New strings, crap sound.....Help!

[Graham56]

Yep, its ANOTHER string thread

 

A couple of weeks ago, after nearly two years of struggling with a no-name POS P-bass copy, upside down and re-strung for a lefty, I bought my first decent bass. It's a 1970's Fender American P, a genuine left-hander so the balance and feel is right for me, and with a super range of sounds which suit exactly the classic rock and blues that I want to play.

 

A previous owner put a soapbar humbucker in at the bridge and there are individual volume controls for each pickup. With a Schaller bridge and rosewood fingerboard, it delivers the old-school thumping presence of the P, but with the ability to blend in more of a rasp and growl from the bridge. I love it already.

 

I dont know what strings were on it, (looked like 45-105s) but I felt they had a bit lower tension than I liked. It seemed too easy to slide the E or G off the edge of the fingerboard. (Yeah, I know, its my technique I should be looking at, not the strings!) They were obviously a bit old, so I thought it was time for a fresh start with a new set. "The instrument sounds great now - how much better will it sound with new strings?"

 

Id had good results with DAddarios on my old instrument, so I went for the same brand. I got some EXL160s. Nickel-coated, roundwounds, 50-105. So yes, the tension is a bit higher, and they feel good to play.

 

But as for the sound - you know the old adage about how if it aint broke...???

 

I havent yet adjusted the setup (I thought Id give the neck time to settle down before sorting that out). But the bass sounds much lighter than before, more tinny and thin with a harsh metallic overtone. And who the hell needs a thin sounding P-bass!!?

 

Ive left it for a few days on the basis that new strings are always a bit bright. But it isnt getting any better.

 

OK, Im sure that some of this can be improved with proper setup (for instance the p/up response varies quite spectacularly from the E and A to the D and G strings). But will setup improve the sound that much?

 

Aaaaaaggh! My baby! What have I done to it?

 

So if there is anyone here playing rock and blues with an older P-bass, especially one with dual pickups, what do you do for strings?

 

Do lower tension strings give more bass 'presence' than higher ones? Would flats help? Has anyone found a similar problem with DAddarios?

 

I know its down to research, experience and taste, but at £23 or so a set (thats about $38) this could get expensive...

 

Thanks

 

Graham

[cramp]

after setup adjustments check the neck for relief.

[Tom Capasso]

I'm no string expert, but it seems that you'd want lots of metal to get lots of fat sound. I doubt that the tension matters as much for the sound (though the right tension may match you playing).

 

This is from D'Addario's site:

D'Addario XL Electric Bass strings are world-renowned as "The Player's Choice" amongst bass players of all genres and styles. XL strings are wound with nickelplated steel, known for it's distinctive bright tone and excellent intonation. Great for Rock, Jazz and any style of playing.

Note that they specify "bright tone". It sounds like you are looking for a more full tone.

 

The thickness of the strings seems OK. I don't know if the nickel winding is hurting you. Sounds like you might want to try another string (sorry - I understand about the money).

 

I need new strings and want to try something else, but can't quite decide which way to go...

 

Tom

[alexclaber]

If you want warm roundwounds I'd recommend LaBella Deep Talkin' Bass strings. I've had the same set on my Warwick for almost 3 years now and they still have enough top end clarity and have a thick full sound with more oomph than most rounds. The Galley in Campden sells them, and I'd recommend 44-110 gauge for maximum fatness.

 

Alex

[music-man]

Originally posted by Graham56:

Aaaaaaggh! My baby! What have I done to it?

Don't worry - nothing that you can't undo.

 

Strings are a matter of taste - I use D'Addario XLs and like the brightness ... I'm not sure what you mean when you say you "left it" for a couple days - I find I have to play new strings hard for a couple hours (a full rehearsal is about right) to get them to sound "natural." Also, changing your setup might improve the sound a bit, since it will change the distance b/w the string and the pickup. But before you go wrenching around, I'd suggest playing the strings for a while longer and seeing whether they don't settle down a bit.

[hags2k]

Sorry to hear about the sudden shift in sound.

 

I don't have an OLD p-bass, but I have done quite a bit of experimentation with strings. I actually recently tried a set of D'Addario XL strings, and I'm quite happy with them, though my sound goals seem obviously different from yours, and I don't have that bridge pickup adding extra high response.

 

Anyway, I have also used flats on it (D'Addario Chromes) and they sounded very nice and very unique. Very round, vintage, and a very mellowed high end. The chromes, I've been told, are some of the brightest flats out there. I ended up switching because I felt much like JeremyC did in a earlier post where he said that after rounds came out he switched and never looked back. I felt that flats were cool, but decent rounds let me hear the entire spectrum of sound from a string, giving a string a wide sound with low end rumble and snap and brilliance. Not to mention they sustain longer and generally have a stronger attack, which really helps me accentuate a beat.

 

Another thing to try is pure nickel strings. Fender makes a set, and a few other companies. Pure nickel sounds warmer and fuller than a nickel alloy, but the tradeoff is that pure nickel is softer and the strings do not hold their orignial sound as long, but if you like mellow, older sounding strings, that might be a good thing! After just a few days of solid playing, they are pretty broken in.

 

I also once tried a set of halfround strings. They seemed to have the worst of both worlds, but many feel they have the best of both worlds. They are mellower than regular rounds, that's for sure.

