5 String Players: String question

[T. Alan Smith]

I've been using Ken Smith SS taper rounds on my 'Ray5 and am diggin' 'em quite a bit.
Before that, I used Dean Markley SS taper rounds, and liked them just as much.
I think I might prefer the sound & feel of the Smiths. I go for more "piano tone" than the dubby thump many players seem to be satisfied with. The Smiths seem to be holding their sound very well. I'm really liking the more growly sound of them.

[ezstep]

I currently have Dean Markley Will Lee's on my five-stringers.

Before that, I used D'Addario XL's and had no problem with them. The Will Lee's are tapered and the core only sits on the bridge (not the windings). They seem to sustain a bit longer.

I have heard good things about the nanowebs, too.

[superiorparts]

i use dr marcus miller fat beams on my stingray 5. they are the only ones that i have bought in the last six or seven years.

when they start to get dead sounding, i soak them in denatured alcohol for about 24 hours. it cleans them up real good and they sound new again. i used to boil them but the denatured alcohol works a lot better.

[bleepo]

I currently have Dean Markley Will Lee's on my five-stringers. Before that, I used D'Addario XL's and had no problem with them. The Will Lee's are tapered and the core only sits on the bridge (not the windings). They seem to sustain a bit longer. I have heard good things about the nanowebs, too.

They are my sting of choice as well.

[Detox]

I strung my Corvette Std. with Sadowsky flats. Took the ice-pick tone away instantly. I love 'em.

 

Dunno if these strings are being made any more, I don't change mine very often. They were bought/installed in '05.

[georgestrings]

Boomer mediums on all my 4s and 5s...



- georgestrings

[bassman1956]

GHS pressure-wound.

[venturawest]

Went with the DR Low Riders (didn't want the Hi-Beam super-brightness) after i got frustrated with how dead the SR5 sounded at last night's gig.

Just put them on. Gig tonight. Will report back.

Thanks for the advice, all!

[Hotblack]

Another vote for DR's. I use the Lo-Riders and the High Beams.

If you want to go flats, go with Thomastik Infeld.

[jasper383]

I currently have Sadowsky Flats 40-120T on my Gary Willis Ibanez fretless 5 string and Stingray 5 basses. They sound a lot like Chromes, but are not as high tensioned.

[Hopi]

I rotate between DR Black Beauties and Elixir Nanowebs on my Schecter Studio 5. Both tend to look like {censored} after heavy playing (I play slap/fingerstyle on that badboy), but they both retain their "new" sound for quite awhile.

[wades_keys]

Have you tried Elixer nanowebs? People seem to either love 'em or hate them. They are just a tad less bright at first but last forever. Expensive upfront, cheap as hell in the long run. Knuckle's Circle K strings might be just the ticket you are looking for as well. Hybrid formula that starts off slightly less bright than steels but is supposed to last much longer.

 

That wasn't my experience: after a month I had little tendrils (the coating) dangling off of every string.

 

I don't play with a pick either.

 

I wanted to like those strings, but they just don't hold up for me.

 

The DR Black Beauties have been far more durable, though the coating does add a little something to the tone....

 

Also I got a LOT of fret chatter with the elixir's after the coating wore off, which made them unusable to me after about a month.

[SunofNothing]

that this hasn't turned into a "respond and not read anyone else's posts" type thread. We've seen where someone asks an easy question and tons of people respond and may not really even answer the original question, they just care about what they use. I think in the bass forum we have more respect for one another.

[rpsands]

I'm about to switch to the double ball musicians friend brand steinberger strings

Just had an outdoor gig last night and sweated all over my strings for 3 hours.

[In Absentia]

I'm using a Stingray 5HH and I use DR Low Riders. I can't remember the gauge offhand, but they were the size that Stingrays are usually setup with.

[funkrockfreedomfighter]

You should try a set of Elixir nanoweb's, unless you use a pick. They work exactly as advertised for me. They don't have the new string zinginess, maintain a stable and very good tone nearly forever, and won't die unless the coating finally wears off. I've had sets on for over a year or more, and they still sound lively and solid. Heavy gigging would wear the coating a little faster, but the tone stability is totally unbeatable IME.

