Strings - the difference that they make (and why is my taste expensive?)

[Ghost_Bass]

1 hour ago, chris_b said:

I've just been asked if TI flats can be strung through the body?

Does anyone know?

That's one of the reasons i love D'Addarios, they have every bit of information available on their site, lenghts, tension charts, tone, gauges, etc. It's easy to choose a set that fits the instrument. Other makes of strings make it hard to choose the best fit without having to send them an e-mail.

[dave_bass5]

Actually Tomastik have quite a bit of info on their website.

It seems they do a super long (36") set of TI's, inc a low B,  so id expect them to be fine for string through body on a standard Fender style bass.

[Ghost_Bass]

8 minutes ago, dave_bass5 said:

Actually Tomastik have quite a bit of info on their website.

It seems they do a super long (36") set of TI's, inc a low B,  so id expect them to be fine for string through body on a standard Fender style bass.

In all fairness i haven't been looking at other strings for a few years so they may have more info now. 

[tony_m]

1 hour ago, chris_b said:

I've just been asked if TI flats can be strung through the body?

Does anyone know?

Yeah, should be fine - I've had the same set of TI Jazz Flats on my '51 Precision RI for umpteen years without any problems. I'm not sure about any others, but La Bella do a version of their Deep Talkin' Flats specifically for string-though bodies - the standard version are apparently too tightly wound.

[chris_b]

Thanks guys.

[White Cloud]

10 hours ago, mcnach said:

I'm supposed to be working on a grant so that I have a job next year, but I decided to make another coffee and distract myself a little and tell you all a story. Grab a mug, it's still warm.

Last August, I bought my girlfriend a bass. She's a beginner, but very much into bass. She already had a bass, but there were a number of things she didn't like enough about it. She of course has tried all of mine, and she cannot really describe to me what it is she likes... but when she feels it, she knows. I did all I could to that bass to make it play and sound nice, but it was not quite right. 

From time to time she shows me pictures of basses she's seen on shop windows etc. But one day in June she shows me this one. She really liked this one. How do I know she really liked it? Because this time, she went in, and asked to try it, and played with it with other people around! She's extremely shy to play in front of anybody. She first loved the way it looked, but then... it felt great, it was very light and comfy, and she was seriously considering going back to buy it after pay day. 

I didn't show any interest beyond the usual, and didn't ask about the shop but I recognised it. Next opportunity I got, I went to the shop, tried the bass and bought it. Lucky for me, it was not a Wal, but a Squier P/J, Standard range. It was very nice, it just needed to be cleaned up a bit and new strings etc.

She never mentioned the bass again... and I thought I had made a mistake and she really didn't want it that much. Then I smiled "cool, I like this bass, I'll keep it if she doesn't want it!"

Her birthday was in August... and I gave it to her. She cried. I thought I was in trouble... especially when she yelled at me "I hate you!"... but then she laughed. She said she avoided looking into that shop until she got paid, just in case it was gone. After she got paid she went and... no bass. She went inside, looked around... nope, it was sold. She was very disappointed, and kicked herself for having waited... and decided to push it away from her mind because it was upsetting to have found one bass she really liked everything about and she let it pass.

Ok, phew... so she liked the bass.

But she didn't like the strings I put. I put some Rotosounds I had, as she had not tried those, and I figured they would do until she finds the strings she likes... and the search for new strings started seriously. We tried a few on her other bass, but she didn't seem to have much of a preference. However, this bass was different for her.

She has finally decided she knows what strings she wants to try.

Over the past few months I've tried various types on various basses, and she's tested them all, plus I have a few others that I've accumulated in the past couple of years... and she has decided that there was one set of strings that she really really really liked above anything else.

Labella white nylon tapewound strings, which is incidentally my most expensive set. It couldn't be the £11 Warwick red label ones, could it!? 

 

But it was a good choice. What a difference did they make!!! The bass sounded nice before, but she loves it now, and how it plays... and as a result she's playing the thing constantly now.

Strings... so often overlooked, yet so important. 

 

Now I'll have to buy myself another set. I hope she doesn't think of trying the same strings on her other bass now

Forget the strings...what really matter here is that you are a great boyfriend and a thoroughly decent human being.

A very kind and thoughtful act led to a fantastic gift and nice surprise. Everybody likes those!

[mcnach]

8 minutes ago, White Cloud said:

Forget the strings...what really matter here is that you are a great boyfriend and a thoroughly decent human being.

A very kind and thoughtful act led to a fantastic gift and nice surprise. Everybody likes those!

 

I'm sorry, I'm already taken...

(thank you for your kind words... you've just seen a bit of my nice side, I can be a real idiot at times too ... SHE is the great girlfriend and amazing human being, I'm only learning but slowly)

 

[Beer of the Bass]

1 hour ago, mcnach said:

 

Ouch! I guess... not a lot of "I feel like trying a different set of strings just to see what they're like" on the double bass world!

There's a surprising amount of that, but also a lot of people buying and selling lightly used sets while they figure it out.  It turns out that the ones I like (Thomastik Spirocore Medium) are kind of the industry standard for the styles I play, and my first good bass came with a set of them.  I have tried out a few others, but it's always felt a bit pointless as it just confirms that these are my favourites anyway.  

