What strings do you use on a five string 35" scale bass????

[voxpop]

Im about to get a 35" scale Jazz bass and need advise on wait guage and length strings I will need.

What do you guys use and why???

Im looking for a LOW tension lightish guage for a bit of slap.

Thanks in advance.

Edited June 16, 2010 by voxpop

[chris_b]

Try DR strings. I've used Lo-Rider, Hi-Beam and Fat-Beam on my 35" bass. They're all good in my opinion.

I don't slap but Marcus Miller does and he designed the Fat-Beams for DR.

Edited June 16, 2010 by chris_b

[Platypus]

Hi-Beams are lowish tension and great for slap
can get them in 40-120 gauge too

[bubinga5]

DR's for sure...i love the Marcus Millers..oh and they are bendy! big fat tone with zing! best string on the market IMHO..

[geoffbyrne]

All DRs seem to be suitable for 35". I've got Overwaters on mine, but I'll probably change to DRs next time.

G.

[Fat Rich]

Fat Beams are great for slap, I actually prefer Hi Beams as they're a little brighter. DR strings are a little pricey but they seem to last longer so it all evens out, quality seems to be excellent. When they first go on they can feel a little grabby under your fingers but they soon smooth off.

Sometimes I use Ernie Ball Slinkys..... they've got lots of clang but are a little light on bassy fundamental. Quality seems good, they last for a reasonable amount of time, smooth under your fingers and they're not expensive.

Recently tried some Status Hotwires, much darker in tone with lots of bass and fewer overtones... but with a bright top.

I suspect the Fat Beams are a good starting point.

[hubrad]

I use Picato myself.. was into flats for a fair while, but at the mo I'm really enjoying the halfrounds.
I prefer stainless, but alot go for nickel roundwound, possibly less stress for your frets!
As I don't have a fretted bass on the go, I can't really comment on 'normal' slap tone, but I'm well happy with them on fretless ebony board.
Extra bonus - being British made (Treorchy) they're remarkably cheap!

[voxpop]

[quote name='geoffbyrne' post='869281' date='Jun 16 2010, 06:00 PM']All DRs seem to be suitable for 35". I've got Overwaters on mine, but I'll probably change to DRs next time.

G.[/quote]



What dont you like about the overwaters ?

I noticed they are one of the few 'made for 35" scale".

[voxpop]

[quote name='hubrad' post='869289' date='Jun 16 2010, 06:11 PM']I use Picato myself.. was into flats for a fair while, but at the mo I'm really enjoying the halfrounds.
I prefer stainless, but alot go for nickel roundwound, possibly less stress for your frets!
As I don't have a fretted bass on the go, I can't really comment on 'normal' slap tone, but I'm well happy with them on fretless ebony board.
Extra bonus - being British made (Treorchy) they're remarkably cheap![/quote]



Will the' Long scale' sets fit a 35" neck???

They seen to be very cheap compared to the other more 'well known' brands.

Edited June 16, 2010 by voxpop

[geoffbyrne]

[quote name='voxpop' post='869414' date='Jun 16 2010, 08:33 PM']What dont you like about the overwaters ?

I noticed they are one of the few 'made for 35" scale".[/quote]

There's really not much I don't like about the Overwaters - maybe the tone's just not quite bright enough for me. I've used HiBeams before & they were great on my fretted & I have them on my fretless at the moment - they are about 2 years old now & sound great for that bass.

As far as I can make out all DRs are manufactured to cater for 35" scale - in fact I've had the thickest part of the E string winding *just* go on to the tuning post on a 34" scale bass.

I also like Rotosound 55 Pressurewounds - they sound a lot like the HiBeams, but I haven't seen them in 35" scale.

I'll probably try LoRiders next as I like a bit of tension.

G.

[voxpop]

[quote name='geoffbyrne' post='869485' date='Jun 16 2010, 09:44 PM']There's really not much I don't like about the Overwaters - maybe the tone's just not quite bright enough for me. I've used HiBeams before & they were great on my fretted & I have them on my fretless at the moment - they are about 2 years old now & sound great for that bass.

