, very flexible. First string I've ever used that brings out the best of all my basses.
I don't see how balanced 45/65/85/105 can be.
At least tension wise.
SuperBrights are not your normal 45-105's. If you've never tried them, you just won't understand
I'm a big fan of the Rotosound TRU Bass Black Nylons 65-135. I have them on my Ibanez and they may go on my Pbass which has Chromes on it. The headless I'd have to get the adapter for, but I've only been finding the 4 string version lately.
Great strings! I opted for their copperwounds however. First set of tapes I could ever say I actually liked. Put a set on my Squier VM Jag Special with its P and J pickups and fell in love with the combo. Sounded even better than with it did with the flats I originally put on it. Especially if I play it through my B-15N. Killer rig for blues, British Invasion, jazz, or Motown.
Haven't tried dialing in Come Together (yet) but I can channel Fang Volk with it just fine.
It used to be Rotosound Swing 66 steels but I decided to move on from them for a while.
Probably gonna try out GHS BBs or d'addarios. I've heard great reviews about DR strings though.
Probably gonna try out GHS BBs or d'addarios. I've heard great reviews about DR strings though.
I would've tried the coppers myself had I not been familiar with the golds.Great strings! I opted for their copperwounds however. First set of tapes I could ever say I actually liked. Put a set on my Squier VM Jag Special with its P and J pickups and fell in love with the combo. Sounded even better than with it did with the flats I originally put on it. Especially if I play it through my B-15N. Killer rig for blues, British Invasion, jazz, or Motown.
Haven't tried dialing in Come Together (yet) but I can channel Fang Volk with it just fine.
I just wish Guitar Center or Sam Ash carried tapewounds. D'Adarrios are the only tapewounds I've ever found in a store...Dave Phillips in Jersey
- Oct 18, 2012
- 6,683
- 5,538
- Disclosures
- Endorsing Artist: Fender, Spector, Ampeg, Curt Mangan, Nordstrand Pickups, Korg , Conquest Sound
It's no secret that I have a love affair with the tonal qualities and stronger magnetic field of Alloy 52. I also like the slightly heavier hex core of GHS Big Core Bass strings. They have a roundwound Alloy 52 wrap, but I'd much prefer the oval wrap of GHS Pressurewounds. A heavier 0.050 G. Love the taperwound E of the Big Core stringset. It does require a tweak of the bridge saddle height, and the stronger magnetic signal requires a lowering of your pickup(s). So that's my Linn Spencer signature GHS Big Core Pressurewound stringset.
I've played GHS Boomers, (45 to 105) for longer than I can remember, but the new GHS Round Core Bass Boomers have me playing something new for the first time in many-many years.
The sound is more balanced and controlled, especially the highs, which were always cutting, but a bit "tinny" to my ear on the old Boomers. I liked the originals, but the Round Cores are just great, at least to me. They are lively, have good punch and ring just the way I want them to.
If I got a signature string deal today, the GHS Round Core Bass Boomers would be it.
The sound is more balanced and controlled, especially the highs, which were always cutting, but a bit "tinny" to my ear on the old Boomers. I liked the originals, but the Round Cores are just great, at least to me. They are lively, have good punch and ring just the way I want them to.
If I got a signature string deal today, the GHS Round Core Bass Boomers would be it.
GHS 3060 tapes, but since they don't fit most shorties I'll say the La Bella Deep Talkin' tapes.
My current goto strings are DR Pure Blues. When I'm in doubt, those go on.
That said, I like to carefully match specific strings to specific basses. I don't think I have the exact same strings on more than two instruments at any given time. And I own ten. The Ripper and Jazz both have a set of DR Pure Blues on them. It's a good smooth sounding nickel roundwound string that I really like. Everything else either has its own specific string set - or is still in "dating" mode because I haven't finalized my selection for it yet.
So I guess I can't really say I have a signature set of strings.
Or at least not yet.
Note: one string that flat out amazed me recently was LaBella's Copper White Nylons. They are the first set of tapewound strings I can honestly say I ever liked. I've used copper wound rounds in the past. But they've long since stopped making the ones I used to buy. And it's been many years since I had a set of copper anything on a bass. So I jumped at the chance when LaBella came out with this set despite my long standing misgivings about tapewound strings in general. But like Rod Stewart said in Every Picture Tells a Story: "Just look how wrong you can be!" These strings are fantastic AFAIC. Definitely intend to try them with some other basses in my collection going forward.
That said, I like to carefully match specific strings to specific basses. I don't think I have the exact same strings on more than two instruments at any given time. And I own ten. The Ripper and Jazz both have a set of DR Pure Blues on them. It's a good smooth sounding nickel roundwound string that I really like. Everything else either has its own specific string set - or is still in "dating" mode because I haven't finalized my selection for it yet.
So I guess I can't really say I have a signature set of strings.
Or at least not yet.
Note: one string that flat out amazed me recently was LaBella's Copper White Nylons. They are the first set of tapewound strings I can honestly say I ever liked. I've used copper wound rounds in the past. But they've long since stopped making the ones I used to buy. And it's been many years since I had a set of copper anything on a bass. So I jumped at the chance when LaBella came out with this set despite my long standing misgivings about tapewound strings in general. But like Rod Stewart said in Every Picture Tells a Story: "Just look how wrong you can be!" These strings are fantastic AFAIC. Definitely intend to try them with some other basses in my collection going forward.
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