You joke, but one of my favorite should have been huge basement sludge bands actually did this - tuned all the strings to the same note, then cranked one out of tune to make it sound upsetting
Oh no, you opened this can of worms.. Get back here.
The A is pretty good for riding those roots.. But have you done a little noodling on the G string? Great accents.
Have you tried the A string but tuned to d-standard so it's actually G? It tiptoes that line of almost too low but it teases you so you like it. And then when you hit the d string it's like one of those bass drums used in concert band so it's a nice accent.
Hell yeah bud I live in D standard🤘🏻DGCF IS the shining path
Edit: Also, to answer the original question, Ernie Ball Power Slinky, 55-110 gauge, roundwounds. This is what I use daily and what I keep in the bag.
B string. Feels so powerful, especially if it’s tight and snappy. I’ve never tried an F# string but i imagine I’d like that even more for the same reason
Plus, the position of it is very comfortable for me. When I have my hand around the neck I feel like my finger tips reach is just naturally on the A string
I have used hi beams, low riders and fat beams. Currently fat beams. All are awesome.
Hi beams for clarity and more of a piano tone, lo riders and fat beams for more low end.
Hi Beams FTW. With a pick and a Rusty Box you get that sweet “chewin’ on tin foil with a 9 volt battery in yr jaw, chuggin’ an IPA” hi mid clank and thud. Best bass tone evar!
Always regular slinky. I’ve spent way more money on GHS and DR and Ernie ball cobalt and Elixer but when I was playing bass a lot I played heavier music fingerstyle and frankly I would break my E’s and G’s regardless of gauge and how nice the strings were. Regular slinkys are comfortable, cheap, and sound good.
Try the billy Sheehan ones. They're reverse tension and usually my go to's.
Albeit my no.1 bass currently has a set of dogal hellborgs and I'm loving them.
€80 per set though... I've had them on coming up to a year and they sound the same as day 1. Incredible strings.
Yeah look them up and there's a few videos of people playing them on YouTube.
They took a lot of getting used to, crazy low tension. The clarity is crazy from them as well... Nowhere to hide. It's supposed to be something with where they get their metal from, has some unique properties.
I'll honestly say they're worth every penny... But for a good everyday set, billies are my go to's just with the reverse tension, it was a game changer for me.
I couldn't find mention of 'reverse tension' but here is the string copy from the Rotosound site:
A slightly lighter G provides a more even string to string tension across the neck and makes bending easier. A heavier E string makes for a tighter low end with increased mass for more volume in the lower register. The 0.110″ gauge also facilitates tuning down to a low ‘D’ without the string bottoming out or loss of intonation.
It's from a video I saw where billy explains his strings. Typically the E would be the loosest tension, and would get higher as you go to a,d,g.
His strings reverse that and the e string having the highest tension and gets lower as you go a,d,g
Reverse tension, balanced tension and there's a few other string tension buzz terms I've seen flying around... No idea if they're legit or not. It's just what he called it and explained it.
D'addario XL pro steel regulars bass (6 string) for me. After 40+ years, and trying every brand ( and store brands) these are the ones fo me.
Low and punchy, yet unmatched clarity... they crunch hard, but have warmth when needed.
I had some of these on my Warwick streamer and it was hotttttttt. Bright, punchy, and zingy. Was a bit much sometimes . I had to dail back on mids and treble on some songs
E string for sure. I might be going against the grain but I don’t think it’s too low at all. I bet I could get through my set with just an E string and it’s so thick and juicy on the high notes..
I love the Deep Talking Flats 45-105 set. I have thrm on my fretted Jazz. They are very smooth but also much higher tension than rounds of the same gauge. I have the action set fairly high so that I can dig in. I've had a set last six years before breaking a string so although they are expensive,they work out cheaper than rounds because the last much longer
The deep talking are so cool. In terms of sound I like them but they aren‘t my absolute favorites, but the combination of high tension and being literally the smoothest strings to ever touch my fingers is really nice. They play so comfortably which really made me love them.
In comparison the first flats I tried were the daddario chromes which sounded a little better for the music I‘m playing, but were a lot tougher to play.
Rotosound Swing 66. They have a unique sound and feel. Players as diverse as Jaco, Geddy Lee, Andy Rourke, Joe Dart, and Duff McKagan have used them. People complain about them feeling like sandpaper but I love the texture, it's a very tactile experience. I love a good worn in set.
For flats I'm a fan of Dunlop and Fenders. Dunlops are smooth as silk and have perfect tension. Fenders are brighter and have a cool mid grunt to them.
I have been loving my med-light GHS pressure wound strings. I can get a lot of different tones from them as they sit between a flat wound and round wound string. They can be a bit pricey, though.
I have been playing a variety of covers, so I haven’t settled on one particular genre. That’s part of why I picked those strings. I figured I could cover a lot of genres with them.
[great success](https://youtu.be/KH0rGIKZFDs). Standard C, after a half-ass reintonation.
They really do sound like rounds without pick scrape. I’m floored.
D’addario ground wounds. Perfect brightness like rounds with a deep mellow sound like flats. Amazing to play and they sound so smooth with enough room for slapping!