Edited January 8, 2018 by Beer of the Bass

[Lozz196]

Strings really do make a lot of difference, my faves are Rotosound steel rounds, but they don`t last that long. So I`ve been on a quest to getnear with other strings, and I just can`t. Last night the bassist from Anti Pasti had Elites on his Precision and I thought they sounded great. I`ve had them before but didn`t persist with them, however listening to someone else using them I may well return, as apparently their "life" is a bit longer than Rotos.

[FinnDave]

Strings make the most important contribution to the sound and feel of any bass, in my opinion. I have five of my six Precisions set up with D'adarrio chromes, and was perfectly happy until I got a sixth bass from a forum member who had it strung with LaBella flats....so now I am starting the process of restringing them all with LBs as I loved the sound and feel of them as soon as I tried them.

I'm hoping there is a market for lightly used Chromes!

[lownote]

48 minutes ago, Lozz196 said:

Strings really do make a lot of difference,

Scott Devine says he's string indifferent, and who am I to argue with a genius millionaire who's playing makes my hair stand on end.  But IMVHO strings do vary enormously. I can't bear stainless (I know, just saying IMHO, not knocking your HO), but even among nickels and flats there's enormous indifference.  I once had a six and a 5 of different makes.  One loved Overwater strings, the other loved D'Addario , but they sounded all wrong if I swapped the strings over.   

Edited January 8, 2018 by lownote12

[T-Bay]

48 minutes ago, Lozz196 said:

Strings really do make a lot of difference, my faves are Rotosound steel rounds, but they don`t last that long. So I`ve been on a quest to getnear with other strings, and I just can`t. Last night the bassist from Anti Pasti had Elites on his Precision and I thought they sounded great. I`ve had them before but didn`t persist with them, however listening to someone else using them I may well return, as apparently their "life" is a bit longer than Rotos.

Another roto fan here but they don’t last, I get 4-6 weeks before they are tailing off to the point I change them. That is about 20-30 hours playing on average. Not much really.

[TheGreek]

To all the lovers of Tapewound strings...you should be buying Status tapewounds!! Well, if they had any in stock...

(When)They're available in 40s and 45s and are priced at around £16 for a four string set. The medium length are long enough for your typical 34" scale bass even though Rob doesn't advertise them as that - if you ask Dawn she'll confirm that I have bought several sets and that they've been fine. I use them on several of my basses and get loads of positive comments. I think Disgrace of Bass was the last, on Thursday just gone. Nick Smith loved them. 

Now the reason, for those who don't already, to hate me...when I found out they were running low, I, and two other BCers, bought up the last 10 sets they had. I recently sold a fretless with them on and the buyer doesn't want them. I've a few "spare" sets but they're not for sale.

Tonewise, if Leo had fitted these to his basses way back when we may never had steel or nickel strings.

[T-Bay]

28 minutes ago, TheGreek said:

To all the lovers of Tapewound strings...you should be buying Status tapewounds!! Well, if they had any in stock...

(When)They're available in 40s and 45s and are priced at around £16 for a four string set. The medium length are long enough for your typical 34" scale bass even though Rob doesn't advertise them as that - if you ask Dawn she'll confirm that I have bought several sets and that they've been fine. I use them on several of my basses and get loads of positive comments. I think Disgrace of Bass was the last, on Thursday just gone. Nick Smith loved them. 

Now the reason, for those who don't already, to hate me...when I found out they were running low, I, and two other BCers, bought up the last 10 sets they had. I recently sold a fretless with them on and the buyer doesn't want them. I've a few "spare" sets but they're not for sale.

Tonewise, if Leo had fitted these to his basses way back when we may never had steel or nickel strings.

Is that the Hot wire ones sold by Status? Never used flats but looking for some for my new fretless.

Edited January 8, 2018 by T-Bay

[Skybone]

Was the Squier new or second hand?

If it was new, then the strings will have been Fender brand strings. Either 7250m/ml (nickel wound) or 7350m (stainless steel).

If you shop around, you can get them for less than £14 a set.

I really like the 7350's, and they're reasonably priced, sound good and last well.

[TheGreek]

1 hour ago, T-Bay said:

Is that the Hot wire ones sold by Status? Never used flats but looking for some for my new fretless.

Just checked and it appears that they have the medium scale in stock - BUY AS MANY AS YOU CAN!! You'll love'em..

[mcnach]

5 hours ago, Beer of the Bass said:

There's a surprising amount of that, but also a lot of people buying and selling lightly used sets while they figure it out.  It turns out that the ones I like (Thomastik Spirocore Medium) are kind of the industry standard for the styles I play, and my first good bass came with a set of them.  I have tried out a few others, but it's always felt a bit pointless as it just confirms that these are my favourites anyway.  

 

oh, of course.

The idea of buying used strings was alien to me before I joined BassChat. Which is a shame, as I went through a period where I was lucky to pay minimal rent and I had a lot of extra cash for toys, and coincided with my wanting to find about strings, and I had LOTS of different strings... all bought new, and many were removed after a few days and stored never to be used again. Eventually I go rid of the whole lot as I did not need so many 'backup' sets...

