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Special Bass Strings?


StratKat

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Been okayin guitar and bass over 30 long years...

 

I used to use the fender nylons in the 70's.

 

Then i used GHS Brite Flats in the 80's.

 

And switched to D'Adario half rounds in the 90's.

 

Past few years ive been using Roto's on my 4 stringer starting with .35's or .40's .

 

Recently i was wondering if anyone made decent quality bass strings in COLORS like gold or black WITHOUT the nylon tube covering or the nylon tape wound around the string?

 

I like the small string guage (XX-Lite) and the color thing is strictly something cosmetic. But i wont sacrifice loosing alot of tone for looks. I have a black Jazz and a natural Jazz.

 

Ive heard that Roto makes black strings, but noone i have met uses them for me to see and feel. And no stores stock them. And the ones ive seen online start with 45 guage. I need lighter guage3s for my wussy guitar fangers!

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YOWZA!

 

That puckered me BUTT bigtime!

 

Not that i wouldnt consider them IF i knew lots of people who had them and knew the intonation on them would stay right after a a year! But with most strings ive used the low E intonation drifts as the string gets worn or old. Actually, it does on all of the strings but the tone and intonation goes south on my low E more than the others.

 

Anyone know a fix for that BTW?

 

Ive been told that it has to do with the string comming out of the body rather than straight through the bridge tail. Any truth?

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YOWZA!


That puckered me BUTT bigtime!


Not that i wouldnt consider them IF i knew lots of people who had them and knew the intonation on them would stay right after a a year! But with most strings ive used the low E intonation drifts as the string gets worn or old. Actually, it does on all of the strings but the tone and intonation goes south on my low E more than the others.


Anyone know a fix for that BTW?

 

 

Start by changing the strings more than once a year. The old-school "conventional wisdom" of leaving your strings on until they rust off doesn't really apply any more.

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True i guess, but since i only do bass gigs maybe three or four times a year thats eats my profit up. I usually boil them in the water/alcohol mix (3:1) and that restores the brightness for a couple sets. And i get by that way.

 

Thanks for the post!

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True i guess, but since i only do bass gigs maybe three or four times a year thats eats my profit up. I usually boil them in the water/alcohol mix (3:1) and that restores the brightness for a couple sets. And i get by that way.


Thanks for the post!

 

So then a $20 set of RotosoundsErnie BallDR should work fine. :)

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Honestly, my opinion on black would be DR Black Beauties. They ARE coated, but you can't really tell they are. A few guys played both of my basses which have them on em, and I personally like them. They're basically DR nickels with a protective (non-nylon) coating on them, and since they're wrapped per coil, then wound, it has more of a nickel-string feel than a coated Elixir string feel.

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With guitar I find that the coating on the DR strings removes a lot of the warmth. The coating basically acts as filter on the strings, and seems to filter out the warmer overtones. I havn't tried them on bass,.

 

I have a set of Black Beauties on my Charvel 4, and do not like them honestly.

 

And to OP, cool you're in Montgomery. :)

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I have a set of Black Beauties on my Charvel 4, and do not like them honestly.


And to OP, cool you're in Montgomery.
:)

 

Yeah, i live in Walden off 105.

 

I play every Sunday at the First United Methodist Church of Conroe at 9:45 (on guitar) for the Contemporary Service as a regular gig (Located on 105 by 3083 intersection).

 

And i do some gigs with Gary Boehm & The Texas BluzCatz as a bassist from time to time.

 

And a bunch of other bands in the area on guitar here and there.

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From what ive seen so far Black Diamond makes black strings. They are regular flatwounds with a nylon tape wrapped around them.

 

And Dr makes the different color strings in black green blue red and yellow. But the colors are mostly on larger guages. Only the black go as low as 40's i think. And i havent tried them yet.

 

Fender makes the black tube nylons. I used to use them ages ago. My opp is that the Fenders feel softest, but have the least tone . The Black Diamonds i used to use a long time ago were fine for bass players that didnt want highs popping strings and things. But the DR's i havent tried.

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Yeah, i live in Walden off 105.


I play every Sunday at the First United Methodist Church of Conroe at 9:45 (on guitar) for the Contemporary Service as a regular gig (Located on 105 by 3083 intersection).


And i do some gigs with Gary Boehm & The Texas BluzCatz as a bassist from time to time.


And a bunch of other bands in the area on guitar here and there.

 

Yeah I went to JH/HS in Conroe, so all my friends lived down there so I know it pretty well.

My gf lives in the Woodlands so we may live up that way someday. Anything north of 105 has my approval! :thu:

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