So, we have chosen our one, single remaining bass if we were forced to choose one single one.
Now, what strings to select? For me, it would be the Rotosound Billy Sheehan rounds. I love my Roto Steve Harris flats and Roto RL66 SS Swing Bass rounds. However, they are quite different animals.
The Billy Sheehan rounds are actually a great compromise there. Since they are rounds, they have some of that trebly zing-zing as the Swing Bass set, but they are coated and super smooth for a round. Also, they have a heavy E string (.110) which is like the Steve Harris set. So, if I had to choose one, them’s be it.
TI Jazz rounds. So easy to play once set up properly. And the sound blossoms and then slowly mellows. They feel great under the fingers. Fretting is so easy you could almost fret by blowing on the fret.
Hum good question. Not sure. Right now I’m using EB Slinky’s, but just because they are readily available everywhere and I prefer them over the other readily available D’addario XLs.
If we are talking E, then Billy Sheehan rounds or Steve Harris flats. That E on either is amazing.
I would probably vote for the Steve Harris E, plenty of zing and the tone is killer. Some of that is influenced by being in the MDB5, which is a fantastic bass to play now that I’ve got it properly setup
If only one I’d go with the optima gold strings. I like brightness, I can wipe the tone down when not needed. On the opposite side, I can’t find enough quality brightness in most rounds. I’ve never tried TI round but I have the feeling that it could deliver what I need too, judging from the quality of tone their TI jazz flats delivered.
the d’addario xl nickel round wound (45-105). I get it, they are cheap and kind of a generic bass sound. But i like that i get darker, muted tones from them. This seems to become more prevalent as they age. Put on a new set 6 weeks ago, playing approximately 2 hours a day and they are now getting how i like them. My last set was on my bass for 10 months, and i loved the way they sounded. I’m probably the outlier here, but I’m not really into the bright tone. Then again, I’ve never had any amplifier running above 35%. I’m a garage plucker.
