changing strings!

[0175westwood29]

hi all

ive used dunlop 130-45 gauge steel strings for ages!

and i fancy a change, ive ordered a set of d addario pro steels for my vm 5 string as i think they sound pretty nice but not scary different, but on my mody im thinking id want a more noticeable change.

now as i play metal would flats be a really stupid idea? i use alot of fuzz and when i listen to juan alderete etc the fuzz sound is nice with flats, or would i be safer trying out some half wounds?

andy

[Thunderbird]

I cant recommend the Daddario EXP strings enough they are fantastic and I play metal/rock and love them and I really was not much of a Daddario fan before trying the EXP's out but I love them I am also a Huge Rotosound fan and love the sound of a set of Roto 45's on my active bass

[MiltyG565]

D'Addario strings are great, IMHO. They have that lovely piano-like ring to them, and the pro steels are very bright, but not to a shrill or annoying degree. The sustain of the pro steels too is immense. I know a guy who got a year's worth of playing from one set of pro steels. If you keep you keep them well, they will last a good long time

As an intermediate step, to find out what works for you, you probably should try some D'Addario half-rounds, which retain the lovely piano-like ring to them, but don't have as much of the brightness. Tone rolled off - flats. Tone fully up - semi-flats. They have some of the higher frequencies, which is good for fuzz. Do remember though that they do take a bit of playing for them to kind of settle and become a bit easier to play - definitely not a string that you want to stick on, then go gig straight away, although you could do that if you like. But, being semi-flat, they'll hold their tone for a long time.

The downside - they cost £30+. They are very good strings, however, and should last you a long time.

[quote name='Thunderbird' timestamp='1407592931' post='2522127']
I cant recommend the Daddario EXP strings enough they are fantastic and I play metal/rock and love them and I really was not much of a Daddario fan before trying the EXP's out but I love them I am also a Huge Rotosound fan and love the sound of a set of Roto 45's on my active bass
[/quote]

Yup, EXPs are like pro steels, but coated. The coating is very fine, so the strings don't feel plasticy or sticky or anything like that. They actually feel very natural. The only difference being the difference in string life. In this respect, they are like Elixir coated bass strings (although I prefer D'Addario).

Rotosounds - if you're talking about the rotobass 45s, they do indeed sound good, although I found that they don't last so long. But at roughly £14 a set, I couldn't complain at all about the sound quality. When I was doing my A Levels, I bought a set for the school bass (a Farida jazz copy). Walking past the music room one day when the GCSE group was practising, it sounded amazing. Lovely deep bass from it, and a bit of zing to give it a bit of a kick. But, being used every day by a lot of kids who were learning to play on it, they lasted only a couple of weeks before needing to be replaced. The sets that I put on my own personal bass lasted maybe 3/4 weeks before needing to be changed.

[Lozz196]

Roto Steel Rounds, they`re very zingy new, but deaden down to a really nice sound.

[0175westwood29]

so first practice with the pro steels yesterday, they've got a bit of bite to them very nice strings they really work well with the jazz.

def looking at grabbing some flats i think as a trial for some darker sounds

andy

[HowieBass]

A decent set of nickel rounds should last a long time, more zing than steel flats but darker than steel rounds and they feel nice for fingerstyle playing (less abrasive to the touch than steel rounds). I was gifted some La Bella SN45 and they're great!

[MiltyG565]

[quote name='0175westwood29' timestamp='1407793626' post='2524152']
so first practice with the pro steels yesterday, they've got a bit of bite to them very nice strings they really work well with the jazz.

def looking at grabbing some flats i think as a trial for some darker sounds

andy
[/quote]

Nice! I found that the D'Addario half-rounds gave a subtle woodiness to the tone, whilst retaining a slight presence in the piano-esque ring. Quite versatile, really.

I've never tried flats (of any brand, apart from a the ones that came on a fretless I bought once). Sorry I can't give you any thoughts as far as the flats go. But, some people will say that they sound best when they are well played in (or what you would call "dead" for a bright string), and that after that, you could play it for years with just that one set of strings on. Definitely worth investigating the sounds that please you first before spending £40 on a set if you want them to last you a considerable time.

[quote name='HowieBass' timestamp='1407794361' post='2524166']
A decent set of nickel rounds should last a long time, more zing than steel flats but darker than steel rounds and they feel nice for fingerstyle playing (less abrasive to the touch than steel rounds). I was gifted some La Bella SN45 and they're great!
[/quote]

Yes, well it depends on the brand really. I've tried super-smooth nickels, and some that were just as rough as round steels. Ernie-Ball slinky definitely have the smoothness sown up, I feel. If that's the kind of thing you're after, then that's the set of strings you want.

