Which Strings? Constructive String advice please

[Grangur]

I'm tempted to click away and buy some new strings. It doesn't happen often but I'm sorely tempted to buy in bulk as I have 3-4 basses that could do with new strings.

On my fretted basses I've tried Elixirs, some Fender round-wounds, Rotosound 66's and Legacy strings. I've also tried some light-weight Chromes, but with the exception of the Chrome flatwounds, over the time the memory gets befuddled as to what strings are on what bass (especially as I've strung some basses and sold them, so I lose track of what I still have.)

I know I like Elixirs, but they're not cheap, but I like the rich bass tone, the feel etc. The Fender's seemed OK I think, so were the Legacy, I think!?!

I find the light-weight Chromes a bit "stiff" in the tension, but maybe that's me?
I also find the "normal" weight Chromes stiff on my fretless bass. Or is that expected with flats?

Does the BCers here have any likes wrt strings? I'm especially interested to hear from folk who've changed strings quite often and so can recall what they have and how they compared to others.

The trouble, as I see it is I don't (need to) change them often enough to get a good knowledge of the benefits of each. So....

What strings do you use?
What do you like about them?
What strings have you tried and how did they compare?

I guess it's comparative info that's useful here. For myself I'm not into a zingy tone, but if that's the benefit you want to talk about, then it'll still be good to hear your thoughts.

Many thanks.

[Stylon Pilson]

I was in the same boat. Been playing bass for nearly 20 years now, and never really gave much thought to what strings I was putting on - just went with whatever was to hand. I felt like it was about time that I started giving it some serious thought, so I went to Bass Gear (in Twyford) and talked to Victor there for a while. He explained to me the available options in terms of hex vs round core, material, construction, gauge, and the effects of all these factors. It's complicated stuff, but he was very patient, and I feel like I learned a lot.

S.P.

[Dazed]

Also an elixir fan, amazed at the sound they produced on a very basic bare bones cheap fretless.
Not really a fan of many rounds tbh.
Had some thomastik infield flats and they are nice tone wise, I developed a strong dislike to the scratchiness of rounds and this definately cured that. They do take time to adjust to the low tension though, very different to Chromes and other flats I've tried. I think I like the idea of heavier stiffer flats so I can play harder without the string clatter and rattle but it never seems to work out and within days I'm changing them. The difference in volume between Pyramid Gold flats and the TI's was surprising, how much quieter the Golds were. Maybe I just haven't given traditional type flats long enough to get used to them.

Currently gone back to SIT Silencers on my P bass, which are a nice alternative and somewhere between flats and rounds, they came fitted on a bass so I didn't see the packet I think they are pressure wound whatever that means but I like them.
Previously used Status strings, DR Black Beauties, Elites for years, Warwick Red and black Labels, but meh. Have some tapewounds on an acoustic which I much prefered to rounds or the horrible bronze things that are marketed for ABG's but are noisy scratchy terrible (to me) strings. A waste of 40 quid there!

I've got a couple of sets waiting to go on, Elixirs on a 5 and some La Bella low tension flats. Fingers crossed eh.

Edited March 18, 2016 by Dazed

[Dazed]

Pick up some used strings if you can, it's much cheaper if you're in an experimental phase.

[Pete1967]

I spent years and god only know how much cash searching for the 'right' string, and I suppose it's part of the coming of age of a bass player that you have to go through it.

The bottom line is that the right string is the one that sounds best to your individual ear, but for me it's D'Addario nickels roundwounds and a heavier gauge than I ever thought I'd use. I moved from the 30-90 Rotosound gauges of 'you know who', through all sorts of makes and gauges as my playing developed, including Elixirs, DR's, EB, Elites etc but I have found that for general versatility the D'Adds couldn't be beaten. I currently us 45 - 130 (5 string). With not so careful use of EQ you can go from a smooth almost Chromes kind of sound through a good punchy rock sounds, to quite pingy - but they never get quite as harsh as stainless rounds, so when I was freelancing they seemed to be able to adapt to most situations I'd be thrown in to. Plus they don't cost the earth, seem to last a good long while - much more so than some of the 'handmade' or boutique brands and don't shred your fingers and much as other rounds.

I stuck with rounds because you can get a quasi flats sound with rounds, but it's a devil of a job to get a quasi rounds sound with flats. I also find that flats are slower to play with because they have a greater surface area and therefore more friction.

If you're after emulating a particular players tone (Jamerson or 'Nard for example) then you'll have to use their kit and technique, but that was never my intention (after my MK phase) and I needed a Swiss Army knife.

Jus' my two penneth.

