Does anyone else use different strings on their various basses?

[kevin_lindsay]

It just occurred to me that I use various string brands on my basses.

I have found that different strings provide varying tones on my instruments. 

 

Does anyone else here do this?

 

Sire Z3 5 string  -  D'Addario 45-130 nickel wound

McIntyre surf green fretless  -  Elixir strings

White P-Bass  -  LaBella 1954 heavy gauge "Jamerson" flatwounds 

McIntyre 1956 style P-Bass  -  D'Addario 45-105 rounds

Seafoam Green 50's P-Bass  -  Harley Benton strings (honestly!!)

Black P-Bass  - Ernie Ball Slinky

White Jazz  -  D'Addario 45-45-105 rounds 

1966 AVII Jazz Bass  - Fender rounds 45-105

 

[Lozz196]

My only difference is nickel rounds on my Mustang basses, steel rounds on the Precision. Brand & gauge - Elixir 50-105s.

[Owen]

I have settled on Newtone round core nickels on most (33", 34", 35" and 36") but a set of TI Jazz Rounds sit very nicely on one of the 35" in a way they do not on some others. 

Edited November 6 by Owen
because of the spelling. Always because of the spelling.

[meterman]

No way, that's crazy talk!

 

Never mix cross-ply and radial, that's what the old 1970s tv ad said and I still stand by it.

 

I might only have two basses but they're both sporting La Bella Deep Talking Flats.

 

And I have D'Addario Chromes flats on all my electric guitars, always same gauge. And my acoustic has Hofner flats on it. 
 

(No, I haven't moved on since 1968) 😂

[KingPrawn]

What a collection. I tend to use the same strings across my basses as I like the continuity of the resistance I  feel. The only caveat is labella flats on one of my P basses 

Edited November 10 by KingPrawn

[Mike Brooks]

Yep, certainly do! A subtle change of manufacturer/material/gauge/winding can make a bass sing, when it didn't before.

[bassbiscuits]

Yup.

 

Old Precision Bass = La Bella flatwounds. Perfect for vintage thud and warmth.

Active Yamaha BB basses x 2 - Daddario NYXLs to cover a lot more sonic territory in covers bands.

 

In fairness for the first 10 years of playing bass I didn't even realise strings came in different materials or gauges - they tended to be whatever the small number of music shops in my hometown of Swansea had in stock at the time (no internet in them days obviously...).

[Beedster]

Yes, different basses respond differently, it would be odd to have the same strings on all instruments (DB players of course take it to extremes by mixing sets on the same instrument)

[Beedster]

23 minutes ago, bassbiscuits said:

In fairness for the first 10 years of playing bass I didn't even realise strings came in different materials or gauges - they tended to be whatever the small number of music shops in my hometown of Swansea had in stock at the time (no internet in them days obviously...).

 

Rotos or Slinkys then  

[bassbiscuits]

13 minutes ago, Beedster said:

 

Rotos or Slinkys then  

Rotos. 

[NancyJohnson]

Generally favour Elixir Nanoweb strings; they last forever and are tonally consistent.  It's just simpler to stick with one brand I'm happy with across everything rather than trying to keeping a spreadsheet going.

 

This isn't to say there may be a rogue set of Dunlop or D'addario loitering in there.

 

[JohnH89]

Roto 88s on the fretlesses and Jack Casady . TI jazz flats on the Sire P5R and just changed the BB734 from Labella LTFs to Roto 77s tuned BEAD . A lot of difference in feel and tension but they all work with the basses they are on .

[BigRedX]

Originally on account of my first four basses all having different scale lengths - 30", 32", 34", and 36" I had to have different strings on each one. It was also at this point that I discovered the manufacturers of the most common strings available in the shops in the 80s and early 90s (Rotosound) were incapable of making consistently usable string sets that weren't 4-string standard gauge 34" scale, which very few of the basses I have owned have been, I started looking at what else was available. As a result have discovered that works with one bass does not necessarily work with another. I suppose if all my basses had been similar I might have been able to find a set that suits all of them, but they haven't ever been so.

 

After a fair bit of trial and error, four basses that I currently use are strung as follows:

Gus G3 5-string passive - Warwick Black Label 45-135

Gus G3 5-string active - Warwick Black Label 40-130

Eastwood Hooky 6-string Bass - GHS Hooky 6-string bass

Burn Barracuda - Newtone Axion Bass VI

[franzbassist]

Galli flats on the fretless, La Bella Super Polished groundwounds on my fretted basses. 

[MichaelDean]

I've got a custom set of Newtone hex core nickels on my Dingwall for CGCFC tuning at the moment. They're perfectly fine. Not as amazing as I'd hoped. I might try the round core next time. It's certainly the best way of getting the guages I need for the tuning though, especially as Payson prices at Bass Direct have shot up.