As far as I can make out all DRs are manufactured to cater for 35" scale - in fact I've had the thickest part of the E string winding *just* go on to the tuning post on a 34" scale bass.

I also like Rotosound 55 Pressurewounds - they sound a lot like the HiBeams, but I haven't seen them in 35" scale.

I'll probably try LoRiders next as I like a bit of tension.

G.[/quote]


Thanks for all the info......it looks like I will try out the Hi Beams or Overwater.

[bubinga5]

This is from Ed Friedland....

What does he mean by this? Quote... Their construction design allows them to fit on basses from standard 34" scale to 37.75" scale. If you play a 35" scale 5-string that strings through the body, DRs will definitely fit.....

[johnnylager]

D'Addario EXL165SL 4-string set with an XB130TSL low B, Stringbusters. £26 delivered. Smooth feel & even sounding, tapered B to fit the Spector bridge & just the gauges I like.

Edited June 16, 2010 by johnnylager

[Kongo]

Been using D'addario Pro Steels Extra long, gauge 30-130 (6-string) for maybe 4 years solid now.
Not badly priced (£30 Stringsdirect), last a long time and theres tension to suit all needs.
I use finger, slap, tap...whatever I need and catered my gauge for it:

30 - 45 - 65 - 80 - 100 - 130

Not too thick on the lower strings or they sound duff when tapped, yet on a 35" you dont need to worry about them flopping about.

Might make the switch to DR LoRiders tho as these dont work so well on my most recent bass.
Cost about £5-£10 more than D'addario's tho! :-O

[JamieBenzies]

[quote name='Kongo' post='869614' date='Jun 17 2010, 02:18 AM']Been using D'addario Pro Steels Extra long, gauge 30-130 (6-string) for maybe 4 years solid now.
Not badly priced (£30 Stringsdirect), last a long time and theres tension to suit all needs.
I use finger, slap, tap...whatever I need and catered my gauge for it:

30 - 45 - 65 - 80 - 100 - 130

Not too thick on the lower strings or they sound duff when tapped, yet on a 35" you dont need to worry about them flopping about.

Might make the switch to DR LoRiders tho as these dont work so well on my most recent bass.
Cost about £5-£10 more than D'addario's tho! :-O[/quote]


Look around and you can get that set posted for less then £24, an absolute bargain!

I've settled on D'addario strings now, they really are the sh*t! I think they utterly wipe the floor with Rotosound and Ernie ball etc. Mmm, I need some new ones.

[benebass]

I'm thinking of trying a 35" five string with flats - apart from the Picatos mentioned in the thread does anyone know any decent ones for a 35" please?

Cheers,

B.

[Gwilym]

i just put a set of DR Sunbeams 40 - 120 on a 35" scale bass. They don't feel very low tension, but they're an improvment on the 45 - 125. And the B string still sounds great. I think the main difference is just feel of the narrower gauge, rather than the difference in tension.

[voxpop]

[quote name='benebass' post='870201' date='Jun 17 2010, 08:28 PM']I'm thinking of trying a 35" five string with flats - apart from the Picatos mentioned in the thread does anyone know any decent ones for a 35" please?

Cheers,

B.[/quote]



I've just found these..........Overwater make 35" scale strings.

[url="http://www.overwaterbasses.com/extended-flatwound.htm"]http://www.overwaterbasses.com/extended-flatwound.htm[/url]

[Monz]

[quote name='voxpop' post='870468' date='Jun 18 2010, 07:58 AM']I've just found these..........Overwater make 35" scale strings.

[url="http://www.overwaterbasses.com/extended-flatwound.htm"]http://www.overwaterbasses.com/extended-flatwound.htm[/url][/quote]


Unless I am mistaken you might find a lot of similarities between Picato and Overwater strings... In fact I might go as far as to suggest you may struggle to find any differences

[dougal]

I've always used the Elixir XLs on the Carvin.

I will try an overwater set though as the XLs are a touch high tension.