P

Edited March 18, 2016 by Pete1967

[alittlebitrobot]

Over the years, I've tried different ones and, like you, forgotten what set I was currently using.
A quick overview of me and my strings:

I don't replace them very often. I'm not in a band so I probably put on a new set every year or 9 months or so.
I do like the sound of new strings (and I always go roundwound with the exception of some Fender nylon tapewounds I put on my acoustic...which I liked)
but I'm not so into the sound that I replace strings the minute they lose that new sparkle.
I've tried Rotosounds, D'addario, Pyramid, Fender, DR and Foderas ..and my sr506 came with Elixirs, which felt crap to me for some reason. Maybe they make cheap ones to put on new basses as a marketing thing.

The first ones to actually wow me were the Fodera nickels. They felt so good and sounded great and, although the new string sparkle faded after a week (as it always does) they maintained a fresh sound for longer than any other string I've used.
I'm currently using D'Addarios because I bought a couple of different packs to experiment and they're almost as good, but I'm going back to Fodera next. I think that's my string.
I also put some DR high beams on my fretless and they sound, and feel, fantastic. I've been lucky recently. Before these, I had D'a "super brights" on the fretless and that was a mistake. Not the right sound for a fretless.

[Grangur]

Thanks guys, for your comments

[quote name='Dazed' timestamp='1458320580' post='3006650']
Pick up some used strings if you can, it's much cheaper if you're in an experimental phase.
[/quote]
I have tried this and thought of doing it more often, but you can never be sure how old they are. Even "only played for 2-3 hours" doesn't mean they weren't in the drawer gathering dust for 6-9 months.

[quote name='alittlebitrobot' timestamp='1458328559' post='3006757']
Over the years, I've tried different ones and, like you, forgotten what set I was currently using.
A quick overview of me and my strings:

[b]I don't replace them very often. I'm not in a band so I probably put on a new set every year or 9 months or so.[/b]
I do like the sound of new strings
[/quote]
Me too. Not worried about the sound of new strings. I even like dead ones, if they sound dead in the right tone accent. Me? Fussy? Nahh, never!

[gary mac]

Rich maybe you should be a sad loser like me and have a spread sheet on Excell, that details all your bass specifications, service dates and string changes etc.

[Grangur]

[quote name='gary mac' timestamp='1458336475' post='3006851']
Rich maybe you should be a sad loser like me and have a spread sheet on Excell, that details all your bass specifications, service dates and string changes etc.
[/quote]

LOL, I've been thinking of starting one up!! So, that's 2 of us that should get out more.

[Conan]

After years of trying some of the most expensive strings, I have ended up with these on all my basses now. It's actually embarrassing how cheap they are, but they sound good to me! Very even, consistent response and nice feel under the fingers. Well worth a try and about the price of a pint of beer!

http://www.thomann.de/gb/harley_benton_valuestrings_bassguitar_medium.htm

[Delberthot]

For about the past 5 or 6 years I've had a thing for D'addario Chromes. I love the feel of them. They're smooth to the touch, still have enough bite and last for a very long time.

The ECB80 40-95 are too floppy for me. I tend to play quite hard and they clack and rattle away quite a bit meaning that I have to raise the action quite a bit to compensate.

The ECB81 45-100 are a really good gauge for me. I can dig in and get minimal clack plus the increased tension means that I can drop the action a fair bit but when I've used them on a bass where I was dropping the E to D I found that I had to use a 110 gauge E string instead.


I still like to use rounds from time to time but having used flats for so long they have to have the right feel to them. I use the D'addario XL nickels.

The EXL165 45-105 gauge is to me as close as you can get to the ECB81 Chromes as far as tension goes. The XLs are widely regarded as one of the smoothest on the fingers roundwound strings you can get without going for compressed or groundwound ones. They last a good long time as well. I got a good 20 gigs out of a set before I changed them for a set of Chromes. That was wedding gigs so 3-4 hours a time.


I've just bought myself a new bass and when the strings go dead on it I am going to give the XL balanced tension strings a shot. Probably the EXL170BT set


Over the years I've bought a ton of strings and have settled on D'addarios as being the best ones for me in terms of cost, value for money, tension and sound

Edited March 23, 2016 by Delberthot

[Dom in Dorset]

About a year ago I started a thread about an idea I'd had to keep a log book where I recorded when I'd strung my basses and what with. I was almost universally derided! However since then I have kept this up and can tell you exactly when I strung each bass , type of string, any modifications made to set up etc, gigs played.
Personally I like the new string sound and a high tension. I found Fenders too sloppy and felt the tone was a bit dull. I used D'Adarios for a long time but have mostly gone over to Rotosound as they seem to keep their zing a bit longer (and have a higher tension)

[Highfox]

Tell you what, the Ellite chromes the Bass Centre sells aren't bad.
I'll be going back for more.

