String Preferences?

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Author Message   Peterdryan Username: Peterdryan Registered: 6-2007 Posted on Tuesday, July 03, 2007 - 7:41 am:    I'm a 6-stringer, not a bass player, but I recently ran across an electric bass guitar that I just had to have. I'd like to restring it but I don't know a thing about bass strings: flat vs. round and the like. From what I've read, it pretty much seems to be "pick one string style and dedicate your life to it defending your choice above all others". Other than construction differences, are there any real differences in sound or playability that a rank amatuer would notice? I play for my own pleasure and it's mostly medium to hard rock with the occasional 80s big hair metal tune. I went looking at strings and immediately ran into terminology problems. What's the difference between "scale" and "gauge"? Why are there "long" and "extra long" strings? Aren't all electric bass guitar necks the same length? Nickel vs. stainless? I was kind of half looking at the Rotosound SH77 Steve Harris strings but I am completely ignorant of what I am doing and would like some opinions, please. Thanks, all. - Pete   Gemberbier Username: Gemberbier Registered: 5-2006 Posted on Tuesday, July 03, 2007 - 5:05 pm:    I advice Warwick Red Label stainless steel roundwounds .045"-.105" The best value for money IMO. http://www.thomann.de/de/warwick_red_label_045.htm The stainless steal gives them that funky punch. I have them on my old natural ash Hondo II jazz bass replica (has 2 humbuckers BTW). They really got that baby back alive, because it was stonedead when I bought it with nickel flatwounds. Ginger   Jchester Username: Jchester Registered: 5-2006 Posted on Thursday, July 05, 2007 - 2:13 am:    Pete, Basses come in several scale lengths... Short scale (30"... like Hofners, Danelectros, some Gibson EBs) Long scale (32"... like most basses) & Extra Long scale (33 & 34"... like Ibanez BTB and some other exotics). Just measure it from nut to saddles to see what you have. Gauge is diameter or thickness of the strings... like on a guitar, but bigger... & I agree with Ginger, .045"-.105" (or Light gauge on a Long scale bass). But believe it or not (I had trouble at first... seems counterintuitive) you'll want lighter gauge strings on a Short scale bass. Roundwound vs. Flatwounds depends on how you want it to sound. Flats will give you kind of a dead "thud" sound, like a stand-up double bass or McCartney's Hofner. Roundwounds will "ring" & sustain, like Chris Squire's Ric. I like Elixer coated, light gauge, roundwounds... mostly because they LAST so long, (up to a year's worth of gigging 2-3 times a week) that they're worth the extra price, to me. You're not going to break strings with a bass, like you do with a guitar & being just an occasional 'toy', a set could last you indefinitely! But... knowing what kind of bass you have will help us help you. Besides... the suspense is killing me! John   Peterdryan Username: Peterdryan Registered: 6-2007 Posted on Thursday, July 05, 2007 - 8:59 am:    John - Thank you for clearing all that up for me. My apologies for leaving you hanging, I just didn't think anyone would care what I bought. I found it on GBase. The picture is still up: http://www.gbase.com/Stores/Gear/GearDetails.aspx? Item=1665574 Thanks, again. - Pete   Ibanezfreak1960 Username: Ibanezfreak1960 Registered: 3-2004 Posted on Thursday, July 05, 2007 - 10:18 am:    I use nickel flat wound but mine is fretless. I've never done a sound comparison test with nickel verses stainless but I do know that some players hands sweat more than others and stainless steel won't be as effected by it like nickel wounds are. I had a friend who sweated all over his strings and they would rust in a day. I recomended stainless and he tried it and has been using them ever since.   Guitartim Username: Guitartim Registered: 4-2001 Posted on Thursday, July 05, 2007 - 10:32 am:    Correction...These are the most typical scale/lengths for basses: Short Scale= 32"...(A few 4 string basses use this as CJester noted. It is a good length for guitarists who are transitioning to bass. There are even some shorter scale basses, but they are usually called 'Piccolo' scale) Regular Scale=34"...(Most 4 string basses use this length) Long Scale=35"...