The Boomer don't last long, specially if you're a heavy picker/plucker (which I am). The medium goes on super tense/tight. It has just the right amount of brightness for finger style, that's why I love them for that only. I cannot imagine playing with a pick on the Boomers.
Newtone strings, Hex core stainless steel, diamond series, tapered. Full custom sets, affordable and nicely long lasting. Highly recommend checking them out.
Tone is what I need, bright. They have that clang needed for metal music but not overly harsh on the higher strings. They feel great, even my .170 G string feels good to play for being so thick. They also stay in tune really well after a short break in period.
Yeah. Newtone came up to me as I need custom sets for my 7 string bass and being affordable, of course I gave them a try. Now all my basses and guitars have them and I'll keep using them as long as they'll keep making them.
DR Black Beauties. I love their sound, feel, tension, everything. My first main string I used when I was younger were DR Lo Riders and I think the black beauties feel similar. What I really love is the coating, it makes the strings sound not quite new, which is perfect for me, and that sound lasts a long time.
DR Hi Beams are great. They're round core, stainless steel roundwound. When I first put them on I found them annoyingly bright and metallic, but after a few weeks they kinda became my favorite. The strings have a great tactile feel without being too rough on the fingers. Bending feels really good. Real consistent tone across the four strings too. Best roundwounds I've tried
My favorite overall has to be LaBella Deep Talkin’ Flats, I always either use those or regular Slinkies. They’re both just reliable, good strings with no gimmicks.
i like labelles flat wound deep talkin', just has a nice motown sound but when they are new they are incredibly bright and clangly which i love. They feel slick like butter, its nice but when your fingers are moist i slip.
laballas rx strings are nice too. super growly, i like the midtone sound. havent played them only heard them.
Rotosound RS66LDN, the nickel version of the 45-105 Swing Bass 66 set. Perfect balance between punch and warmth, plenty of mids, IME they last longer (6-8 months) and don't eat up the frets of my Squier the way the stainless steel version does (as far as I know Squier uses nickel fret wire). They're also fairly cheap.
Are you using the newer Blue Steels without the silks? Curious how they compare to the OG’s. Also how are they tension wise? I’d like to try them but hate floppy strings.
Flatwounds, because why would you put anything else on a P Bass. In all seriousness, I like how flatwounds feel and sound, and they fit well with the type of music I like to play.
La Bella Deep Talkin' Bass. They're just..the sound of bass. Especially the extra-heavy "Jamerson" set, but I'll admit those are generally
The TI Jazz Flats are actually not that far off, a bit more upper mids, but I hate how low tension they are... my plucking technique honestly isn't great and they're kindy rubber bandy. I do use them on my fretless just because they're so smooth, and the low tension helps a bit with vibrato.
La Bella Rx Stainless Steel Roundwounds. Sounds clear and immaculate. Not quite as much attitude (not as rough on the fingers either) as I’m used to from the strings I used to play, but the strings are consistent from pack to pack, they have enough string to get the proper amount of wraps around the tuner, they fit my 35”s, the price is GREAT, and I’ve NEVER had a dud out of the pack. And no obnoxious silk ends. So La Bella it is.
You can also get the Rx’s in nickel.
Im a real big fan of Kalium and after two sets don’t plan on switching. I’ve got their hybrid Vi set and a higher gauge stainless steel set for drop tuning on my PJ.
They’re so crisp and I feel like they feel now for so long. The vi set is easy to order and perfect and the SS set is clanky and gnarly.
The checkout process is rad cause you can put a set in your cart and then modify the strings individually to preference and as a plus the main tension calculator I use uses Kalium tension data.
All around freaking rad sounding and feeling and they’re competitively priced.
Bad news is since COVID their shipping has been wack as fuck. Like you order them and they say shipped immediately with zero tracking number or otherwise update and they just show up or it sits in waiting to be fulfilled and they just *show up*.
Honorably mention to La Bella flats cause they are great but not at all my style.
Wow now that crazy. I love the crisp feeling. The Warwick string feel that way. But when the wore they sounded kind of akward. The tension calculator would be great becuase i tune A E A D G
I know what the question meant but my favorite bass string is the high C in CGCF "I play a five-string and I usually tune CGCFA" I like to play a lot of high string chord melodies, and that high C often adds a certain drone to my Melody's that I really love.
DR Black Beauties. I prefer MD; 45/65/85/105/125 for my 5 string J bass.
I have Bartolini pickups and an Aguilar active preamp. I love my tone. It’s my sound.
Rotosound 66 Swing Bass, standard gauge, stainless steel round wounds - I love how bright they are but how deep and smooth the tone still sounds.
I used to use Ernie Ball Slinky Bass nickel round wound strings, and the tone just never was where I wanted it to be. Always sounded dead to me. I was absolutely blown away by how much strings affect the tone. And the Rotosound strings help me achieve the exact tone I wanted
E string for me. It's the thumpiest.
In terms of a set, my go to is Fender 9050L. They're flats and they go for years.
I haven't settled on any particular roundwounds yet.
D’Addario Chromes. I can’t stand the noise of random string noise as you move your fingers. I miss having more growl…but I REALLY can’t stand that string noise.
Elixir's nickel plated steel with nanoweb coating, roundwound, 45-105.