[Zombie1965]

From my experience, and what I like:

Roto's swing 66 stainless steel - bright and growley last 3 months to a year before zing goes .
D'addario pro steels - like above but a little less bright, love these.
D'addario, EXP nickle plated- good all rounder, but don't last long before dull and thuddy
Elixer nanoweb- Great all rounder, last ages then go furry, a bit costly
DR high beams- Good sound and last well, to expensive though.

la'bella...... yuck,not a fan of flats sorry

Edited March 28, 2016 by Zombie1965

[Zombie1965]

[quote name='Conan' timestamp='1458740990' post='3010379']
After years of trying some of the most expensive strings, I have ended up with these on all my basses now. It's actually embarrassing how cheap they are, but they sound good to me! Very even, consistent response and nice feel under the fingers. Well worth a try and about the price of a pint of beer!

[url="http://www.thomann.de/gb/harley_benton_valuestrings_bassguitar_medium.htm"]http://www.thomann.d...itar_medium.htm[/url]
[/quote]

I tried the stainless version, they were OK. The small ball ends don't play nice with all bridges though. on one of my basses in particular they would pull through the hole over time.

[Muppet]

As most of us, I've tried loads until I found the ones that felt and sounded right. I tend to go now for nickel rounds.

Rotosound 66s went off too soon and made my fingers feel far too sore. They were too stiff also
Elites I just hated everything about them
Elixirs are nice but in my rankings superseded by D'Addario XLs. The balanced tensioned ones are ace. I'm using these more and more as they are great value for money.
The Fender 7250s I was surprised with - nice feel and sound - and I buy them if I ever come across a bargain. I prefer the Fender 7150 pure nickel though.
Ultimately I keep returning to DR Sunbeams though, although they are expensive. Great feel, longevity and tone.

[Bassmonkey]

I use the DR Sunbeams on my short scales and DR Black Beauties on the longer ones. I really like the BBs, they seem to last ages and somehow don't seem to get as grimy as standard strings, likely the coating. They are expensive but I prefer them. Have historically bought a few cheap sets from guitar fairs and shops as I have come across them but find they lose their sound very quickly and end up dull and unresponsive. Just my opinion. Andy

[Phil Starr]

A lot is down to taste and the only way to find out is by trying them. Sooo hard to describe a 'sound' for strings beyond a simple 'bright' or mellow.

FWIW I go for strings that maintain a good tone over time. Just over a year ago I started a comparison between Elixirs and my 'normal' Dean Markley Blue Steels, unfortunately one on a P and one on a J. Not dissimilar at the start with the blue Steels being just a touch brighter. After a year I'd say the Dean Markleys had kept their sound slightly better than the Elixirs. These are still expensive strings but a lot cheaper than the elixirs, so that's a win in my book. I ought to restring now but I'm curious as to how they fare over an even longer time. Both are still perfectly acceptable though, and more lively than the Rotosounds I used to use would have been after 4 months use.

[tauzero]

I've settled on two types for the time being, Elites stainless and Status tapewound - mostly the Status though.

[luckydog]

Ernie Ball roundwound NPS for me.

It's more that they are familiar than I prefer them - in fact when they are new I can't wait for them to lose some of the zing. On Fender P and J basses, and in heavy gauge.

LD

[DiMarco]

Quoting myself from the Warwick forum hoping there's something in there that helps:

Why do I post this: Grumpy ol' me was getting annoyed with all the threads being opened with questions like 'what strings are good for my bass?', 'which strings do you use', 'what strings go on a fretless' etc. etc. At first I was starting to take it out on the persons asking these questions but this morning I figured good information on bass strings for those starting out is missing on the forum and quite frankly on other resources too.

So here is my go at explaining what to look for and how to pick your first sets of bass strings. Keep in mind that the lovely people at Warwick are not stupid and ship their instruments with strings that are really good for the instrument you bought. However they can't fulfill any specific needs you might have in advance so what they supply you with might not suit you in the end.

I will discuss these string specific parameters:

- String Lengths
- String Gauges
- String Windings
- String Cores
- String Coatings

So here goes nothing...



[B]String Lengths[/B]

A few odd people (like Samuel and Jester 8:) play medium scale 32" basses but really, 34" is the most common scale used. 35" is not uncommon for five and six string basses. 30" (short)scale basses are a rarity.

These are the string lengths as usually indicated on the package:

30" = Short Scale
32" = Medium Scale
34" = Long Scale (most common)
35" = Extra/Super Long Scale

* Rule of thumb: If you're not sure, get long scale strings. You can always cut off a few inches for better fit. Better safe then sorry eh?



[B]String gauges[/B]

String gauge is the thickness of the string. Widely used gauges are 0.040, 0.045 and 0.050 sets of strings. These values indicate the thickness of the G string in inches. Most widely used are 0.045 sets (the E string usually being 0.105).