[0175westwood29]

thinking that it could give me a proper deep bass heavy sound and i have a spare bass aswell, so im happy to play that at home and get a feeling for them, however are flats likely be happy on my modulus?

was also considering throwing a bit of money out on a squier vm p bass for them to go on.

andy

[MiltyG565]

[quote name='0175westwood29' timestamp='1407964553' post='2525929']
thinking that it could give me a proper deep bass heavy sound and i have a spare bass aswell, so im happy to play that at home and get a feeling for them, however are flats likely be happy on my modulus?

andy
[/quote]

I really couldn't say. I've never played a modulus or flats. From what I hear of the Modulus FB4, it's quite a bright, brittle tone, whereas flats are known more for their mellow, more subtle tone. But, you could try it, and see how it works out. If it doesn't sound great, you can put the set of flats onto another bass

Flats on a P bass sound nice. Full of bass and mids.

[Matt P]

i'm a flats only player, i fitted a set of the d'addario chromes to my Letts 5 string about a year ago and they still sound ace, in fact i have been complimented on the tone recently! they seem to settle very quickly then are nice and consistant, the price is pretty steep but they last for so long that when you finally get round to needing a new set you will have forgotton how much they cost.

I did try rounds when i first got it but they didn't stay on for long, i used to exclusively used DR Marcus miller rounds and loved them but then i bought my 77 p-bass and it had a set of old flats fitted, everything just fell into place and it's been flats ever since. i have no idea what the strings are on the p-bass but they are perfect.

Matt

[discreet]

Currently using Status Half-Wounds, which are great. They're also very affordable for hand-wound strings. Status make their own strings, they're not a repackaging job.

[Beer of the Bass]

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1408009566' post='2526166']
Currently using Status Half-Wounds, which are great. They're also very affordable for hand-wound strings. Status make their own strings, they're not a repackaging job.
[/quote]

I thought they were made to order by an unspecified UK string company, to Status's specs. That was certainly the impression I got when my set was out of stock and they said they were waiting on their supplier.

[discreet]

[quote name='Beer of the Bass' timestamp='1408010489' post='2526181']
I thought they were made to order by an unspecified UK string company, to Status's specs. That was certainly the impression I got when my set was out of stock and they said they were waiting on their supplier.
[/quote]

*Sigh* Well, I don't know. That's just the impression I got from the information on their site. Bottom line is, they're great strings. In my humble opinion, of course.

[url="http://www.status-graphite.com/status/frames/stringsinfo.html"]http://www.status-graphite.com/status/frames/stringsinfo.html[/url]

[MiltyG565]

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1408012014' post='2526203']
*Sigh* Well, I don't know. That's just the impression I got from the information on their site. Bottom line is, they're great strings. In my humble opinion, of course.

[url="http://www.status-graphite.com/status/frames/stringsinfo.html"]http://www.status-gr...tringsinfo.html[/url]
[/quote]

It seems they're saying that they've developed their own strings, and they're manufactured in the UK, however, it doesn't say that they make them, so it's possible (and likely) that they ask a company to make them for them. That doesn't make them a re-pack job, though. Small businesses often pay larger companies, that already have the resources and equipment, to produce a product for them.

[Matt P]

i think that the status strings are made by Picato, i've got the status half wopunds on my fretless, and they are indeed great strings, (as an aside i think that picato also make strings for Overwater, i had a set of the picato flats on a precision and bought a set of the overwater flats for my old 5 string and they were identical in feel, look and tone.)

Matt

[Bolo]

I won't be parted with DR DDT strings anymore. Used to play their Lo-riders, but the DDTs are more tonally alike across all five strings.
They're rounds though.

[Maude]

I have an Aria P bass with[color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif] D`Addario Chrome flats on it that's not being used at the mo, I'm in and out of Plymouth most weeks and you could borrow it for a couple of weeks to see how you like flats if you want. It's a four string not five but would give you some idea.[/font][/color]
[color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]The bass is only a cheapy, although I love it, so don't worry about borrowing an expensive instrument.[/font][/color]
[color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]The chromes are relatively bright for flats but really sit well in a rock mix IMO, the bass has a SD 1/4 pounder so that may help.[/font][/color]
[color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]I wasn't sure about the sound when played solo but it just works in a band so take it to rehearsal and try it. I don't know what they'd be like on a Status but it may give you an idea.[/font][/color]


[color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif] [/font][/color]