Then I realised that there was a market for them, and also came across that thing where they were collecting slightly used strings for schools etc... 

what a waste on my side 

 

We could have organised some kind of "used string library" on BassChat to allow people to try different strings for a bit. Even if used, it could be very useful. Although the logistics probably mean it would be too much effort for comparatively little gain unless there were enough people interested... and I think most just use whatever they're used to and rarely stray.

 

If I had a double bass, I think I'd try to brainwash myself into believing my existing strings were the absolute best and that any change would inevitable be doomed and could actually signal the beginning of the end of the universe... £160! Ouch!

[mcnach]

5 hours ago, FinnDave said:

Strings make the most important contribution to the sound and feel of any bass, in my opinion. I have five of my six Precisions set up with D'adarrio chromes, and was perfectly happy until I got a sixth bass from a forum member who had it strung with LaBella flats....so now I am starting the process of restringing them all with LBs as I loved the sound and feel of them as soon as I tried them.

I'm hoping there is a market for lightly used Chromes!

 

It's true... not just the type of string... sometimes even changing the gauge on a given bass just seems to turn it into something else. I used to go for 110-50 or 105-45 but nothing lower... Then I tried a 95-40 set on one of my Jazz basses, and it was like playing a different bass! It felt different and led me to play differently too. Fun to mix things up a bit.

[mcnach]

3 hours ago, TheGreek said:

To all the lovers of Tapewound strings...you should be buying Status tapewounds!! Well, if they had any in stock...

(When)They're available in 40s and 45s and are priced at around £16 for a four string set. The medium length are long enough for your typical 34" scale bass even though Rob doesn't advertise them as that - if you ask Dawn she'll confirm that I have bought several sets and that they've been fine. I use them on several of my basses and get loads of positive comments. I think Disgrace of Bass was the last, on Thursday just gone. Nick Smith loved them. 

Now the reason, for those who don't already, to hate me...when I found out they were running low, I, and two other BCers, bought up the last 10 sets they had. I recently sold a fretless with them on and the buyer doesn't want them. I've a few "spare" sets but they're not for sale.

Tonewise, if Leo had fitted these to his basses way back when we may never had steel or nickel strings.

 

Hmmm. I hope they get them back in stock, I'll keep my eye out for them. The price is good, and I love tapewounds... yet they're all quite different from each other, so I'm curious what these ones will be like. I went off Status strings because I bought my first two sets from them (flats and half-round or whatever they called them), and one of them had a terribly dull string, very imbalanced compared to the others in the set. Something was wrong. I contacted them but they ignored me... so I saw no reason to go back. Maybe I was unlucky. I hope I'm luckier next time.

[mcnach]

1 hour ago, TheGreek said:

Just checked and it appears that they have the medium scale in stock - BUY AS MANY AS YOU CAN!! You'll love'em..

 

where? Their website says only roundwounds available...

 

edit: oh... going through the menu it says otherwise...

medium scale you say? For a 4 in-line Fender style instrument ok? Hmm.... their info says to use the long scale for 34-35" standard basses, and they do not have tapewounds on long scale. 

Edited January 8, 2018 by mcnach

[drTStingray]

12 hours ago, chris_b said:

I've just been asked if TI flats can be strung through the body?

Does anyone know?

I've had the same set of TI flats on my Stingray Classic, strung through the body for about two years now.

I believe they would have fitted a 4 in line bass - doesn't Pino use them and the CS Pino Precision come fitted with them (not strung through but surely only needing a short amount extra of string?). 

Nice story btw McNach - glad it worked out!! 

Has she not played one of your Stingrays yet or did you hide them for fear of getting a bigger present bill 😂

Edited January 9, 2018 by drTStingray

[SH73]

On my latest bass, well it's not mine, yet, there's a set of flats with only  inner core of strings touching the bridge saddle. The strings are over 30 years old and not sure if the strings meant to be like that or they have been worn out. 

[Chris2112]

17 hours ago, Cuzzie said:

She is a quality lady, those strings are great.

I have expensive taste too and have a thirst for DR DDTs, to me they are great

I use DR DDT .40's. I would never have thought to try them out as they're primarily meant for detuning, (drop down tuning, hence the name, for anyone that doesn't know). I tried them after seeing that Jeff Berlin used them and I've always liked a lighter gauge string. They're absolutely excellent, great tone and a very good feel and response. I don't detune them at all. They're worth the cash. 

Price isn't everything. Elites are cheap, as strings go, but they're really good. I've tried some expensive strings that were awful - Steve Harris Roto flats come to mind. flipping horrible strings! 

[mcnach]

38 minutes ago, drTStingray said:

 

Has she not played one of your Stingrays yet or did you hide them for fear of getting a bigger present bill 😂

 

She has, but she doesn't like the necks that much. I know, I know, I considered breaking up with her, but nobody is perfect

[thepurpleblob]

I've never been hugely fussed - except I know I don't like Rotosounds. They have a really corse finish that puts shivers up my spine. Not in a good way!!

I've been using SIT strings for a while and get on well with those. They're a bit tricky to get in the UK though.