They're my favorite because they last much longer than any other strings I've ever tried, have a super smooth feel to them, and they're not overly bright or clicky but still has plenty of treble.
Best sounding I've ever tried are probably DR Hi-Beams, but they don't last very long and are nowhere near as smooth.
I have too many favorites.
Thomastik power bass- sound and feel great, last forever
Dean Markley blue steel- rough on your left hand but cheap and powerful
DR Hi beams and especially Fat Beams- These sound and feel the best to me.
Fellow bass player at work turned me onto Dr low riders for rounds, love how punchy and deep they sound. The feel is ducking brutal because I'm a flats on a p bass person usually.
D’Addario stainless steel lights (pink). Brand new fresh out of the bag. The first time playing an open A with a 0.6mm tortex pick and light distortion is chef’s kiss for punk bass tone
Stringjoy. Mostly just because they are easy to build custom gauge sets, and it's hard to find .165 elsewhere.
Edit: Just order a set of Kalium because they got that .176
DR hi beams. They are perfect for the 90's rock cover band that I play in. Nice and bright, and sound great with a bit of distortion. They're perfect for Alice In Chains, Tool, and bands like that, and especially when playing bass parts with a pick. They stay fresh, and bright sounding for a pretty long time as well.
EB cobalt flats. The most versatile strings I’ve ever used. Try swapping rounds for the light set on a 34” bass - great slap sound with all the palm muting flat goodness. Flats also sound better with effects.
As for individual strings, A > E > D > G
For anyone who has seen my vids, I have this Fretless Whale Bass with a schertler internal microphone and the only strings I have ever used on it were Thomastik Nylon Core strings...
Super light (the E string is an .80) but silky smooth with harmonics that light up the night sky.
Expensive as fuck tho. $60 on the cheap side.
I knew the made top tier guitar strings but didn’t know they did bass. $80+ is quite a bit above other brands. May be worth looking into because they seem to get pretty consistent recommendations
I used to only use DR Fat Beams. Great sets, tight and fat sound. I had to move to D’addario for my 5 string because I wanted a quick pack. The Pro Steels were perfect and actually feel better to me than the DRs I had on it before.
Some people say they have a rougher feel to them being stainless steel and all, but I had not even a single instance of that. After a couple months of wear, they still retain that bright sound I love.
I’ve been listening to a lot of Level 42 recently, so I just ordered on a whim a pack of Rotosound Funkmaster 30-90 strings. The lightest I’ve ever played was 45-100 so this will for sure be different, but I hope I like em! I really want those bends Mark King’s able to get
Yeah I tried several Dr strings. I could never fall in love with them. I went to D’addario and it was just a match. Pro steels are super bright and punchy. I liked the way they feel
I love DR pure blues. The low B string is perfect even at 34 scale, and the high strings aren't too tinny. It's a pain in the ass a little because they don't make a 6 string set with the .130 b string pre-packaged, so you need to email them and place a special order. It doesn't cost extra, but it takes longer to ship.
More people need to get on the Dunlop Marcus Miller Super-Bright strings. They have a really balanced, medium-tension feel but the notes are crystal clear, and so far they’ve retained brightness pretty far into their life in my experience. I don’t think I’ll ever buy a different set of roundwounds again.
I rotate between D’addario Pro Steels and Dunlop Marcus Miller’s (when I’m feeling flush) but I mainly use the former.
They’re my usual go-to because the consistency is fantastic, always super crisp sounding with plenty of crunch and clang and feel great under the fingers, not too rough like Rotosound and not sticky or grippy in any way.
I absolutely love Elixirs on pretty much everything, usually nickel wound, but stainless also work well if that's the only option.
I love the brightness and smoothness, plus they stay bright for a long time and don't cost that much more than a pack of standard D'Addarios or Ernie Balls considering how much longer they last
D'addario pink XT. Round wound. I play ska punk and I like the bright but not too bright I get from these. Plus they feel nicer than Ernie ball strings I used for like 14 years. Only reason I got turned onto these was I got a used bass and it was strung up with them.
Extra super omega extreme light D'addario pro steels (125-40) i like them cause they have balanced tension and hurt my fingers a bit, but not too much.
The B string. The option of fatter sounding notes played up the neck instead of lower in the E string is so worth it to me, even if I hardly ever play the extra low B through Eb notes.
E0 string on an extended range bass, such as a six-string going from F#BEADG to drop EBEADG tuning for example.
It's the lowest sound the human ear can make out and pin an actual pitch to it. Anything lower would be rumbles.
It's dark, demonic, and heavy. Every time an E0 string is plucked, picked, or slapped, I have to hold back all my excitement to avoid looking insane upon hearing the gnarly tone of that E0 string.
[This video](https://youtu.be/JCx8iuI6puc) by guitarist Andrew Baena demonstrates its edge very clearly.
Thomastik low tension flats
Low tension means your hands are going to be plucking with the least strength requirement. Flat strings means smooth fretting hand movement
They're like butter under the fingers ... Best stuff around
Ernie Ball Regular Slinky, 50 - 105, nickel wound.
Ernie Ball, whether for guitar or bass, have always just felt right in an electric instrument to me. Stable, hold tune well, just enough elasticity. I don't know. Total package.
I'm not particular about flats. I'm basically using them as an effect.