Lots of manufacturers think up names for their various gauge strings but keep in mind there is no standard to the naming scheme. Extra light, Extra heavy or whatever can mean different gauges with different manufacturers.

Bare in mind that lighter strings generally means lower string tension and lighter playing. Thicker strings will bring out more low end and higher string tension but you will need more stamina to play them. If you plan to tune down your bass (drop D for instance) do not go for light strings.

When buying new strings of a different gauge then your old ones, accordingly adjusting the trussrod in your neck might also be required as the tension on the neck will be different from your old strings. If you never adjusted a trussrod before please do get someone involved who knows how this is done.



[B]String windings[/B]

The windings of your string come in different shapes and materials. The winding on the string has the biggest influence on its sound. These are the types of windings and their characteristics:

Roundwound - Most widely used, modern sounding. Read on below about different types.
Flatwound - Oldskool, reminiscent of upright double bass sound. Think motown tone.
Halfwound - Partially ground down roundwounds. Feels like flats, tonally between flats & rounds.
Tapewound - Used with piezo pickups and acoustics. Much like flats but darker/warmer tone.

As stated, roundwound strings are the most widely used for electric bass. Generally there's two types of roundwound strings; nickel wound and stainless steel wound.

Stainless steel will usually give you a more aggressive sound, more finger noise and rougher feeling strings then nickels will. Not all stainless roundwounds will feel equally rough on the fingers though, some actually feel a lot like playing nickels but still give you the nice aggressive tone.

* So why are you not telling us about taperwound Marco? -> They are roundwounds. Taperwound just means the ends of the strings are tapered thus might sit better on the tuning peg and bridge saddles. Switching from normal to taperwound strings will require adjusting the height of your bridge(saddle).



[B]String cores[/B]

There are two widely used types of string cores: hexacore and roundcore.

Hexacore strings are generally stiffer feeling strings with a higher string tension while roundcore strings feel less stiff. If you like to play hard and slap/tap a lot with low action try hexacores. Roundcores will be smoother sounding and give you more sustain.



[B]String coating[/B]

Many manufacturers sell "coated strings" nowadays. The coating is applied to extend the lifespan of your strings. When you play your bass, dirt and sweat will work its way into your strings. The coating is there to keep the stainless steel/nickel from deteriorating too quick. Coated strings cost little more then non-coated ones and last a lot longer. Downside of coating strings is they will feel different to your fingers and the big question is whether or not you will like this.



[B]Thoughts[/B]

First and foremost, as a beginning bassist you will need strings that make you feel comfortable while learning to play the instrument. As the experience, strength and stamina in your fingers increases you can probably pick strings on sound characteristics alone.

Choosing the right string for you and your instrument depends on quite a lot. The words I typed above only tell you specifics about the strings themselves and that alone gives you a lot of options with all the parameters (gauge, winding, material, core shape, coating) having their impact on the sound, feel and tension.

The instrument you own will have its own characteristic sound. A Streamer LX and Thumb Bass for instance are much more aggressive sounding then a Streamer Stage 1 or Dolphin Pro 1. Would you string an aggressive sounding bass with even more aggressive sounding strings? Your mileage may vary depending on what sound you are looking for. Often shortcomings in a certain instrument can be more or less fixed (and strengths emphasised) by choosing different strings.

[Grangur]

[quote name='DiMarco' timestamp='1460564961' post='3026881']
....
The instrument you own will have its own characteristic sound. A Streamer LX and Thumb Bass for instance are much more aggressive sounding than a Streamer Stage 1 or Dolphin Pro 1.
[/quote]

Many thanks DiMarco, for your very detailed post.
Totally de-railing the thread; I have both a Streamer LX (fretless) and a Streamer Stage 1 (fretted). Both are PJ configuration basses. Both [i]appear [/i]to have the same pups. Please can you help me by telling why one would be more aggressive than the other?

I know the windings/magnets of the pups could be different, but did Warwick do this? Is there something else?

Wasn't sure if to ask this here, but why not?..

Many thanks

[DiMarco]

I believe the differences are caused mainly by the different types of wood used. Streamer stage 1's being either all maple or maple with a Wengé neck sound different from one another already. The LX has a more throaty upper midrange growl.

I used my LX with nickels while I usually prefer stainless, hexacore .045 strings on any of my basses.

[luckydog]

[font=Calibri][size=4][color=#000000]Thank you DiMarco for that fine post. And yes, overtones which determine character of sound depend on both strings and the instrument itself, inc material and shape. So horses for courses, strings for basses, and instruments of the same type can sound different, and that's even before one overlays the effect of different strings ![/color][/size][/font]

[font=Calibri][size=4][color=#000000]LD[/color][/size][/font]

Edited April 13, 2016 by luckydog