shoulderpet Posted July 5, 2018 Share Posted July 5, 2018 Hi all Am after a string recommendation, have switched my bass from flats to rounds recently however whilst I enjoy the added articulation solo i find those frequencies getting lost in a live situation, I have considered slinky flats but have ruled those out as I have read reports of premature fret wear with those strings, I want to try something different from flats. Extra light gauge (95-40 or 95-35) is an absolute must as my hands don't handle stiff strings too well (arthiritis), if I can lose some string noise when doing slides then that is a bonus but not necessarily a must, the most important thing to me is that the string sounds aggressive and cuts through. I have considered Daddario half rounds but I have heard reports that they are more flat sounding than round sounding so i think they may be too dark. Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lozz196 Posted July 10, 2018 Share Posted July 10, 2018 I`ve been very impressed with Warwick Red Label Steel Rounds. I have a very twangy aggressive sound and these can do it easily. I use 45 - 105 and tension is ok, so dropping a couple of gauges should reduce it further. Plus they`re cheap, and last a long time, I used to go through a set of Rotosounds in 3 weeks/a month, I`m getting 2 - 3 months from the Warwicks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gary mac Posted July 10, 2018 Share Posted July 10, 2018 These days I go with Pro Steels from D'Addario, as they give me that agrressive bite. Prior to that I was using DR High beams, which were also great. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hellzero Posted July 10, 2018 Share Posted July 10, 2018 Turn up the mids on your amp, but you'll ear every default in your playing. It's strange that you're asking for low gauge for round wounds when flat wounds are always (except for the Thomastik's) heavy to very heavy gauge. Steel is brighter and more aggressive than nickel. The cheaper the brighter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The59Sound Posted July 10, 2018 Share Posted July 10, 2018 DR Fat Beams 40-95. Before I used Pure Blues, I used these and cut through extremely well in live situations. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shoulderpet Posted July 12, 2018 Author Share Posted July 12, 2018 Thanks for the replies , I tried a set of extra light Daddario xl nickels as I have heard good things and they are relatively affordable , they sound great however I have some issues with the G , firstly I noticed it has more excursion than the previous strings (TI flats) to the point where it buzzes on some frets, I then noticed it has a chorus effect going on, checked the string wasn't twisted etc , wondering if the excessive string excursion is related to this strange chorus effect? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The59Sound Posted July 12, 2018 Share Posted July 12, 2018 Have you done a full set-up since you changed strings? I.e. truss rod, saddle heights, intonation etc? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shoulderpet Posted July 12, 2018 Author Share Posted July 12, 2018 1 minute ago, The59Sound said: Have you done a full set-up since you changed strings? I.e. truss rod, saddle heights, intonation etc? Yes , have done all that and lowered the pickups slightly to rule out the possibility of the pickups being too close to the string. I am thinking it is probably a duff string , the chorus effect should not be happening and the G has a lot of excursion (you can actually see it hit the frets when plucked) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hellzero Posted July 12, 2018 Share Posted July 12, 2018 What you call a lot of excursion is simply due to the fact that, now, for an unknown reason, your string is really moving freely. The chorus effect is certainly a twisted when fitted string, quite easy to correct, simply release the tension and put the string backwards a bit, you will notice that it's twisted. It's not against you, but a lot of people including some repair shops are mounting the strings by turning them around the post, so twisting them and thus creating that chorus effect (which as you wrote could also come from a too close pickup). If you mount your strings this way, it's ok as long as you untwist them the way I explained above. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markdavid Posted July 20, 2018 Share Posted July 20, 2018 (edited) Hmm some food for thought Edited July 23, 2018 by markdavid Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcnach Posted July 22, 2018 Share Posted July 22, 2018 On 05/07/2018 at 11:23, shoulderpet said: Hi all Am after a string recommendation, have switched my bass from flats to rounds recently however whilst I enjoy the added articulation solo i find those frequencies getting lost in a live situation, I have considered slinky flats but have ruled those out as I have read reports of premature fret wear with those strings, I want to try something different from flats. Extra light gauge (95-40 or 95-35) is an absolute must as my hands don't handle stiff strings too well (arthiritis), if I can lose some string noise when doing slides then that is a bonus but not necessarily a must, the most important thing to me is that the string sounds aggressive and cuts through. I have considered Daddario half rounds but I have heard reports that they are more flat sounding than round sounding so i think they may be too dark. Thanks Labella white nylons. Roundwounds with a nylon coating. Very flexible/soft to the touch (50-105... don't be afraid, they'll feel softer than a standard 40-95), very well balanced sound, and prominent low mids... The copper version of the white nylons are a bit nicer in my opinion, but I think you'd enjoy either... and being tapewounds, string noise is non existent. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Delberthot Posted July 23, 2018 Share Posted July 23, 2018 I've been using D'addario EXL nickels for a few years now since moving from D'addario Chrome flats and wouldn't touch anything else now. For me they have the perfect balance of being pretty smooth and cut through really well. I play with quite an aggressive sound but don't use any overdrive. I have my bass set up so that when playing softly there is no fret rattle but when I dig in I get as much as I need depending on how hard or soft I play. I change my strings every 3-4 months Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spongebob Posted July 24, 2018 Share Posted July 24, 2018 D'addario NYXL's? Keep brighter a bit longer, very nice tone and feel to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.