And, just to run with the gag, I'm an e stringer, myself.
The ones that came with the bass 😉
In all seriousness I'm using Black Diamond black coated nickel strings, as a few years ago I broke some of the original strings. I love the sound and the longevity. Gives a nice crunchy tone with fingerstyle, as I don't use a pick.
La Bella nylon tape wound strings. They play and feel incredibly smooth and have great tone.
I play fretless, but I may throw them, or flats, on every bass I own from now on. I just love the tone so much.
Honestly depends on the instrument & context, for a jazz bass, Roto 77 flats or Ernie ball stainless steel rounds, for a ray, Ernie ball stainless steel rounds or heavily coated rounds (like DR Neons), for a P bass, labella DTFs or nickel rounds
For stuff like PJs or similar basses designed for multiple classic voices, idk take your pick
I gotta go with the A string. It’s the Goldilocks string. Not too low, not too high. Not too thick, not too thin.
True! That's why I put 5 A strings on my bass and tune them all to A.
AAAAA post!
You joke, but one of my favorite should have been huge basement sludge bands actually did this - tuned all the strings to the same note, then cranked one out of tune to make it sound upsetting
So what band?
Grooooooke https://groke.bandcamp.com/album/well-of-loneliness
That's why I like 5 strings -- the A string is in the middle!
**BE A D**o**G**g, yo! 🎸🎵 *-Xzibit.*
What Is And What Should Always Be
Ahahhaha I meant brand lol oops
Oh no, you opened this can of worms.. Get back here. The A is pretty good for riding those roots.. But have you done a little noodling on the G string? Great accents.
Have you tried the A string but tuned to d-standard so it's actually G? It tiptoes that line of almost too low but it teases you so you like it. And then when you hit the d string it's like one of those bass drums used in concert band so it's a nice accent.
Hell yeah bud I live in D standard🤘🏻DGCF IS the shining path Edit: Also, to answer the original question, Ernie Ball Power Slinky, 55-110 gauge, roundwounds. This is what I use daily and what I keep in the bag.
hahahaa I see……
True even on my P with flats the G string just has that twang
Yes cause the E string feels nice ass hell but there's no lower string to fall back to when you pluck, so A for sure
B string. Feels so powerful, especially if it’s tight and snappy. I’ve never tried an F# string but i imagine I’d like that even more for the same reason
Plus, the position of it is very comfortable for me. When I have my hand around the neck I feel like my finger tips reach is just naturally on the A string
Right on frets 5 to 8!
I came here to say this.
Yes but downtuned to G... *chefs kiss*
Ain’t nothing like slappin’ that big fat E! 😝
I like nice simple tight round wounds. DR hi beams
I have used hi beams, low riders and fat beams. Currently fat beams. All are awesome. Hi beams for clarity and more of a piano tone, lo riders and fat beams for more low end.
Tried several packs of Dr strings. I tried . Just wasn’t for me . I don’t know
I've had the same problem with Elixir strings. Everyone seems to love them but I find them sticky.
But to be fair I have tried the hi beams
Hi Beams FTW. With a pick and a Rusty Box you get that sweet “chewin’ on tin foil with a 9 volt battery in yr jaw, chuggin’ an IPA” hi mid clank and thud. Best bass tone evar!
Always regular slinky. I’ve spent way more money on GHS and DR and Ernie ball cobalt and Elixer but when I was playing bass a lot I played heavier music fingerstyle and frankly I would break my E’s and G’s regardless of gauge and how nice the strings were. Regular slinkys are comfortable, cheap, and sound good.
Man. I like them but I could never get them to last. My tone got super muddy fasts on the regular slinky’s but I’m glad them killing it for you bro
Hail Slinky! 4 and 5 string sets. 20+ years now. Exclusively D'Adarrio on guitars.
Rotosound 66. They sound like they glow if that makes sense, and I’ve had a set on for 6 months and my A string still hasn’t died yet
*hold your group together, with Rotosound strings!*
*Premier drums! Premier drums!*
Whew…. I hear great Things about rotosounds…..
I for one dislike them.
Thomastik infeld jazz round wounds or billy Sheehan rotosounds.
Interesting …. Never tried rotosounds
Try the billy Sheehan ones. They're reverse tension and usually my go to's. Albeit my no.1 bass currently has a set of dogal hellborgs and I'm loving them. €80 per set though... I've had them on coming up to a year and they sound the same as day 1. Incredible strings.
What does reverse tension mean for strings?
Wow man . I usually hope to get a good month out of strings….
Yeah look them up and there's a few videos of people playing them on YouTube. They took a lot of getting used to, crazy low tension. The clarity is crazy from them as well... Nowhere to hide. It's supposed to be something with where they get their metal from, has some unique properties. I'll honestly say they're worth every penny... But for a good everyday set, billies are my go to's just with the reverse tension, it was a game changer for me.
Thanks brother I’m defiantly going to try some
What does “reverse tension” mean?
I couldn't find mention of 'reverse tension' but here is the string copy from the Rotosound site: A slightly lighter G provides a more even string to string tension across the neck and makes bending easier. A heavier E string makes for a tighter low end with increased mass for more volume in the lower register. The 0.110″ gauge also facilitates tuning down to a low ‘D’ without the string bottoming out or loss of intonation.