 

I feel for you about the expense thing...my guitarist buddies in my band yell at me when I tell them how much I sometimes spend on strings when trying different brands, and then I explain that bass strings cost 5 to 10 times more than thier puny little sets of wires

 

Good luck.

[Basshappi]

Hi, Congratulations on finally getting a true lefthanded instrument! My first true lefty is also a fender P (75). I have always used rotosound r66's. After they are broken in they mellow nicely. I have experimented with other strings and some have been pretty good. But I always come back to the Rotos.I have some La bella flats on my fretless right now but don't really care for them, a little to dull can't seem to get much "mwah" out of them. But you may want to try some flats. I've always heard that Thomastik-Enfields are very good but pricey. Read string reviews on (BGRA.com)and elsewhere there's some good info out there.Fear not, you haven't ruined your bass, you just have to find the right strings for you.

 

Good luck, keep us informed

[MattC]

I was turned on to D'Addarios a few years back and don't want to experiment because I like them they way they are. Like every brand, they will sound a little tinny at first: I think it has to do with the windings of the strings settling in after having been stretched.

Anyway, I like that tinny sound I get at first, partly because it is so different than the previous set. I've never gotten that to last longer than about 10 days, tops, though.

I like my bass to sound very smooth, not punchy- more like a glass of brands than a shot of whiskey. I rarely wipe the strings down. Instead, I let the oils from my fingers mellow the strings.

Anyway... If you want to change the sound of the strings, don't let it sit- Play it!

[earljam]

I heard that Jamerson never changed his strings claimed that "the dirt holds the funk".

[Selecter]

Thats true. He never cleaned it. I have LaBella 1954 flats on my cheap azz hondo and it actually sounds like a bass. I hate roundwound strings. They make basses sound like fingerpicked bass GUITARS, just like a 6 string guitar. I want whatever I play to sound like a BASS, not too far way from a upright with a pickup, maybe a bit more punch and treble but not much.

 

Of course, many like playing lead bass.

[earljam]

yeah-I like flats too, but I have a set of rounds that I'm hoping will lose some of their sproing and zing. Right now they put too many highs in, but I would like a little more highs than flats give. I'm afraid that if these rounds don't deaden out I'll start wanting to play wankbass, like rush or journey or styx. 'scuse me, gotta puke.

 

------------------------------------------------

If a frog had wings, he wouldn't whomp his ass a hoppin'.

[Graham56]

Well I left the D'Addarios on for a week and played the hell out of them. But they were still too bright and thin for me. Maybe the extra treble from the bridge p/up contributed, although I didn't like the sound even with that p/up completely silent.

 

It got to the stage that I wasn't looking forward to practice time as I couldn't enjoy the sound I was creating.

 

So for the moment I've dug out the old ones and put them back on. (That's the advantage of being a lazy sod and not emptying the bins in my playroom!!!) The old dog sounds just fine again, and I look forward to practice. Maybe I should leave it be....

 

Funnily enough, I liked the D'Addarios on my old bass. But as that has the crappiest, least responsive pickup in the known world, the brighter strings added just enough definition to give clarity to the tone.

 

Thanks for all the tips and ideas guys, I'll look into this a bit more. I might try some flats, although Alex, the LaBelle's sound worth trying. If nothing else they'll give me an excuse to visit The Gallery. Which might be a bad move.... I've just got this bass and I don't really want to start GAS all over again!

 

And I think the shop owners get tired of cleaning drool off the basses.

 

Cheers

 

Graham

[Hendmik]

Eat a pound of bacon with your bare hands, do some pottery, clean the catbox, spend an hour working in the garden, THEN play your bass for a while. That should fix your strings.

[davebrownbass]

I'd just like to add a bit about acoustics here.

 

The sound you hear out of your bass is not the sound the audience hears.

 

If you like the deeper, darker tone, and dial it in near the amp, it may well sound like indistinct mud in the house.

 

A bright sound at the amp might be exactly what you need in the house.

 

Just thinkin' out loud.

[getz out]

Originally posted by davebrownbass:

I'd just like to add a bit about acoustics here.

 

The sound you hear out of your bass is not the sound the audience hears.

 

If you like the deeper, darker tone, and dial it in near the amp, it may well sound like indistinct mud in the house.

 

A bright sound at the amp might be exactly what you need in the house.

 

Just thinkin' out loud.

I'll concur with Mr. Brown. "I want it to sound like a bass" is fine for the living room, but not always what you want on stage, unless you're looking for indistinct thud.

 

Maury Spadoto

Hoboken, NJ

[Graham56]

From Dave Brown:

 

'If you like the deeper, darker tone, and dial it in near the amp, it may well sound like indistinct mud in the house.'

 

and Maury:

 

'I'll concur with Mr. Brown. "I want it to sound like a bass" is fine for the living room, but not always what you want on stage, unless you're looking for indistinct thud.'

 

Thanks for pointing that out, it's not something I'd considered.

 

I'm still a relative beginner and only play when practicing, jamming with friends and in lessons. So at the moment it's that 'small room' sound that counts.

 

I'll look out for that difference when I eventually 'step out'. Actually, the whole business of how to set up a good sound in a gig is completely unknown territory to me. But it can wait for now - and I know where to seek help when the time comes!

 

Cheers

 

Graham

[NickT]

Maybe it's just that you need to play the strings in a bit. As they get older they will lose a little top end and get a little more "thuddy", for want of a better term.