What do you look for when shopping for strings?

[CalDeep]

Hia dudes! 

I'm making some demo videos for Newtone Strings and was curious as to what people look for when looking for strings.

Would you like to hear a mix of styles? Or a specific style for a specific string set? 

Do you want to hear the strings in context of a mix, or just in their own? Would you like to hear them with a pick and drive as well as clean and fingerstyle? 

Any feedback or suggestions would be massively appreciated! 

Stay safe dudes!  

[ezbass]

Same riff played fingerstyle, with a pick and slap, in isolation, side by side. Repeat for different types of bass (P, J, ‘Ray, etc). Then the same again, but in a mix. Cover all the basses - pun intended.

[ahpook]

Plenty of sustained notes, not a 'see how fast I can play' montage.

 

[BlueMoon]

Chords and harmonics are rarely played but add a dimension in assessing "zing" and sustain.

[fretmeister]

On the same bass with the same amp and settings. Zero changes.

Most string demos are a waste of time because of a lack of consistency. 

 

Then after a general play - do 5 second clips to allow A/B between them.

[TheGreek]

I generally only look at string gauge....for me the lighter the better.

I don't watch videos for strings - after all, we all know the tone is in the fingers.

[itu]

I tried strings and tunings for few years when I was young. Then I made a decision to concentrate on SS RW. 30 - 90 was fun, but 40 - 100 is more like me and the music I play. Nowadays I use GHS or D'Addario, because their strings fit my 33.8 - 36" basses. I use the same sets in every bass (4, 5, fretless) to get the same feel and sound possibilities everywhere. No need to do expensive or long lasting trials anymore.

[stewblack]

It's a tough one, considering how differently two players can make  bass sound. I think the only thing you can do to highlight what different strings 'do' is (as has been said) keep absolutely everything the same and play the same thing for each string type. Keep the piece short so that listeners can hear the difference between all the different strings. 

Personally, while I harbour no specific prejudice against the technique, I do roll my eyes and sigh when any bass demo is just a fast barrage of slapping. It seems to me too cluttered when trying to divine subtle differences between the gear on show. 

 

[LeftyJ]

I would like to hear some finger noise  

This may sound odd, but I feel that it gives a fairly good impression of how coarse a string (or the string material) is, and it gives an impression of how forgiving the strings are when your playing technique isn't as refined. I know some strings can sound really scratchy when you move around, because the material "sticks" to your fingers. 

I've been playing Elixirs for so long that I'm no longer used to the more coarse feel of uncoated strings, and there's a sloppiness in my fretting technique that you won't hear with softer coated strings but which is very much present on the Status Hotwires on my headless S2's which require double ball strings. So this is definitely a personal thing, and I must admit there's a bit of laziness involved 

(hey Elixir, how about some double ball Nanowebs? )

[MartinB]

On 14/01/2021 at 18:00, fretmeister said:

On the same bass with the same amp and settings. Zero changes.

Most string demos are a waste of time because of a lack of consistency. 

Then after a general play - do 5 second clips to allow A/B between them.

☝️ This! Short clips with timestamps please, so that we can easily flick between them.
Having a comparison clip of basic mass-market roundwounds (Rotosound, Ernie Ball) would also give a useful idea of how much of the "voice" of the bass and amp we're hearing vs. the strings.

[CalDeep]

Thanks so much for all your feedback guys!!! I've tried to incorporate as much of this as possible into the video. 

One more question. How do we feel about a straight DI sound? Do you like that? Or would you prefer an amp blend? Would you sit through a video twice as long if it gave you both? 

 

[CalDeep]

Hey Guys! 
Heres this finished video. Thanks so much for your feedback, I tried to incorporate it all in as much as possible which keeping it within the brief. I am, unfortunately, a woeful slap player, so I've left that to the experts! If you find it useful, Id massively appreciate a like on YouTube, and any further feedback you have. 

Im new to all this, so thanks for helping me along the way! 

 

[BigRedX]

For me the choice of strings is all about feel. It's personal to me and the same strings can feel different of different basses depending on what happens behind the bridge and the nut. Unfortunately none of that can be captured on video.