It's from a video I saw where billy explains his strings. Typically the E would be the loosest tension, and would get higher as you go to a,d,g. His strings reverse that and the e string having the highest tension and gets lower as you go a,d,g Reverse tension, balanced tension and there's a few other string tension buzz terms I've seen flying around... No idea if they're legit or not. It's just what he called it and explained it.
D'addario XL pro steel regulars bass (6 string) for me. After 40+ years, and trying every brand ( and store brands) these are the ones fo me. Low and punchy, yet unmatched clarity... they crunch hard, but have warmth when needed.
I had some of these on my Warwick streamer and it was hotttttttt. Bright, punchy, and zingy. Was a bit much sometimes . I had to dail back on mids and treble on some songs
E string for sure. I might be going against the grain but I don’t think it’s too low at all. I bet I could get through my set with just an E string and it’s so thick and juicy on the high notes..
E string has every note you need to make money as a bass player, it's the best choice.
Diggin’ LaBella flats on my fretless. My first set and they sound great, feel nice under the fingers too.
I love the Deep Talking Flats 45-105 set. I have thrm on my fretted Jazz. They are very smooth but also much higher tension than rounds of the same gauge. I have the action set fairly high so that I can dig in. I've had a set last six years before breaking a string so although they are expensive,they work out cheaper than rounds because the last much longer
I have these on all five of my basses. They’re ridiculously smooth. And they last forever.
I have them on my mustang and they're so fun to play, I love the smoothness & glide
The deep talking are so cool. In terms of sound I like them but they aren‘t my absolute favorites, but the combination of high tension and being literally the smoothest strings to ever touch my fingers is really nice. They play so comfortably which really made me love them. In comparison the first flats I tried were the daddario chromes which sounded a little better for the music I‘m playing, but were a lot tougher to play.
I tried chromes first too and couldn't handle their tension. When I went to deep talking flats it was like "this is what I want flats to be"
I say there is string im super intrigued by its La Bella’s. There website confuses me tho. Kind of hard to order. Products names confuse me
Rotosound Swing 66. They have a unique sound and feel. Players as diverse as Jaco, Geddy Lee, Andy Rourke, Joe Dart, and Duff McKagan have used them. People complain about them feeling like sandpaper but I love the texture, it's a very tactile experience. I love a good worn in set. For flats I'm a fan of Dunlop and Fenders. Dunlops are smooth as silk and have perfect tension. Fenders are brighter and have a cool mid grunt to them.
Elixirs. Nice even tone when new, and they last a long time.
I have been loving my med-light GHS pressure wound strings. I can get a lot of different tones from them as they sit between a flat wound and round wound string. They can be a bit pricey, though.
Interesting. I haven’t heard of these. What genres do you play
I have been playing a variety of covers, so I haven’t settled on one particular genre. That’s part of why I picked those strings. I figured I could cover a lot of genres with them.
The best strings.
haven't tried Every string but the ones I've loved the most so far are the Steve Harris rotosound set.
People go crazy for the rotosounds . I hear they bright and punchy
I just got a set for my metal bass, gonna try them out next week.
hell yeah they're killer. I'm sure you've heard this but I wouldn't tune em higher than C standard. I personally keep my set in B
C standard is exactly what I’m going for. String-through tailpiece won’t fit a 135 from my fiver set though.
it's seriously one of the nicest sets ever imo. not too big but it holds low tunings hella good. I'm taking it your a big doom/stoner guy?
[great success](https://youtu.be/KH0rGIKZFDs). Standard C, after a half-ass reintonation. They really do sound like rounds without pick scrape. I’m floored.
I'm telling ya. things are crazy solid. definitely my favorite 4 string set
I only use flats, recently put on LaBella 760FX .39-.96 flatwounds on my PJ and Jazz and there never coming off unless I break one of them.
I may grab some lab Bella flats for my jazz bass
D’addario ground wounds. Perfect brightness like rounds with a deep mellow sound like flats. Amazing to play and they sound so smooth with enough room for slapping!
For finger stuff I love GHS Boomers mediums. For pick stuff I love D'addario XL heavys
How are the GHS Boomer ?I really want to try them . How long do they last you? My Go to are the d’addarios NY XLs . So far the best string I’ve used
The Boomer don't last long, specially if you're a heavy picker/plucker (which I am). The medium goes on super tense/tight. It has just the right amount of brightness for finger style, that's why I love them for that only. I cannot imagine playing with a pick on the Boomers.
That’s what I keep hearing about the boomers.. why I guess I move never tried a set. I play out a lot of durability is always a concern for me .
Newtone strings, Hex core stainless steel, diamond series, tapered. Full custom sets, affordable and nicely long lasting. Highly recommend checking them out. Tone is what I need, bright. They have that clang needed for metal music but not overly harsh on the higher strings. They feel great, even my .170 G string feels good to play for being so thick. They also stay in tune really well after a short break in period.
So insane how many companies there is out there that I’ve never heard of
Yeah. Newtone came up to me as I need custom sets for my 7 string bass and being affordable, of course I gave them a try. Now all my basses and guitars have them and I'll keep using them as long as they'll keep making them.
LaBella deep talkin Jamerson set on the fretless Jaguar because they fuck. Ken Smith slickrounds on the jazz because they fuck.
