wishface Posted August 11, 2019 Share Posted August 11, 2019 Love the bass, don't love the cost of strings Best I've found, and thus where I go (and only when I need to, being skint), is Mickleburgh in nearby Bristol who charge about £18 for a set. Anywhere better? What do people on here recommend? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul_c2 Posted August 11, 2019 Share Posted August 11, 2019 Get them online, shops are always going to cost more. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheGreek Posted August 11, 2019 Share Posted August 11, 2019 28 minutes ago, wishface said: Mickleburgh I went to school with somebody whose surname was this... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lozz196 Posted August 11, 2019 Share Posted August 11, 2019 What type of strings, flats or rounds, if rounds nickel or steel, from there some places/brands will stand out. I use Warwick Red Label Steel Rounds - generally about £9 online, and they last about two months. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wishface Posted August 11, 2019 Author Share Posted August 11, 2019 8 minutes ago, Lozz196 said: What type of strings, flats or rounds, if rounds nickel or steel, from there some places/brands will stand out. I use Warwick Red Label Steel Rounds - generally about £9 online, and they last about two months. Rounds, usually on the lighter/medium side 40-100. I'd like to try even lighter, but can't really afford to just dabble. Ive never tried flats tbh. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nige1968 Posted August 11, 2019 Share Posted August 11, 2019 https://www.amazon.co.uk/Rotosound-Nickel-Medium-Roundwound-Strings/dp/B000VTBP5O/ref=sr_1_14?keywords=bass+guitar+strings&qid=1565536039&s=gateway&sr=8-14 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wishface Posted August 11, 2019 Author Share Posted August 11, 2019 47 minutes ago, paul_c2 said: Get them online, shops are always going to cost more. what site do you recommend? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul_c2 Posted August 11, 2019 Share Posted August 11, 2019 There's Amazon, eBay, a number of online music shops, and I'm sure other online outlets too. I can't recommend one over another, but since strings typically arrive in sealed packaging, I don't think there would be any issues with the cheaper suppliers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markdavid Posted August 11, 2019 Share Posted August 11, 2019 These are not bad although only in one gauge https://www.gear4music.com/Books-DVD-and-Sheet-Music/Bass-Guitar-String-Set-by-Gear4music/2UM 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wishface Posted August 11, 2019 Author Share Posted August 11, 2019 2 hours ago, markdavid said: These are not bad although only in one gauge https://www.gear4music.com/Books-DVD-and-Sheet-Music/Bass-Guitar-String-Set-by-Gear4music/2UM That's pretty cheap! Are they any good? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markdavid Posted August 11, 2019 Share Posted August 11, 2019 11 minutes ago, wishface said: That's pretty cheap! Are they any good? There not bad and even if you end up not liking them they are only a fiver, they worked fine for me though and another member of this forum whos name escapes me said that he liked them just as much as Rotosound nickels 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
itu Posted August 12, 2019 Share Posted August 12, 2019 My choice is usually a local shop. No other costs (shipping...), just a walk to the store and back. When I buy 10 sets, the discount is usually substantial compared to online stores. Yes, I need to save money for some time (is this some sort of a historical way in this world of quickie loans?), but then I have strings for 2 - 3 years. With a local dealer I can discuss the price and the brand and the gauge. Do you really get that good offers online? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lownote Posted August 12, 2019 Share Posted August 12, 2019 15 hours ago, wishface said: Rounds, usually on the lighter/medium side 40-100. I'd like to try even lighter, but can't really afford to just dabble. Ive never tried flats tbh. Depends if you like the sound or not but flats are by far the cheapest. Some people get 10 years plus out of them, which if they cost you £30 is £3 a year Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timhiggins Posted August 12, 2019 Share Posted August 12, 2019 I bought the cheap gear 4 music strings not expecting much and was pleasantly surprised ..decent strings i'm also very happy with the warwick red label strings ..i use the nickel ones.. as has been said flats are cheapest in the long run if you keep them on ages i have had some on my p bass years which is great for that classic p sound but if your'e after the more lively Marcus style sound you are going to need newish rounds. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CameronJ Posted August 12, 2019 Share Posted August 12, 2019 5 hours ago, itu said: My choice is usually a local shop. No other costs (shipping...), just a walk to the store and back. When I buy 10 sets, the discount is usually substantial compared to online stores. Yes, I need to save money for some time (is this some sort of a historical way in this world of quickie loans?), but then I have strings for 2 - 3 years. With a local dealer I can discuss the price and the brand and the gauge. Do you really get that good offers online? This is no doubt true, but as the OP stated he wants to spend as little as possible for a set of strings, I doubt forking out for 3 years’ worth is an option for him! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chienmortbb Posted August 12, 2019 Share Posted August 12, 2019 19 hours ago, markdavid said: These are not bad although only in one gauge https://www.gear4music.com/Books-DVD-and-Sheet-Music/Bass-Guitar-String-Set-by-Gear4music/2UM I bought some cheap ones from Thomann tagged on to a larger order. They were OK but the winds were big and the strings seemed rougher. I bought some Picatos from Absolute Music for £12,99 and they were a different class. Funny though all the low cost strings are in lighter gauges. However I am about to treat myself to som hand wound strings from Newtone. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Yellow Posted September 11, 2019 Share Posted September 11, 2019 I use stringsdirect.co.uk. Very reliable, good prices, fair amount of choice. And they usually pop through the letterbox the following day. For some of the American strings, look out for the Amazon Global service where it is possible to pickup multibuys and other US only offers at silly prices, but on the UK website. 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skidder652003 Posted September 29, 2019 Share Posted September 29, 2019 I’ve just forked out for some elixir nanowebs, not cheap (£40) but they are supposed to last 5 times as long as regular rounds, it’ll be interesting to see how long they do last, they’ve been on my p bass for about a month now and show no signs of aging or dullness. Trouble with cheap strings ( and I’ve tried loads, thomman, status, warwicks, legacy etc) is you do kind of get what you pay for, my regular gigging strings are now DR high beams which are just superb but do cost, done maybe 20 gigs and 10 rehearsals with the current set, still sound fresh. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil Starr Posted September 29, 2019 Share Posted September 29, 2019 I tried Elixirs and they do last well, I left them on for a couple of years and when I changed them there was an improvement in sound but not that dramatic and the degradation in sound is so slow you don't really notice. My regular strings are Dean Markley Blue Steels which last really well, I like the sound too and reckon to get a year out of them. I was changing Rotosounds every 3 months. I don't like a really bright sound (for me the Roto's sounded best about 4 weeks old) and I don't use a pick which I guess would be tougher on the coating for Elixirs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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