Bass strings
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Topic: Bass strings
Posted By: progismylife
Subject: Bass strings
Date Posted: October 26 2006 at 06:42
| I have decided it is time to change my bass strings. Its been over a year since I changed my bass strings, and now I have forgot what bass strings i used. So, what is the best type of bass strings. |
Replies:
Posted By: chopper
Date Posted: October 26 2006 at 16:00
|
I personally use roundwounds, normally Rotosound or something similiar, as I find they give the best sound. I have used flatwounds in the past when I wanted to get the McCartney "plinky" sound but I find they go dull quickly. PS - I recommend Fast Fret for dull strings - it's great stuff. |
Posted By: Philéas
Date Posted: October 26 2006 at 18:31
|
You should choose strings which sound like you want them to sound and
play like you want them to play. Choosing strings is a very individual thing,
there's not really any best type of strings, it depends on what one
likes. Personally, I use Elixir strings, as I like their clear tone and their feel (very fast and easy to play, great if you play around much on the fingerboard). |
Posted By: progismylife
Date Posted: October 26 2006 at 18:32
| Also, could you name the price of the strings? (in pounds preferably) |
Posted By: Philéas
Date Posted: October 26 2006 at 18:47
|
The prices also vary greatly, and most expensive isn't necessarily the
best (they might not suit one's personal preferences). One good rule
though is to avoid the very cheapest, as they tend to sound dull and
wear out quickly. I suggest you go to your local music store(s) and check out what kind of strings they have and how much they cost. I suppose you could try out different brands until you find one you feel comfortable with in the store. |
Posted By: progismylife
Date Posted: October 26 2006 at 18:48
| Okay I will go to a music store tomorrow if I can. |
Posted By: Jay440
Date Posted: October 26 2006 at 22:21
|
What kind of Bass do you play? Rotosounds are great, but you've got to watch out with those Stainless-Steel strings: They are raw metal, with no plating/coating on them like a set of GHS, Fender, Ken Smith, Ernie Ball, etc....and they can wear through the frets over time. Another thing to consider is the Gauge of the set of strings..Light, Medium and Heavy. One thing that i especially hate about bass strings is when you buy a set where one string almost immediately loses that sparkling-new sound, and long before the other 3 strings...it's usually the E that goes first.  |
Posted By: progismylife
Date Posted: October 27 2006 at 07:15
| Um what's the difference between the gauges? |
Posted By: progismylife
Date Posted: October 27 2006 at 07:16
| Oh I play a Columbus. Some sort of Fender Jazz Bass rip-off. |
Posted By: chopper
Date Posted: October 27 2006 at 07:32
I hate the sound of brand new strings personally, I prefer it when they're worn in a bit. You can give them a bit of sparkle back by boiling them in water!
|
Jay440 wrote:Posted By: progismylife
Date Posted: October 27 2006 at 09:05
Is there any special way to do this?
|
Posted By: chopper
Date Posted: October 27 2006 at 10:14
Er, boil some water and put them in for a couple of minutes. I think it just gets the dirt and grime out of the strings.
|
Posted By: MajesterX
Date Posted: November 05 2006 at 11:30
The lighter the guage the more loose the string can be to reach a note, such as the E. If you have very light strings, the strings will be "floppy" but not in a bad way, and the strings are very easy to fret BUT the tone is not as good as heavier guage strings and if you play very aggresively lighter strings are too loose. If you love to do string bends or you play lightly you might like lighter strings. Heavier guage strings are tighter but still produce the same note. The tone is good but it's more difficult to fret than lighter strings and if you play hard you might want to look into heavier strings, but be careful because you can't do as many note-bends. I suggest just getting some fender or Ken Smith stainless steel roundwound strings in MEDIUM or STANDARD guage where the E is .105 and the G is .045 (inches). ------------- 
|
Posted By: goose
Date Posted: November 07 2006 at 08:33
| If you ever want to tune lower, light guages aren't going to be very happy. Truth be told I don't care that much what strings I use. Last time I restrung a bass, I bought Fender strings because it was a Fender bass... it's probably more important to replace them regularly than to go for a specific type (not that I do this either, but that's because I have no money..!) |
Posted By: progismylife
Date Posted: November 07 2006 at 13:56
| Is it okay to not change strings for a long amount of time (like I did)? Because money is in short supply. |
Posted By: goose
Date Posted: November 10 2006 at 16:35
| Yes, but they will sound progressively duller as they go on. Unless you play incredibly agressively, you're unlikely to break any for a very long time (mine are possibly years old at this point.) |
Posted By: progismylife
Date Posted: November 10 2006 at 17:22
| I remember when I got my first bass I had a crap tuner, and I snapped one of the strings. So I had to get my brother to buy me some new ones after he got off work. I have never paid him back. Tough luck. |
Posted By: chopper
Date Posted: November 11 2006 at 05:50
My strings last for years and in nearly 30 years of playing I've only ever broken one with some over enthusiastic slapping. Just take them off and boil them once in a while. |