String Recommendations

[EddieJones]

I like them better than the flats. I have them on my Stingray. Sublime is a good description. They can growl with EQ adjustment.

[Wombat-metal]

@fennario

Have to say, I’m intrigued by these. I don’t know if I’m ready to spend $80 on them. For you guys that have played them… are they worth the extra cost?

I hear a light touch is required, so maybe not the best for hard rock? More suited to jazz / funk?

I think they could work but are in light gauges.

Bassist Boh from Babymetal uses Elixers 125-105-85-65-45-32, Nanoweb/nickel; I know those work for metal/hard rock. He blogged about them once so we have it straight from him. They used to blog before they blew up.

[MikeC]

@joergkutter

I can only agree with you on that they are clear, articulate and very easy to play (and they are my favorite strings for sure). But… I wouldn’t call them “brightest”. In fact, far from it.

Each and every stainless steel string is brighter and many Ni roundwounds are as well, but, for me, it’s exactly the not-so-brightness and harmonic richness (that you also mention) of these strings why I like them so much. To me, it’s a “warm sound”.

And… super important for me personally: their texture, i.e., how they feel when fretting and plucking, how they respond to being plucked and bent etc. (which, I guess, is another way of saying how “easy to play” they are)

You captured the character of TI Jazz Rounds exactly as I hear them on my Jabba.

I did opt for the Super Long JR364 43-101 sets, though. They feel perfect to me: not too light gauge, not too bendy.

And the smoothness of the windings! These make NYXL and their less pricey D’A brethren feel like cheese graters in comparison.

TI Jazz strings, rounds or flats, are the pinnacle of strings greatness for me.

[MikeC]

@fennario

don’t know if I’m ready to spend $80 on them. For you guys that have played them… are they worth the extra cost?

I hear a light touch is required, so maybe not the best for hard rock? More suited to jazz / funk?

A light touch is not required if you get the Super Long 36” scale TI Rounds. I just bend mine 90 degrees at proper string length and snip ‘em. Works like a charm AND you get “standard” gauge string thicknesses.

As for price, I’ve never paid as high as 80 bucks for any TI rounds or flats. I get mine from Strings and Beyond or Amazon. Both run sales every now and then.

That said, TI Flats last forever, so the price becomes a non-issue.

[Rob150]

In my quest to learn as much as possible about the technical aspects of my instruments, I also bought a ton of different brands and types of strings. Those who praised the Thomastik Infeld are right, those are beyond awesome and pretty much a golden standard in classical music for good reasons. I’m waiting for a new pack of Atelier Z (Japan) and Blacksmith (South Korea) to arrive and try out. Being an Italian, I’d recommend taking a look at two national prides, Galli Strings and R.Cocco, both pretty good for construction and sonic quality.

[Adampalooza]

I don’t have a lot of experience with different brands yet but between D’Addario nickels and Rotosound stainless steels, I prefer the D’Addario both in feel and sound

[joergkutter]

@Rob150

Being an Italian, I’d recommend taking a look at two national prides, Galli Strings and R.Cocco, both pretty good for construction and sonic quality.

The top of the line from Italy right now are the Dogal strings, especially the Dogal Hellborg for bass (even a bit more expensive than the TIs). They are a very special construction in terms of how the core wire is constructed. I splurged for a 5-string (round wound) set and their sound and intonation is extremely good. However, their outer winding is just too coarse (especially for the E and B strings) and I just don’t gel with their feel.

[Billn]

@Wombat-metal

Elixers 125-105-85-65-45-32

I wonder how long scale bass, those are pretty light gauge.

[joergkutter]

No, that’s pretty standard. Light gauge would have 100-80-60-40 in there…

[Rob150]

Wasn’t able to find them, paradoxically. But can’t wait to try them out, their reputation is indeed stellar.

[Wombat-metal]

@Billn

I wonder how long scale bass, those are pretty light gauge.

34"

https://reverb.com/item/11068973-atelier-z-boh-s-custom-6-tp-pnk-mh-s-n-040334

@BABYMETAL . Bass solo. #babymetal #shorts #heavymetal

[howard]

I like Elixir. They are different. They feel amazing and sound pretty good; that said, apparently the coating can come off. Still prefer D’Addario by a lot though.

[Bella]

I just got Fender Flatwounds on my Ibanez bass and they are a dream to play…like a smooth Caddy vs. bumpy Beetle.