fryer Posted April 7, 2009 Share Posted April 7, 2009 Blimey, I thought a string was a string, as in - how long is a piece of said item. I honestly didn't realise there was so much difference in the various types and makes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BassBod Posted April 7, 2009 Share Posted April 7, 2009 My experiences with flats to date: Rotos - felt very stiff, put a lot of tension on the neck but didn't sound good to me. Thomastik - sound great, but the floppiness can get annoying (move the action up and they are easier to play). LaBella - tried the expensive black plastic ones - fantastic sound, heavy guages but don't feel like hard work to play. I think they'd probably last longer than I've got left on the planet. But my favourite so far has been Pyramid Gold (another old German company). Slightly higher tension than most rounds (but hardly) and a good "old" sound straight away. Makes you feel warm and cosy and ever so slightly melodic. They are stupidly expensive in the USA, but only normal expensive in Europe. BB Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redstriper Posted April 8, 2009 Share Posted April 8, 2009 [quote name='BassBod' post='456962' date='Apr 7 2009, 10:34 PM']My experiences with flats to date: Rotos - felt very stiff, put a lot of tension on the neck but didn't sound good to me. Thomastik - sound great, but the floppiness can get annoying (move the action up and they are easier to play). LaBella - tried the expensive black plastic ones - fantastic sound, heavy guages but don't feel like hard work to play. I think they'd probably last longer than I've got left on the planet. But my favourite so far has been Pyramid Gold (another old German company). Slightly higher tension than most rounds (but hardly) and a good "old" sound straight away. Makes you feel warm and cosy and ever so slightly melodic. They are stupidly expensive in the USA, but only normal expensive in Europe. BB[/quote] Are the pyramids smooth to the touch or ridged like the rotosounds? I like a deep smooth old skool sound for reggae and can't decide between labellas and pyramids - the labellas are available in heavier gauges, so might sound deeper. Shame there's nowhere to try before you buy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OutToPlayJazz Posted April 8, 2009 Share Posted April 8, 2009 I put a set of Rotosound Jazz Bass 77's on my Hofner a while ago. Sounded and felt fabulous. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
voxpop Posted April 8, 2009 Share Posted April 8, 2009 [quote name='redstriper' post='457006' date='Apr 8 2009, 01:08 AM']Are the pyramids smooth to the touch or ridged like the rotosounds? I like a deep smooth old skool sound for reggae and can't decide between labellas and pyramids - the labellas are available in heavier gauges, so might sound deeper. Shame there's nowhere to try before you buy.[/quote] Anyone else tried these Pyramid strings. At £40 from ebay I want to make sure that they are worth the expense. Thought I would try them on a Jazz bass. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BassBod Posted April 8, 2009 Share Posted April 8, 2009 It was a while ago, but I'm sure I paid somethng like £26-8 for the Pyramid Golds. Exchange rates have changed etc..but check Thomman? Anyway..they are very smooth, fairly supple but the E string feels big and fat, even though the guages are supposed to be standard 45-105 ish. Not as hard work to play as LaBellas. The other odd things are the outer wraps stop abruptly after the nut (on a regular Fender P or J) so there's little in the way of spare string, only the core goes round the tuner..and the ball ends are smaller than most. One bass (can't remember, but I think it was a Fender re-issue bridge?) can't use them as the ball ends pull through the bridge holes. I suppose you could fix this with small washers, but it was a bit of a shock. BB Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
voxpop Posted April 9, 2009 Share Posted April 9, 2009 [quote name='BassBod' post='458013' date='Apr 9 2009, 12:27 AM']It was a while ago, but I'm sure I paid somethng like £26-8 for the Pyramid Golds. Exchange rates have changed etc..but check Thomman? Anyway..they are very smooth, fairly supple but the E string feels big and fat, even though the guages are supposed to be standard 45-105 ish. Not as hard work to play as LaBellas. The other odd things are the outer wraps stop abruptly after the nut (on a regular Fender P or J) so there's little in the way of spare string, only the core goes round the tuner..and the ball ends are smaller than most. One bass (can't remember, but I think it was a Fender re-issue bridge?) can't use them as the ball ends pull through the bridge holes. I suppose you could fix this with small washers, but it was a bit of a shock. BB[/quote] Thanks for the info. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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