string advice for Roscoe 5string (35")?

[Bassdude BE]

Hi fellow BC'ers,

After playing Thomastik flats for a few months (on my 4string Roscoe) i wanted to go back to roundwounds for my new (bought here on BC) 5 string Roscoe, mostly [size=4]because i like a little slap from time to time, but also because i felt the tension on both the A and G string was too low to work with my (sometimes a little fast and agressive) playing style.[/size]

[size=4]The bass came to me from "eubassix" (top bloke btw! ) with a set of 40-120 or 45-125[/size][size=4][font=arial, helvetica, sans-serif] roundwounds with the purple-gold-red-black- green coloured ball ends and allthough i'm still not sure what brand/gauge they are, they sound pretty good. (Ernie ball slinky's maybe?)[/font][/size]

Problem is these strings have a tapered end that starts halfway the nut on some of the strings (it's a 35" scale) which results in a "too low action & fretbuzz" on some of the strings (especially the E string has this problem).

The set-up on the bass is good, action is perfect ,except for this little problem,
so now i'm looking for some advice from more experienced 35" Roscoe players that now which strings fit best/sound best on the Roscoe 5'ers.

I'm not a fan of steel strings and/or "clanck" and have always preferred medium-low tension nickel roundwounds,
i loved the tone of the Thomastik flats a lot as well, but i didn't like the fact that they didn't sound good when slapping and the low tension on the A and G string. Would consider other flats that have a decent slap/fast fingerstyle-sound but most of them that i know of that have these qualities also have a high string tension and that high string tension tends to slow me down making it almost impossible to play most of the music i like to play most of the time.

I try to play anything from slap,funk to tech-metal to blues/rock and even some jazz (at least i try.. ) almost every day and i have a gig at a talent show next month where i will have to be covering almost all of these different styles, so i'm looking for a string that can do all of this and sound good while doing this.


[size=4]conclusion:[/size]
[size=4]I'm looking to find versatility, playability ,long life and great tone in one package and that's not an easy task,[/size]
[size=4]therefore, any advice would be greatly appreciated! [/size]


added some pic's of my precious for the Roscoe fans here on BC...

[attachment=129836:download (1).jpg][attachment=129837:download (2).jpg][attachment=129838:download (5).jpg][attachment=129839:download (6).jpg][attachment=129840:download.jpg]

Edited March 13, 2013 by Bassdude BE

[chrismuzz]

Coloured ball ends are D'Addario strings They do a 5 string set of 50 - 135, and if you want bigger, you'll be pleased to know they do single string gauges from .018 up to .145! The best place I've found for them is [url="http://www.stringbusters.com"]http://www.stringbusters.com[/url]

Don't forget to have a look at the 'Single Strings' section down the left hand side!

Edited March 13, 2013 by chrismuzz

[pantherairsoft]

Roscoes ship with D'addarrio XL Nickels. it's a custom set, regular in most ways but with a 100 rather than the 105 E string that comes with the regular set. Personally I think those strings are great. Roscoe use them exclusively for a reason.

I am currently using Overwater Nickels (Mediums) and really like them too. I used them with both my 35" Roscoes and they sounded excellent.

[ZenBasses]

I have always used Elite Stadiums on my basses

The Roscoe I had sounded very good with them.

You can get them in 2 flavours via string busters. Their longevity always keeps me going back.

Although I do find they need some playing in..

Incidentally when speaking to Jon Shuker he always sends his basses out with rotosounds. He likes the tone and the consistent quality.

Edited March 16, 2013 by ZenBasses

[Bassdude BE]

Thanks for all the great advice,
but i think i needed something with a bit more flex and a longer lifespan, so i did some research of my own and ordered me a set of DR Sunbeams instead.

[TheGreek]

I have the same issues finding a 5 string set - I was going to go down the DR Lo-Riders or Black Beauties 0.40 route - availability in the UK is not good though and import costs vary so much it put me off ordering anything till now. I'll wait...