String advice needed!

[lee650]

2 minutes ago, CameronJ said:

Ooft. Worcester sauce and mature cheddar on your Cobalts. That’ll get your tone nice and funky.

Just how I like it 😉

[CameronJ]

FILTH

[Bassic_Science]

So picked up the EB cobalts 0.045-0.105 set and slapped them on yesterday...holy hell are these things bright! Tension is pretty good, a little firm at first but they are breaking in nicely. To me these are very different sounding than the TIs, but in a good way. The TIs are great for a bright mellow sound, these EB cobalts are a more bright aggressive sounding flat (if that makes sense). They have more a roundwound like sound and quality to them. So far I am a fan. Hoping to report back in a few months time with an update. Thanks everyone for the advice!

[Jazzmaster62]

On 24/05/2019 at 10:53, Bassic_Science said:

My fellow low end enthusiasts, I call upon your collective wisdom to help me with my dilemma regarding strings.

I've been playing my lovely Squier VM 70's Jazz since 2005 which has undergone a lot of modifications to the point where only the body and neck are still original - the electronics, tuners, bridge all being replaced over time to make the beast into what it is today.

Now, enough about the bass itself and onto the real issue. Strings. Yes, strings. Another one of those threads.

My issue is that I've got hands that sweat like a deluge when I play and they kill roundwounds fast. Like ridiculously fast. As in I once put on a new set of Ernie Ball Slinky's, and they were dead after 2 hours of a band practice fast. So began my search for decent roundwounds that I could get good amount of life from. I've tried every brand I could get my hands on, from Rotosound, Ernie Balls, D'Addario, GHS, all the way to Dunlops. You name it, I've probably played the coated, non-coated, stainless steel, and nickel version of it. Ended up settling on D'Addario Nickels for a good while since they were the best bang for buck at the time. After my stint in the gigging scene of my youth, I discovered flatwounds, specifically TI Jazz Flats, and that changed the game. I had a string that could last a good long while and sounded better with time. But then the email came in, you know the one. The one titled: We need a bass player! And soon, before you know it, you're knee deep in it, and trying to find new excuses to tell your partner to justify buying gear that you may need (but in reality you really don't!). I soon realised that my TI flats were not up to snuff for the sound we needed. The band plays a lot of rock covers from Jefferson Airplane, the Who, Oasis, Steriophonics, Foo Fighters, the Pixies, (really a lot of '90s, to early '00s with the occasional '60s, '70s, '80s song thrown in the mix). They were ok for a time but they just lacked that edge you get from roundwounds. So I went back to my tried and true roundwounds of D'Addario Nickels (0.45 - 0.65 - 0.85 - 0.105).

And then the string killing hand sweat came back and has effectively killed them in a reasonable amount of time. So after showing my partner the cost of a new set of strings and explaining the issue in painstaking detail till her eyes glazed over, she asked the question after regaining consciousness of why not find a brighter flatwound that will last you a while?

So here I am, seeking your wisdom on some brighter flats. I've tried chromes, found them a bit stiff and definitely a higher tension that my nickels and TI flats. I hear everyone lately ranting about the new Ernie Ball Cobalts. But what about Rotosound Jazz Bass 77s? How are the tension on these two sets? What do they sound like a bit more settled in (in other words, after a few months of play, maybe even a year onward)? Is there another more modern sounding flat I am unaware of that is worth a look? Help me Basschat, you're not my only hope but hopefully you'll give it a try!

PS. Apologies about this long winded story which probably could have been summed up in less than 3 sentences. But if you made it this far, then good on you!

 

Ernie Ball Cobalts or GHS Pressurewounds are worth a shot. 

[GisserD]

On 24/05/2019 at 10:53, Bassic_Science said:

My fellow low end enthusiasts, I call upon your collective wisdom to help me with my dilemma regarding strings.

I've been playing my lovely Squier VM 70's Jazz since 2005 which has undergone a lot of modifications to the point where only the body and neck are still original - the electronics, tuners, bridge all being replaced over time to make the beast into what it is today.

Now, enough about the bass itself and onto the real issue. Strings. Yes, strings. Another one of those threads.

My issue is that I've got hands that sweat like a deluge when I play and they kill roundwounds fast. Like ridiculously fast. As in I once put on a new set of Ernie Ball Slinky's, and they were dead after 2 hours of a band practice fast. So began my search for decent roundwounds that I could get good amount of life from. I've tried every brand I could get my hands on, from Rotosound, Ernie Balls, D'Addario, GHS, all the way to Dunlops. You name it, I've probably played the coated, non-coated, stainless steel, and nickel version of it. Ended up settling on D'Addario Nickels for a good while since they were the best bang for buck at the time. After my stint in the gigging scene of my youth, I discovered flatwounds, specifically TI Jazz Flats, and that changed the game. I had a string that could last a good long while and sounded better with time. But then the email came in, you know the one. The one titled: We need a bass player! And soon, before you know it, you're knee deep in it, and trying to find new excuses to tell your partner to justify buying gear that you may need (but in reality you really don't!). I soon realised that my TI flats were not up to snuff for the sound we needed. The band plays a lot of rock covers from Jefferson Airplane, the Who, Oasis, Steriophonics, Foo Fighters, the Pixies, (really a lot of '90s, to early '00s with the occasional '60s, '70s, '80s song thrown in the mix). They were ok for a time but they just lacked that edge you get from roundwounds. So I went back to my tried and true roundwounds of D'Addario Nickels (0.45 - 0.65 - 0.85 - 0.105).

And then the string killing hand sweat came back and has effectively killed them in a reasonable amount of time. So after showing my partner the cost of a new set of strings and explaining the issue in painstaking detail till her eyes glazed over, she asked the question after regaining consciousness of why not find a brighter flatwound that will last you a while?

So here I am, seeking your wisdom on some brighter flats. I've tried chromes, found them a bit stiff and definitely a higher tension that my nickels and TI flats. I hear everyone lately ranting about the new Ernie Ball Cobalts. But what about Rotosound Jazz Bass 77s? How are the tension on these two sets? What do they sound like a bit more settled in (in other words, after a few months of play, maybe even a year onward)? Is there another more modern sounding flat I am unaware of that is worth a look? Help me Basschat, you're not my only hope but hopefully you'll give it a try!

PS. Apologies about this long winded story which probably could have been summed up in less than 3 sentences. But if you made it this far, then good on you!

 

if you haven't tried elixirs yet.... then Elixirs. trust me i sweat like a pig in a slaughterhouse. Elixirs!