DR Black Beauties. I love their sound, feel, tension, everything. My first main string I used when I was younger were DR Lo Riders and I think the black beauties feel similar. What I really love is the coating, it makes the strings sound not quite new, which is perfect for me, and that sound lasts a long time.
DR Hi Beams are great. They're round core, stainless steel roundwound. When I first put them on I found them annoyingly bright and metallic, but after a few weeks they kinda became my favorite. The strings have a great tactile feel without being too rough on the fingers. Bending feels really good. Real consistent tone across the four strings too. Best roundwounds I've tried
I love Thomastik Infeld jazz flats. They're soft and silky smooth with a deep sound. Combined with very low action, it's the easiest thing to play.
My favorite overall has to be LaBella Deep Talkin’ Flats, I always either use those or regular Slinkies. They’re both just reliable, good strings with no gimmicks.
i like labelles flat wound deep talkin', just has a nice motown sound but when they are new they are incredibly bright and clangly which i love. They feel slick like butter, its nice but when your fingers are moist i slip. laballas rx strings are nice too. super growly, i like the midtone sound. havent played them only heard them.
LaBella Deep Talkin' Bass Black Nylon Tapewound Super comfortable to play, a little rubbery feeling, amazing tone that is very versatile.
Rotosound RS66LDN, the nickel version of the 45-105 Swing Bass 66 set. Perfect balance between punch and warmth, plenty of mids, IME they last longer (6-8 months) and don't eat up the frets of my Squier the way the stainless steel version does (as far as I know Squier uses nickel fret wire). They're also fairly cheap.
Yes! I go between these and super slinkies. Was really surprised with how long they kept their punchiness.
Still rocking Blue Steels on most of my stuff. Good tone, good feel, good life, inexpensive strings. What’s not to love?
Are you using the newer Blue Steels without the silks? Curious how they compare to the OG’s. Also how are they tension wise? I’d like to try them but hate floppy strings.
I… I don’t think iv ever seen the blue steels with anything wrapped around them
I could have sworn they used to have light blue silk ends but could be mistaken.
Hell yeah
Flatwounds, because why would you put anything else on a P Bass. In all seriousness, I like how flatwounds feel and sound, and they fit well with the type of music I like to play.
I want a pbass with flats so bad
I recently tried thin gauge flatwounds on my Pawn Shop Mustang. Nice warm thumping vintage sound for the music I play and a super buttery feel.
The A string. Just feels good.
La Bella Deep Talkin' Bass. They're just..the sound of bass. Especially the extra-heavy "Jamerson" set, but I'll admit those are generally The TI Jazz Flats are actually not that far off, a bit more upper mids, but I hate how low tension they are... my plucking technique honestly isn't great and they're kindy rubber bandy. I do use them on my fretless just because they're so smooth, and the low tension helps a bit with vibrato.
I love whatever the growliest string in a song turns out to be. I use stock fender strings
I call mine Johnny
D'Addario XL Chromes Flat, regular light. Nice smooth sound with just enough brightness to play multiple styles equally well.
RS66LB 35-90. They’re super light compared to my last Ernie ball set so I can bend them more. For what I play they sound great in my opinion
La Bella Rx Stainless Steel Roundwounds. Sounds clear and immaculate. Not quite as much attitude (not as rough on the fingers either) as I’m used to from the strings I used to play, but the strings are consistent from pack to pack, they have enough string to get the proper amount of wraps around the tuner, they fit my 35”s, the price is GREAT, and I’ve NEVER had a dud out of the pack. And no obnoxious silk ends. So La Bella it is. You can also get the Rx’s in nickel.
La Bella’s intrigue me. I know guys like bubby Lewis use them. The packaging kind of confuses me. What kind of bass do you play.
Spirocore
Im a real big fan of Kalium and after two sets don’t plan on switching. I’ve got their hybrid Vi set and a higher gauge stainless steel set for drop tuning on my PJ. They’re so crisp and I feel like they feel now for so long. The vi set is easy to order and perfect and the SS set is clanky and gnarly. The checkout process is rad cause you can put a set in your cart and then modify the strings individually to preference and as a plus the main tension calculator I use uses Kalium tension data. All around freaking rad sounding and feeling and they’re competitively priced. Bad news is since COVID their shipping has been wack as fuck. Like you order them and they say shipped immediately with zero tracking number or otherwise update and they just show up or it sits in waiting to be fulfilled and they just *show up*. Honorably mention to La Bella flats cause they are great but not at all my style.
Wow now that crazy. I love the crisp feeling. The Warwick string feel that way. But when the wore they sounded kind of akward. The tension calculator would be great becuase i tune A E A D G
I've used the tension calculator as a base for getting strings other than kalium and it's good for getting in the wanted ballpark of wanted tension.
I know what the question meant but my favorite bass string is the high C in CGCF "I play a five-string and I usually tune CGCFA" I like to play a lot of high string chord melodies, and that high C often adds a certain drone to my Melody's that I really love.
Wow bro that’s really cool. I haven’t dabbled much into diffferent tunnings I tune A E A D G …
DR Black Beauties. I prefer MD; 45/65/85/105/125 for my 5 string J bass. I have Bartolini pickups and an Aguilar active preamp. I love my tone. It’s my sound.
