Which strings do you use?

[Jean-Luc Pickguard]

Thomastik Jazz Flats JF344 on 6 basses. TI JF345 on the 5 string.
LaBella flats on most of the short scales, Old Roto flats on the ones I haven't got around to changing.
Stock NS strings on the Ned Steinberger CR-5M. Thomastik spirocore light on the upright.

[Kiwi]

LMAO Love ur nick JLP!

[paul, the]

Oh, quick question for anyone:


What's the lower limit on importing outside the EU?


A set of strings costing £29 (that's with postage) from America, would they charge duty/customs/whatever?


Cheers,

Paul.

[Nick80]

I've had DR Marcus Miller Fatbeams on my Aerodyne Jazz since last Feb and they are fantastic! Bright yet mellow. I've slapped some black beauties on my mia jazz, just to see what they're like. It looks good on a maple board but I'll see what they sound like (more importantly).

[BigBassBob]

GHS Boomers on my fretted Fenders

TI Flats for my fretless p-bass

Elites medium-light (40-100) for my Rickenbacker

Ernieball Regular slinkies for my guitars

[Alun]

Elixir Nanowebs on everything ( 45-105 with a 32 C string and taperwound 130 low B string) except LaBella Beatle Bass flatwounds on my Alden violin bass copy and a mix of Ashbory and Mike Tavener strings on my Ashbory ( I would have Elixirs on everything if they did flatwounds and rubber strings but they don't)

Cheers
Alun

Edited June 3, 2007 by Alun

[velvetkevorkian]

I just changed my strings (for about the fourth time in six years) and slapped a set of heavy guage Elixir nanowebs on. So far so good, but they'll no doubt stay on for at least a year whatever happens.

[Gwilym]

[quote name='paul, the' post='11057' date='Jun 2 2007, 03:24 PM']Oh, quick question for anyone:
What's the lower limit on importing outside the EU?
A set of strings costing £29 (that's with postage) from America, would they charge duty/customs/whatever?
Cheers,

Paul.[/quote]

i think the duty limit is around about the £30 mark, but they're not always consistent about it (ie sometimes you'll get away with a higher value. i my experience though, you should be ok with 1 set of strings. I bought 3 sets of DR Hi-Beams once, and did pay import duty & vat on them, declared value was around 65usd.

so, while I'm on the subject can anyone tell me the difference in sound between the HiBeams and the Sunbeams?

I've liked the Hi-Beams but find them a bit too bright, and a little rough to the touch. I really liked the sound and feel of Elixir Nanowebs, but they are rather expensive - luckily I didn't pay for them as they were on a bass I bought. It sounds like they are a good long-life option though as long as you don't use a pick.

[paul, the]

[quote name='Gwilym' post='13929' date='Jun 7 2007, 11:40 PM']i think the duty limit is around about the £30 mark, but they're not always consistent about it (ie sometimes you'll get away with a higher value. i my experience though, you should be ok with 1 set of strings. I bought 3 sets of DR Hi-Beams once, and did pay import duty & vat on them, declared value was around 65usd.[/quote]

Thank you very much. It's hugely appreciated. I think I'll fork out for some Jazz Flats from America.

[jwbassman]

[quote name='BeLow' post='11577' date='Jun 3 2007, 09:04 PM']I have used various makes but was impressed with Overwater Nickels - must buy some more soon.[/quote]

+1 on the Overwater Nickels - I find the nickel gives a warmer sound than the stainless steel and is a bit easier on the fingers too...

has anyone tried the Ritter Swordsteel? ordered a set just to give them a try, not had chance to fit them yet, maybe tomorrow...

[phagor]

I'm thinking of buying some strings from the US and did some quick research on UK import duty.

Officially the maximum value before duty is payable is £18 on purchased items, or £36 on gifts. This doesn't include the postage cost.

The duty charge seems to be 3.5% up to £290, then VAT is also charged on top.

[url="http://tinyurl.com/2f5x7l"]http://tinyurl.com/2f5x7l [/url] (link to HM Revenue & Customs website)

Like Gwilym says, I've heard that this is not always applied consistently.

[NJW]

I used to jump between D'Addario prosteels and nickels, and nothing else. I'm now awaiting arrival of a sample of Knucklehead strings to give 'em a trial and see what I think.

[krazy_olie]

Put on some Thomastik Superalloys. For the first time ever I've actually really liked the sound of my strings when new, they're bright but not brash/clangy. They are simillar to the D'addario nickels I used to use but better. They are pricey though and the string tension is quite high so I'm tempted to try DR strings (either fat beams or sunbeams, which are a supposedly a bit more flexible).

