LeftyBassist.com

Hey folks, new lefty bassist here.

I've played keyboard for 10+ years but picked up Bass six months ago.

I have a Squier 86 (Japanese built) E-series P bass. I love it, but the strings I bought with it make my fingers bleed if I jump around/slide a lot. They produce an awesome BOOM if I'm strumming one string/note continuously, but otherwise too rough for my weeny keyboard accustomed hands.

Do you guys have any suggestions on what strings to get that are really smooth, easy to jump around on, and easy on the fingers?

thx. Oh and I suppose this is my first post. Hello everyone!

Thomastik JF344 Flatwound Long Scale 4-String Jazz Bass Strings: not cheap (approx. $50) but worth the money-- soft surface, low tension, easy on the fingers, warm tone, great choice (unless your style of music requires a brighter, more agressive tone).

And Welcome!

Awesome, thank you for the suggestion! I've researched said strings and they have gotten near universal approval from bass players. They're expensive, but...I'm investing in my bass over time (perhaps a long time, lol!). But when I'm finished I want to replace the tuners, knobs, pickguard, etc, and make the 86 really shine again on the outside.

Yes, welcome abaord!

And +1 on the flatwounds. The initial expense may not be cheap, but flatwounds last for years. Literally. They break in differently than roundwounds. Flatwounds sound better the more you play them.

The Daddario Chromes are less expensive, (I get them for 24 bucks) and are far more easy to obtain at places like Guitar Center. They have an amazingly smooth surface, and are beautifully made -every bit as well as The Thomastiks. They have a killer initial tone, break in very gradually, have more tension but not too much. The Thomastiks are the new holy grail of flatwounds, and are excellent, BUT- they're TOO LIGHT for many bassists...especially old school players, and standard gauge roundwound users like myself. I also like that they are made HERE in the U.S., buy American, and keep an American working. These strings are on two of my Fenders, my bandmates and I LOVE them!

Flats are a good suggestion, but note that they will give you a different feel/tone that not everyone likes. They're smooth to the touch, but are usually "stickier" feeling and not as easy to slide around on. For roundwounds, the smoothest feeling are easily Elixir Nanowebs, IMO, which are coated strings. (There are other roundwound coated strings out there like Cleartones, but the Elixirs feel/sound the best to my ears). For roughly the price of 1 set of Thomastiks, you could pick up a set of D'Addario Chromes + a set of Elixirs as well to see what you prefer.

Funny that this came up-- I just went through exactly this exercise recently comparing both D'Addario Chromes and Thomastik JF344s on a couple of basses. I was hoping the Chromes would be a good alternative since they are indeed cheaper. I'd agree that Chromes are great for an "old school" player who is used to rounds and "Fender type" flats (which are definitely higher tension than the Chromes). But I'd be careful about comparing them to Thomastiks. The string construction is very different; Thomastiks have a small round core, silk under wrap and soft nickel wrap vs. Chromes larger hex core and string diameter. As a result they don't sound the same, and Thomastiks have quite a bit less tension and are more pliable/flexible, which makes a difference if you haven't developed much finger strength yet; if you're just starting out Thomastiks would be easier to spend extended periods on time practicing on. There's a good thread about this topic over at Talkbass if you want to get some additional opinions...

http://www.talkbass.com/forum/archive/i ... 66305.html

Depending on what strings you're currently using, Chromes may also require adjustment to compensate for increased tension (not a problem if you know how to do a proper set up or having a shop put them on, but as someone who comes across hundreds of basses I'm amazed at how many times the action is near unplayable, and I wonder how many novices give up on playing bass as "too hard" without ever realizing their instrument isn't properly adjusted).

PJ's suggestion about coated roundwounds isn't a bad idea either. I don't really care that much for the sound of any coated strings, but I would also endorse Elixirs as the best choice in that category.

Frankly, strings are one thing we all wish we had access to more information on. It can be surprizing how much they can add to or detract from the personality of a particular instrument in terms of both sound and playability. I still have several basses that I've bought used that I LOVE the strings on but have NO idea what brand of strings they are!! I highly recommend anyone picking up a copy of Bass Player Magazine March 1996 Strings Special Issue (there's usually a copy or two up for sale on ebay)- very helpful reference tool for comparisions of many of the most popular strings.

I agree with what's been said so far. I'm currently using the Elixer nanoweb strings, and for the diverse music genres I play, they allow me to be warm or aggressive, and my fingers slide smoothly. I had a set of Thomastik jazz346's on my bass for a couple of years, but wanted to try something different, and the nano's are a nice change.

I've been wanting to try the Chromes, but can't find the length I need in the local music stores, and haven't gotten around to ordering them online. Have some Fender roundwounds on one of my basses, and I put a set of cheap flatwounds that I bought from Rondo on the 5-string jazz when I purchased it a couple of months back. Haven't played with them enough to form an opinion yet. but they seem adequate.

Bass strings are like fuel additives - they all claim to give you that extra mile-or-two per gallon, and everyone seems to have their favorite, and are constantly trying new ones just to see if they're better! Have fun finding the set you like...

Hey guys. I ultimately decided to pick up some Pyramid Gold flatwounds...man are these strings nice!!!

Yeah you should like the Pyramids. I had them on my Hofners (also used LaBellas), but just the short scale version. And don't worry about country of manufacture, it means nothing. Get what ya like. And best of luck

Good choice. And the best thing about flats is they get better with age and useage!

""They produce an awesome BOOM if I'm strumming one string/note continuously, but otherwise too rough for my weeny keyboard accustomed hands.""


I was not going to chime in but I just keep seeing this and well the same thing keeps coming up for me. Practice and build some calluses on your fingers. It sounds like you possibly really like the tone of round wounds but they are hard on your fingertips? My thoughts are choose your string based on tone and play and practice a ton and eventually you will have “bass player hands”. I’m not saying don’t explore different strings for tone but there are really way more important reasons to choose a string over another and well because it hurts or it feels good I think might be important on some level there are some major things to conceder as well. I think everybody went through and still do keeping the dog’s paw pads on the finger tips. I know I do since I use a pick sometimes and fingers based on what the song needs.
I would suggest a nickel round wound since you liked the tone and that was probably what was on that bass. Steel strings have a “rough” feel as you slide around and snap and bite and also have more tension. I have spent a lot on money and time trying out all kinds of strings and I wish somebody would have asked me some questions first and I think it would have helped me so much.

Round core has more tension that hex core so do you like a still feel if you play hard this might be good or if you tune lower that standard 440 A.
Flats are killer and do feel easy to slide around on but you will still need calluses if you’re going to be doing a couple sets in a night. They also in standard tuning put more tension on your neck and can cause some forward bow so I would suggest if you’re going to use them have an experienced player put them on and let them rest and readjust your neck if needed.

I have settled on DR “Longnecks” myself for most of my basses but they also have a tapered B, E, and A string. There are basses that like tapered core strings because they fit in the bridge and don’t need to be smashed to fit for say a Spector or Warwick. Tapered strings have a looser feel to them and are easier on the fingers. DR steel strings give the nice snappy bright tone of steel strings but feel like nickels and have medium tension. They don't eat frets either.

So this is getting long but my point I think comes down to: check out some artists tone and style and do some research and find out what and why they are using a string. Then try them and see if they work for your playing style, preference of tension and tone. Then woodshed it dude and practice till you have blisters then chew them off and keep practicing. Crazy glue works nicely for gluing your fingertips back on but that’s for another thread. Sorry I just thought it had to be said to tough it out a bit. Good luck.