4 candles Posted July 24, 2012 Share Posted July 24, 2012 never really considered how much strings effect the sound so much. obviously new strings are much brighter and old strings sound dull. the (heavy guage) strings on my stingray were sounding a touch dead so i swapped them for a much brighter sounding (and lighter guage string) from my jazz bass. the loss in volume was immense, hardly any output, even my passive precision sounded louder. Ive now restrung the stingray with the old dead fat guage strings and..voilla......big fat bass sounds once again. active bass tonnes louder than my passive p and jazz basses. very wierd Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrismuzz Posted July 24, 2012 Share Posted July 24, 2012 They really do! The first time I tried Stainless Steel strings I finally got that aggressive clanky tone that I'd been chasing for years! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LiamPodmore Posted July 24, 2012 Share Posted July 24, 2012 Strangely, my active Jazz is substantially quiter than my P (with an active pickup), despite having the same strings (Ernie Ball Slinkies), not that it makes much difference because i never play my Jazz anyway. Liam Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris_b Posted July 24, 2012 Share Posted July 24, 2012 Buy some new strings of the right gauge! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kesh Posted July 25, 2012 Share Posted July 25, 2012 I would also play with pickup height when changing strings. There seems to be a sweet spot where the pickup and string interact perfectly, neither too quiet nor too much. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roland Rock Posted July 25, 2012 Share Posted July 25, 2012 Aw, when I read the thread title, I thought someone had been trying to play without strings. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fat Rich Posted July 25, 2012 Share Posted July 25, 2012 Strings make a massive difference, it's expensive to experiment with lots of different makes and type of string but it can completely change the character of a bass and is the first thing to try if you're not happy with your sound. Some basses have so much character it'll always come through, but more modern sounding basses often seem to take on the character of the string. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cheddatom Posted July 25, 2012 Share Posted July 25, 2012 [quote name='Roland Rock' timestamp='1343195297' post='1746730'] Aw, when I read the thread title, I thought someone had been trying to play without strings. [/quote] Honestly i've never laughed so loud at a quip on BC Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4 Strings Posted July 25, 2012 Share Posted July 25, 2012 [quote name='cheddatom' timestamp='1343203797' post='1746838'] Honestly i've never laughed so loud at a quip on BC [/quote] +1! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Conan Posted July 25, 2012 Share Posted July 25, 2012 [quote name='Fat Rich' timestamp='1343201399' post='1746788'] Strings make a massive difference, it's expensive to experiment with lots of different makes and type of string but it can completely change the character of a bass and is the first thing to try if you're not happy with your sound. [/quote] Yep. So many people rush to replace pickups, bridges, nuts, tuners and assorted hardware when they want to change the sound of their basses. Few even think to change the strings!! There are so many brands and gauges that it can become a bit of a quest for the holy grail, but it is definitely worth trying half a dozen or so brands so that you can see (hear) the differences. Gauges too. Heavier gauges = more tone (generally). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darkandrew Posted July 25, 2012 Share Posted July 25, 2012 I have found that different basses respond very differently to different metals: I used to have a Dean Edge bass with EMG Hz pickups that sounded awful on steel strings but actually quite good on nickels but an Aria IGB with Duncan Designed pickups that was the exact opposite (ie. Awful on nickels but good on steels). My current basses: Warwick SS1, Aria SB1000 and Spector Euro 5LX are strung with DR Extra Life (for the Warwick and Aria) and Spector Nickels for the Spector. Generally I find steel to be brighter with a less flabby bottom (?!) and nickels to be smoother with a big bottom, the DR Extra Life I find to be a very good all purpose string that sits somewhere in the middle and would probably put these on the Spector too if they came with a tapered "B". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Fretbuzz Posted July 28, 2012 Share Posted July 28, 2012 I'm thinking of getting my first set of new strings. Thought I might experiment with my squire P Bass and leave my Fender P as it is for a while...... Might get elixirs for that ( good choice ? ). As a newbie I press the strings fairly hard and sometimes I slip off the edge of the G string so I thought I might try heavy guage. Thought maybe custom slinkies...... All strings except the E are thicker...... What do you think or maybe rotosound in a heavy guage........ Will I get a deeper sound out of heavy guage on all strings? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fat Rich Posted July 28, 2012 Share Posted July 28, 2012 [quote name='Mr Fretbuzz' timestamp='1343461004' post='1751025'] I'm thinking of getting my first set of new strings. Thought I might experiment with my squire P Bass and leave my Fender P as it is for a while...... Might get elixirs for that ( good choice ? ). As a newbie I press the strings fairly hard and sometimes I slip off the edge of the G string so I thought I might try heavy guage. Thought maybe custom slinkies...... All strings except the E are thicker...... What do you think or maybe rotosound in a heavy guage........ Will I get a deeper sound out of heavy guage on all strings? [/quote] Elixirs are coated and sound fresh for ages, I had a few earthing issues when I used them but no one else on here seems to! Rotosounds are fairly cheap and sound great when they're fresh, but I find they go dead quite quickly. Ernie Ball Slinkys are OK, maybe not the longest lasting string but fairly cheap and give a good all round tone. I like DR strings, they're pricey but they seem to sound fresh for quite a long time I sometimes use Status Hotwires, fairly cheap and have lots of bottom end, plus some top end zing. All the D'addario I've ever tried have been on the bright side, they seem pretty good Heavier strings will mean more tension, generally a punchier sound with more definition in the lower note. You'll probably need to adjust the truss rod in your bass or it'll go banana shaped, only make small adjustments though, maybe a quarter turn and look at the effect. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lozz196 Posted July 28, 2012 Share Posted July 28, 2012 Yep, for me, the difference in regular gauge Rotos to heavy gauge is immense. With regs, I just don`t get the beefy bottom end I want. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Conan Posted July 29, 2012 Share Posted July 29, 2012 I find that heavier gauges just give more tone and volume all round - not just more bottom. Strings on steroids if you like! I've just ordered two sets of DR Hibeams in 50 - 110 gauge from the States. Tone-tastic!! Good point about the truss rod though. Also a change of gauge may need a full set-up, or at least string height adjustment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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