Roundwounds with similar flexibility to labella low tension flats?

[brickers]

Hi all

 

I've got the aforementioned labella’s on my jazz bass and love the feel. Just pickup a stingray and am looking for a set of roundwounds with a similar feel, ideally a bit growly and not too zingy - the preamp can provide plenty of that if needed. 

Presumably I’m looking for something nickel or nickel plated (I’d prefer not to shred my fingers or frets with stainless steel anyway) and maybe round core?

 

So far I can find GHS round core boomers and DR Sunbeams - anyone have an experience with their flexibility? What other options might be worth looking at?

Edited Monday at 10:26 by brickers

[JJMotown]

Both the Boomers and Sunbeams would be very similar to what you're looking for. The flexibility would be down to which gauge you choose, the lower gauge the more flexible.

[fretmeister]

Dunlop Superbright Steels - I know the name suggests something that is super bright but they actually really are not.

They are nicely flexible and have a really solid fundamental tone with a bit of grit on top.

 

Failing that - one of the DR roundcore strings would probably be pretty close too.

[Hellzero]

The Dogal Hellborg Perfect Pitch JH171 round wound strings, impossible to find more flexible, very low tension with plenty of mid growl.

 

Very expensive, but worth a try.

[JJMotown]

2 hours ago, Hellzero said:

The Dogal Hellborg Perfect Pitch JH171 round wound strings, impossible to find more flexible

TI rounds

[Hellzero]

2 minutes ago, JJMotown said:

TI rounds

Nope, the Dogal are way more flexible, I have both right now on different basses. 😉

[JJMotown]

11 minutes ago, Hellzero said:

Nope, the Dogal are way more flexible, I have both right now on different basses. 😉

What would you say are the differences between Dogal and TI's?

[Hellzero]

The Dogal's are a bit more even in tone all along the neck, with more mids and way more flexible with a bit less tension compared to the Thomastik Infeld.

 

I find the fundamental of the notes a bit more present and defined with the Dogal too.

 

And this goes for the round wound as well as the flat wound types.

 

That said I really love both.

[brickers]

Are the TI rounds similar in feel to their flats? I have a set of their flats so might test them out

 

The Dogals certainly are pricey… £60-£70 from thomann! Probably a bit beyond me currently, but I appreciate the info

[brickers]

17 hours ago, fretmeister said:

Dunlop Superbright Steels

Thanks. I was reading about these elsewhere and heard the same about brightness. Weird naming. They’re on the list

Edited Tuesday at 10:15 by brickers

[jazzyvee]

18 hours ago, fretmeister said:

Dunlop Superbright Steels - I know the name suggests something that is super bright but they actually really are not.

They are nicely flexible and have a really solid fundamental tone with a bit of grit on top.

 

Failing that - one of the DR roundcore strings would probably be pretty close too.

I use those dunlops on my short scale, and being a former string bending guitarist i like that string flexibility on a bass too.I wonder if you have noticed that these Dunlop strings have a tendency to roll under your fingers when bending especially above the 12th fret? Something i haven't noticed on my D'addarios. I'm open to the suggestion it may be my bad bending technique if that is the reason.🤔😎

Edited Tuesday at 10:44 by jazzyvee

[Hellzero]

10 hours ago, brickers said:

Are the TI rounds similar in feel to their flats? I have a set of their flats so might test them out

The flat wound T.I.'s are a bit stiffer than the round wound ones, and the feeling under the fingers is, of course, different, but you can sense that they are made quite the same way.

[Supernaut]

On 03/03/2025 at 10:12, brickers said:

Hi all

 

I've got the aforementioned labella’s on my jazz bass and love the feel. Just pickup a stingray and am looking for a set of roundwounds with a similar feel, ideally a bit growly and not too zingy - the preamp can provide plenty of that if needed. 

Presumably I’m looking for something nickel or nickel plated (I’d prefer not to shred my fingers or frets with stainless steel anyway) and maybe round core?

 

So far I can find GHS round core boomers and DR Sunbeams - anyone have an experience with their flexibility? What other options might be worth looking at?

Sunbeams, Super Brights, Foundations, Pure Blues. All 40-100 gauge. 

[Nickthebass]

On 03/03/2025 at 16:22, fretmeister said:

Dunlop Superbright Steels - I know the name suggests something that is super bright but they actually really are not.

They are nicely flexible and have a really solid fundamental tone with a bit of grit on top.

 

Failing that - one of the DR roundcore strings would probably be pretty close too.

On a similar note - I went from the TI flats to the JD SuperBright nickles. The Superbrights are a little less flexible than the TI flats but to me it’s totally manageable.

 

i would just say give yourself some time to adjust (a few months at least).  There are something I find easier to play on the slightly stiffer string. 

[brickers]

I’ve been playing a lot of different strings on a couple of different basses - a jazz and the new stingray.

 

The good news is that I’ve realised string tension, feel and flat/roundness are less important to me than I thought, and the same goes for neck shape and size. It takes me a minute or two and I can adjust. I’m pretty pleased about this as a short while ago I couldn’t play a p and needed a slim jazz neck, and I needed lower tension flats. So that feels like progress in a non musical way and opens up options to get the right sound. 
 

The bad news is I’m tone chasing and concerned that my new bass isn’t what I thought it was. I put fresh rounds on my old jazz and got 80% of what I wanted 😢The ray34 is a great bass but the array of options between the preamp and variety of strings is a lot to get through to find what I want.

 

Then I found this video yesterday which has the tone I’m after, so I bought a 45-100 set of these Ernie ball cobalt flats, and I have something to aim for. They seem to have a brightness without clank, and a nice metallic rattle which is a big part of the stingray sound to me. Only time will tell whether it was worth the cost!