 

There's also D'Addario 50-105 EXL160M on my Mustang and a set of Addagio rounds on m Revelation PJ bass. The Revelation gets the cheapest strings because it's the least used. I am wondering about stringing it up with a set of Adagio flats though. I've not been that impressed with the rounds. They're a bit rough like stainless steel strings and have a bit of a copper hue in certain places.

[RichT]

Definitely, different basses have different voices which need certain strings to get the best out of them. I don't mind that at all, it's just a pain that the only way to find out which strings suit which bass is random trial and error. 

 

Currently have Ernie Ball Cobalt flats on my EBMM ss Stingray, Ibanez EHB 1505, Hofner HCT Club and one Vox Starstream.

 

Got Elixir nanoweb nickels on Ibanez SR500e and the other Vox Starstream.

 

Thomastik Jazz flats on fretless Ibanez Portamento (only ones I'm not sure about yet).

 

And Ernie Ball roundwound slinkys on my Maruszczyk ss Jake (P bass pickup).

 

On my guitars though it's D'Addario XS all the way. 

Edited November 7 by RichT
spelling

[uk_lefty]

Though I usually prefer a set of Ernie Ball slinkies, whatever it is in the pink packet, I really believe in experimenting with different strings to make subtle differences to how you hear and feel the instrument and consequently what you play. I recently put some Rotosounds on my Jazz bass having steered clear of them for years but they sound great and they're very durable. Also some of the best strings I've used have been some of the cheapest top, Maruszczyk flats are excellent at least than £20 for a four string set, and Fender nylon wrap strings were dirty cheap but great on my old p bass. I really want to go back to flats on a jazz but I think that means a new bass....

[Rodders]

La Bella Flats (760FM) - P bass & OLP Stingray

DR Dragon Skin on my Dingwall 

Fender Nickel (Heavy) or D'addario Heavy on my other P basses.

Rotosound Nickel (Heavy) or Tru Bass Tapes on my fretless basses. 

[Jono Bolton]

I've got Dunlop flats on my JV Precision, Fender flats on my bitsa Precision, and D'Addario rounds on my Telecaster Bass. Flats didn't work with the humbucker on the Tele Bass for me, but the flats on both P Basses were just whatever I had to hand when putting them together. The Dunlops have been on the JV for about three years but had been on a couple of other basses prior to that, and the Fenders were on a bass I bought second hand and swapped them over.

[prowla]

My go-to strings are Rotosound Swing Bass 40-60-80-100, but I've got Fender flats on a couple of fretless basses, Status or TE double-ball ones on my headless basses, various ones on some, and wehatever they came with on others.

[Baceface]

In a word, yes.

That said, my "collection" is a budget Yamaha and a mid-price Sandberg. Currently I have el cheapo Maruszczyk flats on the Yamaha and rounds on the Sandberg.

Currently thinking the flats give me all the sound I need plus a great feel so tempting to put them on the Sandberg too. 

 

[neepheid]

Nope, I put D'addario XL nickel rounds on everything.  It's the strings I like.  If the stock strings don't annoy me when I get a new bass, I'll leave 'em be until they wear out, then I'll put D'addarios on it.

[Ed_S]

I put D'Addario XL nickel rounds on almost everything. I like Dunlop Super Brights as well, so I use those on my Warwick out of choice and my miKro out of necessity; XLs don't fit.

 

I've tried various sets of flats, but all they do is make me ignore the bass they're fitted to until I eventually sell it.

[Jean-Luc Pickguard]

Off the top of my head these are the ones I can remember:

 

JMJ, Vintera & Classic Vibe Mustangs: Medium Scale D'addario Chromes

Player Mustang: Short Scale Chromes

Guild Starfire: Medium scale flatwound status hotwires (I'd probably also have these on my mustangs if they were still available)

Epiphone Vintage Pro & Gibson Non-Reverse Thunderbirds: Ernie Ball 2815 Cobalt Flats

Squier Vintage Modified Short Scale Jaguar: EB short scale cobalt flats

Fretted & Fretless Precisions: Thomastic flats

Danelectro longhorn: LaBella danelectro short scale deep talkin' flats

Squier Bass VI: LaBella bass VI deep talkin' flats

Kala U-bass: Gallo flatwound with synthetic core

 

I'm happy with all of these after having tried various different sets on different basses.

[fergs40]

I don’t think I’ve got the same strings on any two basses. I can’t claim any great science or skill to my choices, but I think it adds to the distinct character of each bass, though there’s no two of the same model either so maybe I’m kidding myself!

 

It does also, however, provide an excellent additional argument when the ‘why do you have so many basses?’ discussion comes around…