Bass string recommendations

[hannaugh]

I need some bass string recommendations.  I think I want ground wounds because I like the feel of flats, but I don't want them to sound like rubber bands on my little 30" bass.  I don't know anything about bass strings though.  I've never bought a set. 

 

[tubby.twins]

D'Addario is probably a good place to start.  They make a wide variety of strings in many different scale lengths, and they're readily available.

The right "half-round" set for your 30" scale bass would be model "ENR71S".

When local shops don't have the strings I want, I usually use JustStrings.com for bass string orders.  They're fast and reasonably priced.  Here's a direct link:
http://www.juststrings.com/dad-enr71s.html

 

[mayfly]

My bass player, a very talented woman, swears by RotoSound swing bass strings.  I think she uses the medium gauge (45 to 105).

BTW her nickname is "queen of thunder".  Not sure if that helps, but it's kinda fun.

 

[hannaugh]

Well, if the Queen of Thunder says they're good...  :laughing7:  Is she involved in roller derby by any chance?  It sounds like she should be. 

 

[mayfly]

Naw - she's too nice for that - and too thin:

 

[hannaugh]

Aww, too bad.  That would be an amazing derby name. 

My friend Emily is rail thin, and she does derby.  She's the one who skates way out in front, so she doesn't do the violent stuff. 

 

[Wyliee]

JustStrings.com is a great place to shop. 

Lately, I've switched all my basses over to Circle K Strings.  (Terrible company name, great strings.)
http://circlekstrings.com/store/index.html

I really like their balanced set and string gauge options.

FYI, when setting up the nut mill program for the short scale necks, I used the D'Addario string sets as reference points.

 

[drewfx]

I think you need to try a few styles if you know people who have basses strung with different types. Bass strings are a bit expensive to experiment with, and they can sound drastically different.

Roundwounds are bright, and are almost required for certain styles. Rotosound RS66 Swing Bass are the classic roundwound bass strings.

Flatwounds lack brightness, and they sound different than roundwounds do with the tone rolled off. For some the lack of brightness is a blessing, for others a curse. Different people like different brands depending on how much tension and which variation of the flat sound they want.

Groundwounds are in between, but closer to flats in sound and feel. Some people say they combine the best of rounds and flats, but others say they combine the worst. :laughing7:  D'Addario Half Rounds are pretty popular, inexpensive and readily available.

Pressurewounds are in between, but much closer to rounds in sound and feel/string noise. I've only gone here on a bass where I didn't really want rounds, but grounds turned out to be too dark.

There are also black nylon tape wound bass strings, but they aren't too popular nowadays.

 

[hannaugh]

I think I'll start out with the D'Addario ground wounds and try the Rotosounds the second time around and compare.  The Circle K stuff looks great if you know what you want, but I don't have any preferences at this point.  I just need a place to start.   

Thanks for the advice, guys!  :icon_thumright:

 

[Tipperman]

I really liked Rotosounds when i used them. Awesome strings for bass.

 

[ihavenothingprofoundtosay]

Keep in mind that your options for short scale strings will be limited - it's just not as big a market for string makers, but depending on the gauges & tensions, you can make a regular 34" scale work.

There are also black nylon tape wound bass strings, but they aren't too popular nowadays.

Which is a damn shame!  They are beyond amazing.  They have a slightly different feel than flatwounds (much easier on the fingers, can practice for DAYS without ripping calluses), sound a bit darker, but still have lots of definition (moreso than flats, IMO).  Best of all?  They last for YEARS.  I've had 4 sets of strings on my current bass, which I've owned since 2002, 1 set of flats (too stiff for me), and 3 different sets of nylon tapewounds (changed every few years).  Carvin sells the LaBella 4 string set for $20, but anywhere else, it's $45.  May not be your cup O' tea, but they're just not used enough these days.

 

[Patrick from Davis]

I like D'Addario Chromes (Flat wound things) they are a good balance of articulate and mello.  I tried the nylon things, but if you whip you hand over them they'll burn you.  It is like sliding on the gym floor.  They are also very odd and sproingy, or that is what I thought.  I don't change strings very often on my basses, so I go for the mello thump thing.
Patrick

 

[Strat Avenger]

I like Ernie Ball Roundwounds. 040-125  (in the ugly pink package).
There's nothing better, despite the hype that says otherwise.

 

[Strat Avenger]

I really liked Rotosounds when i used them. Awesome strings for bass.

Rotosounds sound great, but are hard on fingers and hard on frets.

 

[mrpinter]

I wonder why no one has mentioned Thomastik-Infeld? "Dr Thomastiks" are THE string for a lot of upright bass players, and the TI jazz flatwounds are modeled after their Spirocores for the uprights. I am told they are not muddy like cheaper flats and that they last a long time.

 

[line6man]

I couldn't stand my set of Rotosound RS-66s, so I sold them to AprioriMark for $7. :blob7:
Very tough on the fingers.

 

[Nightclub Dwight]

Aww, too bad.  That would be an amazing derby name. 

My friend Emily is rail thin, and she does derby.  She's the one who skates way out in front, so she doesn't do the violent stuff. 

How appropriate, that position in Roller Derby is known as the "Jammer."

Jammers are often smaller than many of the defensive ladies, and often come from a skating background that gives them the skills to outmaneuver their larger opponants.

 

[Steve_Karl]

My bass player, a very talented woman, swears by RotoSound swing bass strings.  I think she uses the medium gauge (45 to 105).

BTW her nickname is "queen of thunder".  Not sure if that helps, but it's kinda fun.

Those are my go to strings for bass also AND

... if you want them to feel closer to half rounds you can emery paper them before putting them on, to grind down some of the rough
edge on the wind.
I usually do that with a new set, and then wipe them with alcohol to get the dust off.

Rotosounds also boil well and usually sound better after the first boiling than they do new.

 

[Strat Avenger]

My bass player, a very talented woman, swears by RotoSound swing bass strings.  I think she uses the medium gauge (45 to 105).

BTW her nickname is "queen of thunder".  Not sure if that helps, but it's kinda fun.

Those are my go to strings for bass also AND

... if you want them to feel closer to half rounds you can emery paper them before putting them on, to grind down some of the rough
edge on the wind.
I usually do that with a new set, and then wipe them with alcohol to get the dust off.

Rotosounds also boil well and usually sound better after the first boiling than they do new.

Boiling strings has no benefit whatsoever. It's a wives-tale that Eddie Van Halen started back in the late '70s or early '80s. He said in a interview that he liked to boil his strings. He doesn't do it anymore. If there were a benefit to it, he'd still be boiling them.

 

[Steve_Karl]

Guitar strings yes ... I'd never boil them ... waste of time.

However I've been boiling rotosound swing bass strings since the late 70's and it works for me,
and has always produced good results, bringing them back to better than new.
I've had sets of rotosound swing bass strings that lasted years and sounded great the whole time because of boiling.
I was turned onto it by other bass players that were doing it and getting good results.