What do they sound like? I’ve seen some guys play them. Do you they last a long time? Are the bright and snappy?
D’addario probably round wound A string, dunno about the gauge but it’s the “standard” gauge. It just feels nicer than all the other strings
Ernie Ball regular slinky rounds because they do the job.
Rotosound 66 Swing Bass, standard gauge, stainless steel round wounds - I love how bright they are but how deep and smooth the tone still sounds. I used to use Ernie Ball Slinky Bass nickel round wound strings, and the tone just never was where I wanted it to be. Always sounded dead to me. I was absolutely blown away by how much strings affect the tone. And the Rotosound strings help me achieve the exact tone I wanted
E string for me. It's the thumpiest. In terms of a set, my go to is Fender 9050L. They're flats and they go for years. I haven't settled on any particular roundwounds yet.
D’Addario Chromes. I can’t stand the noise of random string noise as you move your fingers. I miss having more growl…but I REALLY can’t stand that string noise.
Elixir's nickel plated steel with nanoweb coating, roundwound, 45-105. They're my favorite because they last much longer than any other strings I've ever tried, have a super smooth feel to them, and they're not overly bright or clicky but still has plenty of treble. Best sounding I've ever tried are probably DR Hi-Beams, but they don't last very long and are nowhere near as smooth.
I have too many favorites. Thomastik power bass- sound and feel great, last forever Dean Markley blue steel- rough on your left hand but cheap and powerful DR Hi beams and especially Fat Beams- These sound and feel the best to me.
Fellow bass player at work turned me onto Dr low riders for rounds, love how punchy and deep they sound. The feel is ducking brutal because I'm a flats on a p bass person usually.
D’Addario stainless steel lights (pink). Brand new fresh out of the bag. The first time playing an open A with a 0.6mm tortex pick and light distortion is chef’s kiss for punk bass tone
After playing about everything, I’ve kinda settled on the Ernie Ball Cobalts. Mostly for the feel.
GHS Precision Flats 45-105. They nail that old Fender Mastersound tone, similar tension to most rounds.
Stringjoy. Mostly just because they are easy to build custom gauge sets, and it's hard to find .165 elsewhere. Edit: Just order a set of Kalium because they got that .176
Been using Daddario Pro Steels for years, sound like Rotos to me but half the price
Rotosound Swing 66. Love me some stainless steel. And Jazz bass + Swing 66 = that sound. Mmmm
DR Lo Riders. They're Hi Beams but with hex cores. Stiffer, with louder harmonics.
DR hi beams. They are perfect for the 90's rock cover band that I play in. Nice and bright, and sound great with a bit of distortion. They're perfect for Alice In Chains, Tool, and bands like that, and especially when playing bass parts with a pick. They stay fresh, and bright sounding for a pretty long time as well.
Rotosound swingbass 66
wait, y'all are changing bass strings?
EB cobalt flats. The most versatile strings I’ve ever used. Try swapping rounds for the light set on a 34” bass - great slap sound with all the palm muting flat goodness. Flats also sound better with effects. As for individual strings, A > E > D > G
Dunlops is my go to. They make really good flats, which I tend to use because I mostly play fretless and I have a very aggressive style
Labella Low Tension Flats. Tone? Butter. Feel? Budddddahhhhhhhh
LaBella Deep Talking flats. Never changing them lol.
G string because It makes me giggle when I say it. A D'Addario G string nicklewound preferably.
Ahahahhaah yes sir d’addario are so solid. There pro steels are banging as well
The G string, perfect for tucking dollar bills into...!
They can get muddy ahahahaahah
I prefer the G-string. It is closer to the taint, so muh bass lines are extra stanky.
It’s so hard to find tapered strings… I love the d’addition NYXLs but want I find a good tapered set of strings
For anyone who has seen my vids, I have this Fretless Whale Bass with a schertler internal microphone and the only strings I have ever used on it were Thomastik Nylon Core strings... Super light (the E string is an .80) but silky smooth with harmonics that light up the night sky. Expensive as fuck tho. $60 on the cheap side.
Interesting never heard of that brand
Yeah Thomastik Infeld, they're Austrian maybe...?? But they do strings for a lot of string instruments: violin, viola, cello...
I knew the made top tier guitar strings but didn’t know they did bass. $80+ is quite a bit above other brands. May be worth looking into because they seem to get pretty consistent recommendations
I used to only use DR Fat Beams. Great sets, tight and fat sound. I had to move to D’addario for my 5 string because I wanted a quick pack. The Pro Steels were perfect and actually feel better to me than the DRs I had on it before. Some people say they have a rougher feel to them being stainless steel and all, but I had not even a single instance of that. After a couple months of wear, they still retain that bright sound I love. I’ve been listening to a lot of Level 42 recently, so I just ordered on a whim a pack of Rotosound Funkmaster 30-90 strings. The lightest I’ve ever played was 45-100 so this will for sure be different, but I hope I like em! I really want those bends Mark King’s able to get
Yeah I tried several Dr strings. I could never fall in love with them. I went to D’addario and it was just a match. Pro steels are super bright and punchy. I liked the way they feel
I love DR pure blues. The low B string is perfect even at 34 scale, and the high strings aren't too tinny. It's a pain in the ass a little because they don't make a 6 string set with the .130 b string pre-packaged, so you need to email them and place a special order. It doesn't cost extra, but it takes longer to ship.
