I’ve been using, Ernie Ball Super Slinky Nickel Round Wound, and been happy with them.
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While we are on the topic of strings, would it be ok to talk about the types people prefer as well? I don’t want to hijack the thread, but it seems like a fitting addition to the topic.
My basic understanding is that:
Round Wound is a little rougher on the fingers, has a bit “fuller” of a sound (whatever that means exactly) and you tend to get a little more of the rasp when you slide across the strings
Flat Wound is easier on the fingers, has a more sharp sound, and less rasp because of less friction
But I also just discovered something called tape wounds (WTF?) and have no clue what those are.
Then there seem to be nickel or chrome (I think it was chrome I saw), various colors, neon, UV, black beauty…
My point is, Expensive versus Cheap seems to barely scratch the surface. Maybe some of the more musically experienced users can give us noobs a sort of rundown as far as what types of string combinations are good for what types of sounds. Or if this is pulling too far off topic I can create a new thread too!
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I feel like strings are a very personal choice. It really depends on the tone you’re looking for. I really the tone I get from La Bella flat wound strings. Except on my Stingray. I’ve had a set of Ernie Ball Power Slinky’s on it for about 6 months and I really like the way sound.
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Yes but surprisingly it stays in tune even after a long while of just hanging on the wall in a room with varying temps all the time…
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@Redneck
This is such a hard question because there are so many options and the final decision really comes down to what you think sounds good for what you are willing or able to pay. There is no definitive buying guide, that I have ever seen, for “less expensive but just as good”. It’s just far too subjective.
If you said, “I’m thinking of buying [stings A] but [stings B] are cheaper. What do y’all think?”
Then people could chime in with,
“No way! [strings B] SuX!”
“Never buy [strings A]! I bought some once and my cat died!!!”
“Only Newbs waste $$$ on [stings A]!!!”
I know this didn’t answer you question but I hope it helps give some perspective on why you haven’t gotten very many answers.
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@brandoncmurphy The topic of strings is not insurmountable but it is complicated. I put together this selection of articles that get more complicated the further you go down. None of the articles are very long. By the end you should know everything you need to know to choose your strings.
Wait, nope, that’s not true. You will know a lot about strings but you still won’t know what you want till you’ve tried them. I recommend starting a side business selling bracelets made out of strings you didn’t like.
Here is an overview of different types of strings…
https://best10gears.com/how-to-choose-bass-guitar-strings/
But wait, I sense that you want to go deeper…
Still not enough? At first glance this article doesn’t seem like much but it does get into hex cores and different coatings used on stings; like color…
Still here? I see you can not be deterred. This article talks about 5 common sets of strings; how they are constructed and what kind of sound you can expect to get out of them…
Lastly, this article. If you read all the previous stuff then this article will be mostly review but when you get to the end there are a bunch of links for eight different manufacturers for comparing prices…
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Awesome compilation of resources/articles, @eric.kiser! Thanks!
Yeah, but still - you wouldn’t happen to have a TL;DR or similar distillate for us “lazy bassterds” (no typo!!) 
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I have a nice set of D’Addario nickel wounds on now but I know what I am getting when they go dead:
60-105 aww yeah
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LoL! 
I spent about 4 hours distilling it down to just those five articles. I’ll try anyway…
TL;DR
(Too Long; Didn’t Read)
Strings aren’t made of string.
They’re metal.
Some are different kinds of metal.
Some are windy round.
Some are windy flat.
Some are even windy flat with a round side you can’t even see.
Some have coatings that give them different colors or make them last longer or sound a little different.
Some are BRIGHT and some are DARK and everywhere in between.
Most people don’t have an absolute favorite.
They use what works in most situations.
Or, they have 3 or 4 favorites.
You need a new instrument for each of your favorites.
You won’t really know what you like till you try them.
Learn to make Bass string bracelets.
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I’m surprised. I expected those to cost a lot more.
If you wan to get really intense you can go the @Korrigan route…
I can’t help but feel intimidated every time I read that post.
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See!? That wasn’t so hard 
Thanks!!
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I read all 5 of the articles, as well as most of the articles that those 5 linked to and this TL;DR is quite accurate and succinct. The only thing I would add is:
Brand A Medium is not necessarily the same as Brand B Medium.
That is what bothers me the most, is that once it seems like I know what I want to try in terms of metal type, core type, winding type, coating type, etc…Then I have to pick a brand because medium gauge on Brand A isn’t the same size as medium gauge on brand B
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Once again, the people here are Great! Thanks for all the responses, and no I don’t mind about the hijacking…heh…gives me some more stuff to read over too. When I started this journey I just wanted to learn how to play bass for my own satisfaction. Which is what’s happened…like yesterday morning I was playing with different backing tracks until my fingers just gave out. But, if I live long enough, I may want more out of it, like trying out for a local band or something, and then knowing more about the choices in strings will be more important, to me, and to those listening…Thanks again and Keep On Thumpin’…
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Not sure if anyone has ever noticed or came across this before but…
Every time I’ve ever purchased a new guitar (and bass), the first thing I do when I get home is replace the strings with ones that I like to use. I buy the things by the truckload so that I can get good prices on them - especially electric guitar strings that I (have in the past) gone through pretty quickly.
