I really hate to ask this, but... what strings for P bass?

[Bonzo]

I hear ya BB,

I have to say I'm enjoying The Beatles at the moment as I have done for 40 odd years (I go through periods where I just dont want to hear them for a while - but they are always THE band),  Zeppelin,  Floyd, Lizzy,  Fleetwood Mac, Steely Dan/Fagen etc - to more modern(ish) - Elbow, Radiohead, The 1975. That sorta stuff.

 

[Baloney Balderdash]

16 minutes ago, Bonzo said:

I hear ya BB,

I have to say I'm enjoying The Beatles at the moment as I have done for 40 odd years (I go through periods where I just dont want to hear them for a while - but they are always THE band),  Zeppelin,  Floyd, Lizzy,  Fleetwood Mac, Steely Dan/Fagen etc - to more modern(ish) - Elbow, Radiohead, The 1975. That sorta stuff.

 

Seems to me like nickle roundwounds would be your ticket then, I think that is what most of the bands you listed use/used.

Flatwounds would properly be good for coping that thumpy Höfner Violin/Beatles bass of McCartney's though, but pretty much everything else you listed I'd say nickle roundwounds would probably get you closest (and as I mentioned in my last reply there are relatively simple ways to get that thumpy flatwound tone with rounds too, but hard to do the other way around).

Also please read my last reply again as I edited it a bit, clarifying and elaborating on what I originally wrote.

 

Edited October 31, 2020 by Baloney Balderdash

[Geek99]

5 hours ago, hooky_lowdown said:

Wow, like usual no one asks what sound the OP wants. So what sound are you wanting to sound like, any artists or bands do you like? 😃

@TheGreek did exactly that in about post #2, Mr D.IdntReadTheThreadBeforeReplying

[Doddy]

Honestly, I wouldn't worry about it too much just yet. I'd suggest getting a decent set of easily available roundwounds-something like Elites, D'Addario, Ernie Ball, or Rotosound- in a standard gauge like .45-.105. A string like that will usually sound pretty good whatever you play and will let you get a feel for the sound and feel that you like. 

[Lozz196]

I think Baloney hit it nicely on his thread, nickel rounds - with eq can do a good approximation of either flats or steel rounds. The expensive but long lasting option for me is Elixirs, or the less costly Ernie Ball Super Slinky, both incredibly comfortable to play. 

Being a Precision I’d look at 45-100 gauge. Given the pickup placement the G&D to me benefit from having a slightly smaller E&A, balances it out a bit otherwise the G&D can sound a bit twangy in comparison.

Edited November 1, 2020 by Lozz196

[Skybone]

A lot depends on your budget, and how much you want to spend on strings.

If you have a limited budget, or can see yourself needing to change your strings a lot, then I would recommend Warwick Red Label strings. Not sure if they do flatwound, but they do both nickel & stainless steel versions of the roundwounds. At less than £10 a pack, can't go wrong really.

Everything else is around twice the price, if not  more. Search the t'interweb for the best deals.

Fender strings are good, and reasonably priced, but they don't do stainless steel's anymore.

[ped]

Tbh for rounds, Elixirs work out cheapest because they last so long. A set will last probably a couple of years during Covid. 

[Reggaebass]

Just a suggestion for the op, why not fit a set of D’addario half rounds, you will get the smoothness of a flat and the clarity of a round so the best of both worlds, I’ve had  a set on one of my jazzes for about 4 years now and they still sound great 🙂

[Bonzo]

44 minutes ago, Reggaebass said:

Just a suggestion for the op, why not fit a set of D’addario half rounds, you will get the smoothness of a flat and the clarity of a round so the best of both worlds, I’ve had  a set on one of my jazzes for about 4 years now and they still sound great 🙂

Was thinking that very thing Reggaebass. You read my mind. 

 

Cheers

[ped]

I think it would be wise to try some actual flats first so he knows what they’re like, give it a couple of weeks then try others. 

[Reggaebass]

11 minutes ago, ped said:

I think it would be wise to try some actual flats first so he knows what they’re like, give it a couple of weeks then try others. 

Good shout ped 👍

[Stub Mandrel]

12 hours ago, Bonzo said:

Ooh, it all went a bit weird. 

TheGreek did indeed ask what tone I was looking for, and I found this really difficult to answer. I then got embroiled in something else and lost the day. Apologies for asking for advice and not responding.

Well, what tone am I craving? I honestly don't know. I guess I'll know when I hear/find it.

Bands/artists I like aren't all associated  with the P bass (though some are), but I wouldn't sound like them even if I possessed the skill & creativity. I guess I just want to try and bond with the bass, plonk along, find a groove, learn some runs and enjoy myself.

I do appreciate your recommendations. Like I said earlier, there's so much choice out there it seems a bit daunting and its difficult at the moment to just go out and try stuff, hence me wanting to get a starting point and make my own opinion as I develop. 

I'll absorb what you guys advise and make an informed choice from there - and let you know which way I went👍

 

Your first new strings will be important as they will sound good and tend to colour how you feel about other types you try later.

For that reason alone I would suggest something like a set of 50-105 nickel roundwounds. It's a sort of happy reference point from which you can try heavier or lighter gauges, different constructions and different materials. Plus they will certainly sound good on a P and sound good for a decent amount of time.

 

Brand new strings will sound great, but that will fade after a while. Some people say flatwounds never lose their tone, others say they never had it in the first place.

Coated strings last a long time, but I would say pay less and get ordinary strings so you can experiment with a few types of string over time.

I recommend nickel roundwounds because although they are not as bright sounding as stainless steel they will keep their tone for longer which is important for a beginner as you don't want to be changing too regularly.

Roundwounds are likely to be bit easier to play and will give you a wider sonic pallet; you can wind back the tone to emulate the sound of flatwounds.