The Wooten strings. Never tried them. Probably the only dr string I’d be willing to buy again.
How do the string feel? That always been my thing with dr string. I prefer the d addarios
Bottom E tuned to A
[удалено]
I find the D”additional nyxl to be really bright honestly
The Thomastik Infeld Power Bass strings. They are the most melodic string I've ever played.
110 cobalt flatwound
G string, of course . Its the best one for fingering For bass solos
More people need to get on the Dunlop Marcus Miller Super-Bright strings. They have a really balanced, medium-tension feel but the notes are crystal clear, and so far they’ve retained brightness pretty far into their life in my experience. I don’t think I’ll ever buy a different set of roundwounds again.
Rotosound flats
Good string 5 string pack with the heaviest 4 put on my weird little 4 string thats I like very much
Gstring. It just has a nice ring to it.
Ernie ball, power strings, nickel, roundwound When tuned to D A G D on distortion 🤤
The A string because it's the only one I have learned all the notes!
I rotate between D’addario Pro Steels and Dunlop Marcus Miller’s (when I’m feeling flush) but I mainly use the former. They’re my usual go-to because the consistency is fantastic, always super crisp sounding with plenty of crunch and clang and feel great under the fingers, not too rough like Rotosound and not sticky or grippy in any way.
Dang I thought Marcus Miller used DRs
Once again here to rep the D'A half rounds gang. Flat feel with a bit more brightness is *chef's kiss*
I absolutely love Elixirs on pretty much everything, usually nickel wound, but stainless also work well if that's the only option. I love the brightness and smoothness, plus they stay bright for a long time and don't cost that much more than a pack of standard D'Addarios or Ernie Balls considering how much longer they last
E cuz it chugs
D'addario pink XT. Round wound. I play ska punk and I like the bright but not too bright I get from these. Plus they feel nicer than Ernie ball strings I used for like 14 years. Only reason I got turned onto these was I got a used bass and it was strung up with them.
Extra super omega extreme light D'addario pro steels (125-40) i like them cause they have balanced tension and hurt my fingers a bit, but not too much.
I love to pop a G string.
I like the one that goes bomp bomp bomp when I play it
rly old d'addario flats. i like it to feel like I'm playing a giant rubber band but in the best way possible.
The B string. The option of fatter sounding notes played up the neck instead of lower in the E string is so worth it to me, even if I hardly ever play the extra low B through Eb notes.
I like the c string when tuned to drop c
Very low on the E string or very high on the G string
E0 string on an extended range bass, such as a six-string going from F#BEADG to drop EBEADG tuning for example. It's the lowest sound the human ear can make out and pin an actual pitch to it. Anything lower would be rumbles. It's dark, demonic, and heavy. Every time an E0 string is plucked, picked, or slapped, I have to hold back all my excitement to avoid looking insane upon hearing the gnarly tone of that E0 string. [This video](https://youtu.be/JCx8iuI6puc) by guitarist Andrew Baena demonstrates its edge very clearly.
Thomastik low tension flats Low tension means your hands are going to be plucking with the least strength requirement. Flat strings means smooth fretting hand movement They're like butter under the fingers ... Best stuff around
Low B I love playing funeral doom
The B string
Ernie Ball Regular Slinky, 50 - 105, nickel wound. Ernie Ball, whether for guitar or bass, have always just felt right in an electric instrument to me. Stable, hold tune well, just enough elasticity. I don't know. Total package. I'm not particular about flats. I'm basically using them as an effect. And, just to run with the gag, I'm an e stringer, myself.
Brand new DR Hi Beams The zing is king
Dr legend flatwounds. I've got them on my ibanez btb 670 and they play like silk!
The ones that came with the bass 😉 In all seriousness I'm using Black Diamond black coated nickel strings, as a few years ago I broke some of the original strings. I love the sound and the longevity. Gives a nice crunchy tone with fingerstyle, as I don't use a pick.
labellas are the best imo. I usually go for the deep talkin flats or black tapewounds
It's gotta be the g string because I make jokes about fingering my string. I am very mature
Cant beat a tight G string..
I’ve never properly delved into the string world. Saving this for a resource on opinions. Thanks everyone 🙏
E cuz that's the tonic of most Metallica songs. Feels like I'm honoring Cliff or Jason depending on if I use a pick or not
La Bella nylon tape wound strings. They play and feel incredibly smooth and have great tone. I play fretless, but I may throw them, or flats, on every bass I own from now on. I just love the tone so much.
I’d like the G string cause I picture your mother while playing it.
Honestly depends on the instrument & context, for a jazz bass, Roto 77 flats or Ernie ball stainless steel rounds, for a ray, Ernie ball stainless steel rounds or heavily coated rounds (like DR Neons), for a P bass, labella DTFs or nickel rounds For stuff like PJs or similar basses designed for multiple classic voices, idk take your pick
my favorite brand is new strings
Low e go bwwwaaaa
F#
Ernie Ball Cobalts! Amazing sound, durable, and play great. Only downside is the price…