Pahoehoe Strings

[sussexbassman]

Does anyone know a good (cheap!) place to buy Pahoehoe low tension strings in the UK for an Ashbory?

Thanks

[pantherairsoft]

I got mine form Mark @ Bass Direct. They were not on his website at the time (might be now) but he had them. Give him a call.

[sussexbassman]

I did look on the site already and they are not there ..... I'll call. Thx

[sussexbassman]

Did you get the standard tension ones (which are on the site)? These are the only one's they have and Mark thinks they're good for Ashborys.

I've read online that you need the low tensions for 18" Ashbory scale ......?

Thx

[pantherairsoft]

I bought mine from Mark purely for use on the Ashbory and they were the best thing that ever happened to my Ashbory! I was aware they came in different tensions so assume they were regular.

[sussexbassman]

What modifications (if any) did you have to make to get them to fit the Ashbory? I've read that they need changes at the bridge end on at least some strings ......?

[redstriper]

I've used both the low tension and the regulars and there's not much difference except the low tension are a bit stickier, both are very low tension anyway.
There's no problem fitting them to the Ashbory and no mods needed - that was only on the early pahoehoes.
I got mine from road toad in the states before they were available here, but I've seen them on ebay and purple turtle in Stockport sell them afaik.

[sussexbassman]

Thanks redstripe. I followed pantherairsoft's advice and called Mark at Bass Direct - he sent me the strings immediately and I got them yesterday! Originals haven't broke yet so will stick with them (excuse the pun!) for now and keep Pahoehoes in reserve .....

btw, I'm loving playing the Ashbory! Takes a bit of getting used to but once the strings settle down it's great .....

[redstriper]

The original strings are unpredictable, they can last ages and then suddenly snap with no warning, which is no fun at a gig.

The pahoehoes are much stronger and I haven't had a breakage in over a year.
Use cheap all purpose silicone spray on the pahoehoes if you find them too sticky, not the talc you use on the original strings.
You can't easily mix the 2 types because the pahoehoes don't like talc and the originals don't like silicone spray.

I recorded all the tracks here [url="http://myspace.com/redstriper"]http://myspace.com/redstriper[/url] with my Ashbory.

[sussexbassman]

I must admit that I'm not contemplating using the Ashbory for gigs at present - just as a travel bass to practice while I'm away on business. Maybe when I get more confident that the Ashbory won't let me down, I might give a go in a live situation.