Equally important is gauge. 50-105 or 45-105 is a good place to start, 110 or above can be a bit  of hard work for a beginner. 100 or less is very loose and only suits some basses and playing styles.

Consider buying 'hardly used' sets of strings from the classified. These will let you compare gauges and styles.

Also, when trying new strings, start off with your amp's tone controls set more or less flat, then tweak to get the sound you want. Lots of people start with the bass right up (because they want a 'solid' sound) and then struggle to get a sound they like.

[Bonzo]

It already has 45-105 strings on from the PO and recently had a set up with that gauge so to negate any neck relief shenanigans I'll start there. I'm needing new strings because the A is bust.

[Reggaebass]

@Bonzo I’ve got a new set of rounds that came off my us jazz that you can have for free if you want, they were too bright for me and I only use flats, so they are just sitting in the draw 🙂

[Maude]

I'd suggest just going with a fairly standard nickel roundwound, like D'addario 45-100, as it's the most common 'all rounder' type of string. 

Then put a set of flats on your next P bass you'll pick up in a couple of weeks, steel rounds on the next a couple of weeks after that, then tapes, then half rounds. You get the idea. 

 

Oh yes, give it time, it will happen. 

😁

[Nebadon2000]

Fender 7250M [45-105] Age well, stay in tune/keep intonation, inexpensive and sound excellent. IME

 

Edited November 1, 2020 by Nebadon2000

[Stub Mandrel]

1 hour ago, Nebadon2000 said:

Fender 7250M [45-105] Age well, stay in tune/keep intonation, inexpensive and sound excellent. IME

 

As supplied  fitted to my Flea bass which I realise I have now had for 11 months played nearly every other day on average (I even managed to gig it once before lockdown!) and though not as bright as they were still sound passable.

As our birthdays are only 12 days apart I think we should get treated to a new set 🙂

[Nebadon2000]

13 hours ago, Stub Mandrel said:

As supplied  fitted to my Flea bass which I realise I have now had for 11 months played nearly every other day on average (I even managed to gig it once before lockdown!) and though not as bright as they were still sound passable.

As our birthdays are only 12 days apart I think we should get treated to a new set 🙂

Posted to talkbass recently;

"When I bought my Ultra Precision that came with 7250M my thoughts were what strings I would replace them with. But the overall sound was excellent with Fenders on Bass; so I kept them on. After breakin they were great. Kept them 10 months stayed in tune and intonation never budged and still sounded fine [just a tad dull] before I changed just 2 weeks ago to Markbass Ultimate 45-105 [I have been willing lately to be Guinea Pig hence Bass and strings] Bass has been a winner will see with strings soon [so far smoother feel, warmer tone out of package]"

If Markbass strings don't workout I will be buying another 7250M Set. Yes there are most likely great strings from many manufactures available but this time I will go with 'What I Know'
 

[TheGreek]

On 01/11/2020 at 09:43, Skybone said:

I would recommend Warwick Red Label strings. Not sure if they do flatwound, but they do both nickel & stainless steel versions of the roundwounds. At less than £10 a pack, can't go wrong really.

The cheapest I can find them is about £15...where are they a tenner?

Got it!! G4M...

Edited November 2, 2020 by TheGreek

[Skybone]

26 minutes ago, TheGreek said:

The cheapest I can find them is about £15...where are they a tenner?

Got it!! G4M...

Nickel: https://www.gear4music.com/Guitar-and-Bass/Warwick-46200-Red-Label-Medium-Bass-Strings-45-105-4-String/NED

Nickel: https://www.thomann.de/gb/warwick_46200_m_red_label.htm

Stainless: https://www.gear4music.com/Guitar-and-Bass/Warwick-42200-Red-Label-Medium-Bass-Strings-45-105/NE5

Stainless: https://www.thomann.de/gb/warwick_red_label_045.htm

Thomann is only OK if you buy in bulk, as you get charged £8 postage for orders under £99. Better if you buy in bulk though. Thomann used to do them for about £8 a pack, so if you bought 4 packs, plus postage it used to still work out cheaper than buying from the UK.

Postage from G4M is slightly better, £2.49 for 1 set, £5.49 for 4.

 

[Bonzo]

Well folks if nothing else I've learnt that there is no right answer to the 'what strings for a P bass?' question.

I know that there have been some great recommendations and I really appreciate people taking the time to steer this newbie (I imagine if it wasn't for covid I'd see little response as you'd all be out gigging - every cloud and all that )

Anyhooo, I've ordered a cheap & cheerful set of Fender 7250M's in 45-105 gauge (as that's what the bass has been set up in) and Ill see how I get on with them.

Once again, really appreciate your comments & views 

 

[ped]

1 minute ago, Bonzo said:

Well folks if nothing else I've learnt that there is no right answer to the 'what strings for a P bass?' question.

I know that there have been some great recommendations and I really appreciate people taking the time to steer this newbie (I imagine if it wasn't for covid I'd see little response as you'd all be out gigging - every cloud and all that )

Anyhooo, I've ordered a cheap & cheerful set of Fender 7250M's in 45-105 gauge (as that's what the bass has been set up in) and Ill see how I get on with them.

Once again, really appreciate your comments & views 

 

There is a correct answer - Labella 760fx. Everyone else is wrong. 

[Bonzo]

..ooh and thank you @Reggaebass for your very kind offer. I'd feel a bit of a tw*t getting you go to the trouble of going out & posting them to me all for the princely sum of bugger all, but I do appreciate your generosity 👍  

[Bonzo]

12 minutes ago, ped said:

There is a correct answer - Labella 760fx. Everyone else is wrong. 

Maybe one day ped 😉

[gjones]

You can make roundwounds sound like flats but you can't make flatwounds sound like roundwounds.

Just saying..... 😉