[sdgrsr400]

Also consider Status Hotwires: [url="http://www.status-graphite.com/status/frames/index_home.html"]http://www.status-graphite.com/status/frames/index_home.html[/url] - pretty good value. The premium round-wound are excellent, more flexible (tho not as much as DR's) than Overwaters.

[Kongo]

[quote name='benzies123' post='869974' date='Jun 17 2010, 04:07 PM']Look around and you can get that set posted for less then £24, an absolute bargain!

I've settled on D'addario strings now, they really are the sh*t! I think they utterly wipe the floor with Rotosound and Ernie ball etc. Mmm, I need some new ones.[/quote]

Indeed, I DETEST Roto's, as much as I like supporting our own they don't work for me, despite many of my fav bassists using them, I hate the extreme feel to them and they seem to come with half tone and die fast, but thats me and my own skin Ph to blame.
Tried Ernie Ball...whereas they are a good second they don't deliver like D'addario.
I used to use Elites Stadium series until I got some that came with a touch of rust and started breaking.
Warwick also tried all but black Label, the Red Label can cut through rock, never mind skin! and the Yellow label were...well...Never again.
Even on my P-bass I've gone Prosteel, jus changed from my glass feel Nickel D'addario's to Pro-Steel, fancy a custom gauge tho.

I'd love it if you could direct me where to get em for £24 tho, Ive been a customer of Stringsdirect for ages but feel the prices are going up too much considering you cut out the middleman.

[foal30]

[quote name='benebass' post='870201' date='Jun 18 2010, 07:28 AM']I'm thinking of trying a 35" five string with flats - apart from the Picatos mentioned in the thread does anyone know any decent ones for a 35" please?

Cheers,

B.[/quote]



I put Sadowsky XL flats on my MTD 2 weeks back
quite good
they are made by LaBella

the B string however was too long for the position of the tuning peg. It's like you need 4x35" scale strings and a 34" scale for the B.

[Sarah5string]

I've got Fender's on mine at the mo. Have also used Ernie Ball slinky's without a problem.

[JamieBenzies]

[quote name='Kongo' post='871417' date='Jun 19 2010, 01:49 AM']Indeed, I DETEST Roto's, as much as I like supporting our own they don't work for me, despite many of my fav bassists using them, I hate the extreme feel to them and they seem to come with half tone and die fast, but thats me and my own skin Ph to blame.
Tried Ernie Ball...whereas they are a good second they don't deliver like D'addario.
I used to use Elites Stadium series until I got some that came with a touch of rust and started breaking.
Warwick also tried all but black Label, the Red Label can cut through rock, never mind skin! and the Yellow label were...well...Never again.
Even on my P-bass I've gone Prosteel, jus changed from my glass feel Nickel D'addario's to Pro-Steel, fancy a custom gauge tho.

I'd love it if you could direct me where to get em for £24 tho, Ive been a customer of Stringsdirect for ages but feel the prices are going up too much considering you cut out the middleman.[/quote]

This is where I buy mine - not exactly in the depths of cyberspace

[url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/D'Addario-EXL170-6-Regular-Light-6-String-Bass-32-130_W0QQitemZ320523765612QQcmdZViewItem?rvr_id=&rvr_id=&cguid=cfc3d77d1250a0aad24091b0fa47e4ac"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/D'Addario-EXL170...24091b0fa47e4ac[/url]

These aren't extra long though... I don't think this is a problem however as these strings go fine on my 35" scale TRB and I'm assuming your TRB isn't a freak of nature 37" jobby? I have found them for around £26 incl. postage here [url="http://www.soundsliveshop.com/p/D'Addario_EXL165-6_Bass_Strings/DADD-EXL165-6"]http://www.soundsliveshop.com/p/D'Adda...s/DADD-EXL165-6[/url] in case those ebay ones ever go out of stock for a while.

Hope that helps

P.S I can't agree with you more about Rotosound, all my heroes (apart from John Patitucci [D'addario]) play them but I just hate them!