[stingrayfan]

Back using EB Slinkys after trying ProSteels, Rotos & Elites. Gone off stainless steel, think I prefer nickels now. Smoother on the fingers!

[dave_bass5]

Just put my first set or Dr Sunbeams on my 55-01 and they feel great. Only played them through my PC to do some recording but very happy with them.
The first ting i thought was how quiet the B was. Until i realised its not that its quiet but very well balanced with the other strings. My usual low B tends to sound a bit thicker than the E but the Dr,s are very well balanced IMO
Ive been using Laklands for the past year but i think ill stick to the Dr's for a while.

Edited July 4, 2007 by dave_bass5

[Muppet]

Nice one Dave - you know it makes sense!

[dave_bass5]

[quote name='Muppet' post='26863' date='Jul 4 2007, 09:41 AM']Nice one Dave - you know it makes sense![/quote]

Well financially it doesn't but its only money.
The Laklands (which i do like by the way) normally cost me £24 for two sets. and these have a tappered B string as well. I cant remember what the Dr's cost but i know its a lot more.
Got them from the states so also takes a while to arrive. Better order some more now i guess.

[JPJ]

GHS Boomers on both the Jazz V and the P V beast, hate them when they are brand new, but settle down after a week or two and last about four/five months before they sound too dull.

Roto flats on the Ibanez fretless, cant remember the last time I changed them as the fretless gets very little playing time.

[markdavid]

am using daddario chrome flats and rotosound tru bass on my basses , tru bass are awesome really give you a sound that stands out

[Sean]

Currently I've moved away from Elixirs and am trying other stuff to see how they perform.

On my Peavey (P+J) I'm using Thomastik flats and I prefer them to Rotosound flats and D'Addario Chromes, they give me the sound I hear in my head. This fits in really well with the Duck Dunn lines that I play in the Blues Brothers tribute band.

On my Lakland 44-02 I have a set of DR Black Beauties which I've had for ages and they are superb - the slap sound I get with these isn't too bright and the feel of them is more tactile. I'll definitely buy another set at some point.

I've put a set of D'Addario halfrounds on my 55-02 just to see what they are like. They seem to me to be much more like rounds than they do like flats, I like the texture and the warm, mellow tone but in a swings and roundabouts way they are rubbish for slapping.

[acidbass]

I've bitten the bullet and put a set of Rotosound Jazz 77 flatwounds (45-105) on my Warwick. Recently I've been wanting a more vintage, thumpy sound as opposed to a hifi sound, and as I've got an approximate EQ I thought I'd back it up with a nice set of flats!

Initial impressions - they feel a lot different, even to the TI flats I have on my fretless, they're quite grippy actually which is a good thing. The tension is also noticeably higher than the rounds I used before, the D'Addario Prosteels. I find that playing nearer the neck helps even out the response that I was used to.

Haven't tried it through an amp yet, but through my Pandora PX4B it sounds great - no sharp high end, even when the treble is rolled up full, and a nice even response across the strings.

Happy customer here so far

[JohnSlade07]

Elites or Rotosound. Favouring the latter at the moment.

[Buzz]

I've just wapped a load of Rotosound Nickel Swing Bass 66 on my Squire VMJ.

I'm undecided at the moment, they sound really nice, I like the warmer sound, but they're lacking a bit in tension I feel, might have to go up to 45-65-80-105 (or 85-105) to get the feel I want, which is odd, as I prefer the tension of the 45-100 Super Slinkies on my Aerodyne.

[Bullet-Rule]

^ At the moment I'm using Rotosound Swing 66's too but they're heavy (the highest gauge) and I really like them. Although I didn't find them tough to play and they didn't hurt my fingers, I lost the tone quite quickly.

[P-T-P]

I've been using DR Extras on all my basses for nearly a year now. None of the harshness of most stainless steel strings I've tried in the past but certainly are not lacking in the bright department while offering plenty of low-end thump too. Also feel very tonally balanced across all 5 strings.

They last for ages (I gig once or twice a week and play every day) compared to a standard set (which I usually had to change about once a month) but feel like a normal string despite the coating, plus they come in a range of funky colours which is cheaper than replacing your bass when you feel the need for a change! Cheap as chips from Thomann as long as you are happy with only black beauties, order via eBay if you want other colours. Little more pricey but still way cheaper than UK prices.

A word in for Lakland strings too, although taper is a problem for me as I prefer top-loaded rather than through body stringing. I especially like their nickel-wounds and ordering them via Lakland site is also very economical.