(The preferred length for 5 string basses for a more tight low 'B' string)   Peterdryan Username: Peterdryan Registered: 6-2007 Posted on Thursday, July 05, 2007 - 12:55 pm:    John - Glad you told me about measuring. From the nut to the front of the bridge is 33", to the center of the bridge is about 33.75". Do different string manufacturers use different lengths for the same scales? For instance, is 33" a regular scale to one manufacturer and an extra long scale to another manufacturer? This was really helpful. Thanks, all. - Pete   Peterdryan Username: Peterdryan Registered: 6-2007 Posted on Thursday, July 05, 2007 - 1:00 pm:    Ibanezfreak1960 - I'm not sure how to ask what I want to ask... Fretted bass vs. fretless, does that matter in string choice? Say I have 2 identical fretted basses with the same strings on each. I then have one bass converted to a fretless fingerboard. Would I want/need to change strings? If so, why? Thanks, - Pete   Ibanezfreak1960 Username: Ibanezfreak1960 Registered: 3-2004 Posted on Thursday, July 05, 2007 - 2:00 pm:    I like the flatwound on the fretless because it gives me smoothe noise free slides up and down the fingerboard. With rounds its a lot more rattled so to speak. I guess thats all a matter of choice that the individual player should make for himself. I previously had rounds on it then somebody gave me a set of flats to try and it flats from then on.   Gemberbier Username: Gemberbier Registered: 5-2006 Posted on Thursday, July 05, 2007 - 5:25 pm:    Flatwounds are better for a fretless board, because roundwounds would damage it. Little by little, bit by bit of course, but still. What's also very suitable for fretless basses are tapewounds. But for a start, I suggest that you try those Red Labels first, because they are really cheap (under 10 euros per set in Germany! I believe I paid 13 euros or so in the Netherlands), if you're satisfied with them, keep them, if not, what do you lose? I still have two 24 Karat Gold Maxima sets (a 6 string set and a 4 string set which I had to assemble, so they were actually an X-tra Lite 4 string set .035-.090, a 5 string set .035-.125 and one single E string .105), waiting until the stainless steel ones need replacement, but that doesn't happen, because I stopped playing the bass some time ago. I'd have to try if I can pick it up again without pain. Anyway, I'm talking about 88 euros of golden strings after discount (because Maxima strings closed down) laying in the drawer. So you bet I have plans with them. But when you're just starting, be carefull spending too much on strings, but don't buy rubbish either. And I assure you the Warwicks are NOT rubbish. They have a very good reputation to defend. Ginger   Peterdryan Username: Peterdryan Registered: 6-2007 Posted on Thursday, July 05, 2007 - 11:11 pm:    Dumb question (OK, OK, another dumb question): As I said when I started this thread, I'm a 6-stringer, not a bass player. With my 6-strings, I leave all of them strung at playable tension even if I don't play the guitar for a month or two. I take them out of their cases occasionally, tune them up if needed, and put them back away. I'll usually have only one or two guitars out that I play regularly for a while and then I get in the mood for something different and change them around. With their longer necks and those huge strings, will that damage a bass guitar? Is it better to loosen the strings on a bass if I don't intend to play it for a while? Thanks (again), - Pete   Ibanezfreak1960 Username: Ibanezfreak1960 Registered: 3-2004 Posted on Friday, July 06, 2007 - 12:04 am:    I have never tuned my guitars down when storing them. In my opinion it's pointless unless you have a problem with it and tuning it up will make it worse. I take them out play them and reset them up when needed but always keep them at the standard tuning.   Jchester Username: Jchester Registered: 5-2006 Posted on Friday, July 06, 2007 - 1:33 am:    Thanks Tim... I stand corrected. As soon as I saw your numbers, I knew that mine were wrong... Hey, it was late. Anyway Pete... so you have this awesome, long scale, '77 Destroyer bass. ($1,650???... NICE toy!) For the music you said you'll likely be playing, I think you'll want roundwounds. To be sure, try some cheap, light gauge .045-.105, (TNT Bass Boomers are both good & relatively cheap) to see how they'll work for you. If you like 'em, then go for the longer lasting Elixers or whatever, after they wear out, in a year or so. (MUCH longer for bass than guitar) btw... the only valid reasons for loosening strings for storage are: 1. a suspect neck/trussrod 2. too many strings... i.e. double-strung instruments, like 12-string guitars or 8+ string basses. An instrument in otherwise good condition can actually be damaged if it doesn't have enough tension on its neck. Don't worry too much about it all... just get into gettin' DOWN... ... it's a whole 'nother way to look at music. (Been there, done that... & I LIKE it!)   