 

 

+1

 

If they play anything like the 4 string set, you'll find they are never too bright or too dull.

[venturawest]

So, the DR LowRiders came off pretty well last night. The sounded good - even our soundguy, who was the former bass player in the band, commented that my SR5 sounded "fatter" and "thicker" than usual, and it wasn't too bright or treble-y in my ears, which was great.

However, i didn't really like the "feel" all that much. With the previous EB slinky set (130 gauge), the strings were so, i don't know what the word is, almost *slick* - that your fingers just glided along the fretboard, which was phenomenal up and down the neck. I used to say that the SR5 was the easiest bass I'd ever played in my life, so smooth that it practically played itself. With the new strings, my fingers almost felt stuck to the strings, like they were getting caught on something. It was fine, after I got used to it, but I definitely felt like I was working harder than usual.

In any event, I'm going to go with them for a while, and we'll see how it goes. Thanks to all for the advice and suggestions!!

[bassred]

 

Have you tried Elixer nanowebs? People seem to either love 'em or hate them. They are just a tad less bright at first but last forever. Expensive upfront, cheap as hell in the long run. Knuckle's Circle K strings might be just the ticket you are looking for as well. Hybrid formula that starts off slightly less bright than steels but is supposed to last much longer.

 

I love my elixirs. I've got a set on that's been on for over a year. I have played with a pick for some of my sub-in gigs, so they are a little hairy. As much as I can 'see' that they should be replaced, they sound great!

 

I may use the $$ from the sub gig to get a new set, but I may not put them on right away

 

I use elixirs for every axe I own, they should give me an endorsement deal!

[hawkhuff]

I have GHS boomers on my 5er now.

Me too.

[wades_keys]

Me too.

Never did care for the sound of the GHS strings...very metallic at first and then they seem to get a dull tone quickly.

Plus, within a one year period of time I broke 4 GHS strings: I've never broken a bass string before or since...

[Rowka]

 

However, i didn't really like the "feel" all that much. With the previous EB slinky set (130 gauge), the strings were so, i don't know what the word is, almost *slick* - that your fingers just glided along the fretboard, which was phenomenal up and down the neck. I used to say that the SR5 was the easiest bass I'd ever played in my life, so smooth that it practically played itself. With the new strings, my fingers almost felt stuck to the strings, like they were getting caught on something. It was fine, after I got used to it, but I definitely felt like I was working harder than usual.

 

 

 

That's the stainless steel.

EB strings are nickel. Next time try the DR Low Rider Nickel. Should feel better.

[chubrocker]

When I had my 5er, DR all the way!

[BottomHeavyKate]

However, i didn't really like the "feel" all that much. With the previous EB slinky set (130 gauge), the strings were so, i don't know what the word is, almost *slick* - that your fingers just glided along the fretboard, which was phenomenal up and down the neck. I used to say that the SR5 was the easiest bass I'd ever played in my life, so smooth that it practically played itself. With the new strings, my fingers almost felt stuck to the strings, like they were getting caught on something. It was fine, after I got used to it, but I definitely felt like I was working harder than usual.

 

 

That is probably the only reason I won't use steel strings. It really throws me off to have that much....it's almost like traction.....when playing.

 

this thread has me thinking though that I should really start trying different types of strings.

[Kingmaker]

I'm using a set of D'addario chromes. I like flatwounds specifically because they kill much of the brightness and string noise. Every once-in-a-while I get a hankering for roundwounds but when I string them up, the string noise annoys the hell out of me.

Ernie Ball strings sound great but die fast, as you've observed. I noted that as well. D'addario nickels might be something you'd consider or even half-rounds.

[Deville]

I use DR Black Beauties.
For someone who doesn't do it for a living, I'm a fairly heavy gigger (average 2 shows a week)
The BB's seem to last for several months before becoming annoyingly dead sounding. I've never had tuning stability problems with them before, and I dig the tone.

I usually use the .125 - .045 set, but today I bought the .120 - .040 set. What kind of effect do you think this will have? From what I've read, it seems I should be most concerned about the B string. Will it be floppy? Anything else? Sorry for hijacking.