New strings

[isaac42]

Broke another bass string Friday night.

 

Yes, I know, I really should change my strings more often.

 

Anyway, show Friday night, and my E string came off in my hand during the first song. No panic. Grabbed my Carvin 5-string and kept playing. That made the first set a little rough, as I'm simply not as proficient on the 5 as I am on my Ric 4-stringers. For one thing, the strings are closer together on the 5, and it throws me off a bit.

 

Got through the set, and put on a spare E. Wasn't quite balanced with the other strings, but I doubt anyone noticed other than me. No bass issues for the rest of the night.

 

Saturday morning, I went down to one of our local shops to get a new set. I wanted to try one of the relatively new balanced tension sets from d'Addario. This store has recently moved into bigger digs, but the bass string selection doesn't appear to have improved. Only one balanced tension set on the wall. Heck, only one d'Addario set at all. It was the EXL220BT. Very light gauge, 40-55-70-95. Cheap, though, at $12. I'd have preferred a heavier gauge, especially as this band plays down a half step, but at $12 I could take a chance.

 

Put them on, tuned to Eb standard. They feel pretty light. Not at all stiff, but an extra light set, tuned down a half step, what else would you expect? I found myself playing with a lighter touch than usual, which may be a good thing. They sounded good. Well balanced both in feel and tone. The low E was more solid than I expected, probably because it's a little heavier relative to the other strings than a typical set.

 

Bottom line: I like 'em. I think a heavier set would be better for playing down tuned, as we do. Next time, I'll try an EXL170BT set. Maybe these for standard tuning? Worth a try.

[DeepEnd]

Happy New Strings Day. And a bargain too. Sorry to hear your local music emporium isn't any better stocked.

[isaac42]

These were on consignment!

[DeepEnd]

Never seen strings on consignment but they crop up on CraigsList every once in a while.

[WRGKMC]

I use the D'Addario's on my Precision bass. They are bright strings that retain they're tone for a long time. I like then a little thicker, either a 110 on the bottom or 120 max. 95 would be a bit too flabby for me but they're strings are fairly stiff.

 

Cant best the prices on them. The only issue I had with the last couple of sets. I was getting steel splinters under my skin on my right hand picking fingers. Luckily I was able to get rid of the problem using some ultra fine sand paper I use for polishing frets. I ran it over the string and it removed whatever burrs there were.

[isaac42]

Apparently the guy bought a bunch of them, then didn't need them anymore.

[Perfessor]

I use the D'Addario tapewounds and they literally last for years of daily playing. I put on my current set in Jan 2015.

[WRGKMC]

I haven't found a set that will last me more then 6 months. I do allot of recording and I have to be able to get many instruments to match in perfect pitch. Slight microtonal changes in notes as the strings bend to the frets, fret wear, relief changes etc. are magnified many times when mixing instruments so I cant get away with slight pitch variations or dead strings like I can when playing live. Bass is in your face and all those small details stand out.

 

I don't like the way bass strings feel when they get older either. Each fret needs to have the same elasticity when I hold the strings down. What commonly happens is the strings at the 2~7 fret ranges is the get stretched and a tad bent at those frets because I use them the most do they become harder to hold down and get solid notes. Tuning also becomes a problem because on those frets as strings bend and curve over the frets instead of having a straight breakaway angle. They can even buzz more depending on the type and gauge.

 

All of these are small things that you may not normally hear playing through a bass amp, simply because a bass amp and its speaker are voiced low to enhance bass tones. Recording direct you're recording full frequency through flat frequency monitors small variances stand out and become a distraction. You can cover up much of it when mixing but why put a band aid over something if its something that can be corrected.

 

By the way new strings can be just as bothersome. There tends to be more sharp notes when strings are put on. The core is being pulled on which compresses the wrapping making them a bit stiffer/sharper. After working them a bit pushing down at the frets the space and therefore the friction between the wraps equalizes and the tones become truer.