Peterdryan Username: Peterdryan Registered: 6-2007 Posted on Friday, July 06, 2007 - 8:45 am:    Jchester - Actually, Rumble Seat was really nice and brought the price down as much as they could after a little haggling. I ended up getting it for $1600, S&H included. He said he couldn't come down any more than that because they paid $1500 for it. It's in *nice* shape. There's a few little nicks in the finish but none down to the wood. The only thing I'm not sure about is whether the rear pickup is supposed to have a cover or if it came that way from the factory. I can't find a reference photo of a pristine version with a close up view of the rear pickup. I've looked at some Ibanez catalogs from '77 that are posted online but, because of the black color of the pickup, the contrast isn't sharp enough to see details when the image is enlarged. I'm currently looking at a RR Sr bass that looks like it has the exact same pickup combination and it is also "missing" the rear pickup cover. Any ideas? Thanks, - Pete   Guitartim Username: Guitartim Registered: 4-2001 Posted on Friday, July 06, 2007 - 10:19 am:    Pete~ You sound like the bass bug has already got you! Bass gas is almost as bad as Guitar gas!! I started fooling around with basses about 10 years ago with 6 basses in and out of the closet! 5 are in current 'rotation'. +1 on the Elixer bass strings. Also you might try Peavey Cirrus strings. A cool side-effect of playing bass is that your guitar playing will likely improve. Fingering and solos are the first to speed up as you switch back to the guitar. Next, you'll feel more of the groove on the bass as you lay the foundation of songs, especially if you play with a band or jam with guitarists. Rumble Seat is a pretty good dealer of used/vintage stuff. That's where I scored a killer AR105. Enjoy your bass...and feel free to keep the questions coming.   Peterdryan Username: Peterdryan Registered: 6-2007 Posted on Friday, July 06, 2007 - 12:11 pm:    *grins sheepishly* OK, Tim, maybe I've been a closet bassist all along and just never new it. I'm also kind of looking at an EDA-900... But that's it! I swear! I can quit any time I want to! My 6-string to bass ratio has to stay at least 2:1 I know! I'll buy more 6-strings... Thanks, - Pete   Tbplayer Username: Tbplayer Registered: 4-2007 Posted on Friday, July 06, 2007 - 2:18 pm:    strings? i've used dean markley blue steels for years. ghs boomers are #2. these are on my pre-ernie ball musicman sabre and my early jay turser stingray copy. labella tape wounds are excellent also. as are roto-sounds. flats on a fretless. absolutely. they were designed for stand-up bassists to go electric. never saw round wound on one of those.   Gemberbier Username: Gemberbier Registered: 5-2006 Posted on Friday, July 06, 2007 - 8:25 pm:    The best protection for your neck/truss rod is to hang the instrument (body down of course). I always use the d'Addario tension chart for tension calculations: http://www.daddariostrings.com/Resources/JDCDAD/im ages/tension_chart.pdf As you can see the tensions of individual bass strings are about 40-50 Lbs. So 4 of them makes 160-200 Lbs, which is indeed quite a lot. Six string basses: 240-300 Lbs, but they have huge laminated necks, often with maple and wenge. Ginger   Peterdryan Username: Peterdryan Registered: 6-2007 Posted on Friday, July 06, 2007 - 8:53 pm:    Thanks for sharing, Ginger. There's some interesting info in there. - Pete   Peterdryan Username: Peterdryan Registered: 6-2007 Posted on Friday, July 06, 2007 - 11:42 pm:    Ginger - How do I tell the scale of the Warwick strings? I found the black/yellow/red label versions online and zoomed in on the packages but I didn't see anything mentioned with regard to string length. The Warwick bass web site didn't mentioned anything, either. The scale was clearly listed on other manufacturers' strings, just not on the Warwick's. Should I *assume*, then, that their strings are all medium scale? Thank you (again), - Pete   Gemberbier Username: Gemberbier Registered: 5-2006 Posted on Saturday, July 07, 2007 - 6:47 am:    Scale is the distance between the nut and the bridge. The string is always much longer. So "normal" bass strings are called "long scale" or just "electric bass strings". If you don't see the word "short scale" or "headless" or "Steinberger", then you may assume that you have long scale bass strings. I must warn you that the black and yellow labels are MUCH more expensive than the red labels. The red labels are computer designed, and they are completely made by robots, which make them that cheap. The Red Label set I have on my Hondo II is product number 42200, 4-string M -.045 -.065 -.085 -.105 Ginger

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