When I purchased my Ibanez 500E, I already had a good supply of half rounds that I love to use on my Yamaha 304 and they sound really great on that bass, so when I got home, the first thing I did was to pull off all the stock strings and throw on a new set of half rounds, check and set the truss to where what works best for me, adjust innovation and action, and then start jammin’ to some tunes!
Holy shit…!!!.. The damn thing sounded as flat as planet earth looked before Columbus, and was harder then hell to play than Japanese Scrabble on an Arabic Scrabble board. And resonance and tone…?? HA… Was as if someone cut a fart in front of the meat counter at the grocery store - no one there, all gone, disappeared, left, adios, all gone… Hell, Ida been better off hooking up a broomstick to a #9 wash-tub with an old used up rusted “E” string that Grandpa Moses used as a pull start cable for the gasoline engine on Grandma Moses’s wringer washing machine…
Needless to say, I installed a set of coated round wounds that I had in my spare parts drawer.
Holy Shit…!!!.. After a little re-adjustment to the truss and bridge (again)… Hey, just me, but I always reset everything after string replacement (also do it if I play outside) but, all’s good in “Lanny-land” again!! This damn instrument kicks some ass and will provide me just the right performance - until I reach that point where I will probably want to upgrade again… (My wife is already preparing for the next purchase as my abilities grow)…
I still continually play my (less expensive, beginner, intermediate?) bass’s, and I can certainly feel and hear the difference in how they play and how they sound. It’s all a “Learning Experience”, and like anything else in life, we grow to appreciate that growth by starting at the beginning and growing as we learn. A master mechanic is not made by using Snap-On, Cornwell, or Mac professional series tools, he’s made by the experience he gains using those second hand Craftsmans, or True-Value tools he could afford when he first started…
Damn, guess I’ve rambled enough… Bottom line,… I guess some bass’s like certain strings more then they like others… Time for another Single Malt…
Keep on Thumpin’, Humpin’, and Kickin’ ASS!
Lanny
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I have Tape Wounds and I love the feel and sound.
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Nice story, @Lanny, interesting experience… who would have thought it makes such a huge difference!? If I weren’t so lazy to my core, I’d be experimenting more with strings myself 
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“John Entwistle used a Jazz Bass with nylon tape wounds for the final take (studio) of “My Generation”.
(Now I visualize @Jazzbass19 rushing out and getting tape wounds for his jazz bass, LOL)”
.
.
Ha! . . . Not anytime soon, Pam @PamPurrs ! . . . 
Give me roundwounds or give me death 
lol
Thanks again for your post, Joe
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I love me some rounds as well, however, I have some COATED strings.
The Black Beauties and the Red Devils from DR strings.
I got the Red Devils for my ESP LTD Araya Bass, the sla/yer one, and i also replaced the knobs with Skulls with red eyes. it is a gloss black bass, all over, head to toe, except the fretboard which is rosewood I believe, or Jatoba (which I think is a type of rose wood anyway).
I also got the black ones back when I had my Ibanez SR300, I thought it would look great the orange bass, black strings, and it did.
I played the SR300 alot, and I thought they played a little “wimpy”, and I played it regardless for a while, until I ultimately decided the strings made the bass too wimpy. IDK a better way to say it, it just felt Limp in my hands, kind of flimsy, but of course, it was firm in construction mostly I thought, but it just didn’t feel it, and I thought it was the strings
I had a SR400 from the same year era and same configuration, but I left the round strings on, and started playing it more, and although the strings felt a little better under my fingers, the bass just overall felt the same.
I have since returned (exchanged) one of those basses, and sold the other.
I know there is alot of Ibanez love out there, the SR line particularly, but I just don’t think the lower end of that line is a very “sturdy” bass for lack of a better word. It just felt and sounded even, skinny and weak.
Now, I still love Ibanez, and I would like to play one of their P basses, the Talman bass, and the mid scale bass, and almost anything in the SR line, above 500 I would imagine, or maybe above 800.
And I know there will be alot of resistance to what I am saying, but this is just my experience, and how the bass feels to me.
I actually felt the GSR200 felt more like a sturdy bass in my hands then an SR300…
Ibanez LOVE, yes, I have it, just not a couple models, thats it.
But this is about strings, not Ibanez basses.
So, I heard Geezer saying he played the Coated DR strings, the Red Devils that I had on my Ltd bass, and I started to play it a bit, and found that I like the strings just fine.
they have a strong resemblance to the feel of the rounds, but not rough around the edges, if you know what I mean, and they bend very well and play and sound great. One of the reasons Geezer gave for playing them is that the coating has a wicking property, so they stay dry and don’t make your fingers sweat, or helps your fingers feel dry while you are hot and sweaty, and I can see where that could be great for a touring musician.
So, in my EFFORT to LIVEN up my Stingray SLO Special, that is White, with Maple Fretboard, and came with a Tortoise pick guard, I did a couple things.
first, I got rid of that horrid pick guard. I put on a Black Pearl pick guard, and I got it cuz it was the nicest pick guard I could get cheap, and delivered from a US seller quickly, NOT so I could name the bass Captain Jack. 
Ok, and with my cheap Orange Strap that says California Mens Corrections Dept, I decided to get some DR Orange strings for it.
Should help to liven this bass up, as a matter of fact, I think I will be quite happy with it.
But yeah, I am gonna try another set of coated strings.
But I always love Rounds, and would go with them in a pinch every time.
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