This^^. Unless you are doing a quiet solo with just bass the string noise would be swallowed in the mix.
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This is a good insight and I agree. It’s always been my theory that new players can tend to like flats better as a crutch until their muting and finger control gets better.
But:
TOTALLY. I actually dig it when I hear string noise in a recording. It’s a nice humanizing factor. I can relate to the bassist or guitarist in that moment.
The feel of the flats I have tried just bugs me. Not my thing. If I ever want to do motown or something, I can EQ my rounds to sound like flats. Can’t do the same in reverse.
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I vote u try GHS Pressurewound strings. They have no finger noise and sound the way u want.
Edit: D’addario also has half rounds strings
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@Subgenius : it is REALLY hard to make recommendations for something that is ultimately a very personal preference.
I myself try to stay away from direct sentences such as “Try brand X” or “Stay away from brand Y”, “Use this gauge or the other”. While well meant, this might just keep you from trying that set of strings that could turn out to be YOUR favorite strings!
I try to say “I like X, and actually I like Y a bit better”, “I prefer the feel of Z in medium gauge” etc, but how much does this really help you?
With strings, it is a bit of a journey, and I would encourage you to try as many as you can (or your budget allows). You don’t need to try them all (or all at once), but try some “archetypes” (even though there is also a lot variation within the subcategories). For instance (and, again, from my own personal experiences), I wanted to like the idea of half-rounds, but didn’t like them very much after trying, while I was positively surprised by tapewounds.
In the end, it is what YOU like and feel comfortable with, and that is likely to take a bit of time and $$$ to figure out 
(And, FWIW, I think you are well on your way in this journey, as you have a lot of good questions and considerations!)
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Thanks all for your input, this gives food for thought.
I added several brands/types of strings to the notes for my future self. I keep the TI Jazz rounds high on the list as the reviews are glowing and I’m curious about trying low tension strings one day, those one being on the extreme side of the spectrum.
For now I think I’ll keep my current strings to see how they age and experiment a bit more with the knobs & EQ settings as @antonio said. After all that’s a whole part of the hobby I still have to discover anyway and that would cost me a grand total of zero eurobucks. Also, I’m a bit overwhelmed by the sheer amount of choice and possibilities so that settles it nicely. 
I thought the truss rod adjustment was mainly depending on the strings tension, so I was planning to check it only when changing strings as it seemed OK for now, or must I check it from times to times (if it varies with time, temperature, humidity, etc.) regardless if I change strings or not?
Indeed, it seems I entered a rabbit hole and have a long journey ahead, which is exciting!
Thanks again,
S.
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I hope you conquer that, after 12 years of hacking away at the bass, I still can’t mute with efficiency and it’s not from lack of trying, that many years on and no success, I guess I’m just clumsy that way. There will be no “badass” here.
However, I have flats on a J bass and some foam at the bridge, It helps somewhat for me anyway.
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It’s the latter; it will vary with seasonal changes, temp, humidity, etc. I have to adjust mine usually every 1-2 months.
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Choosing strings is difficult at first as you usually have to take the leap and just buy them before you can really know how much you’ll like them!
Nickel strings tend to be warmer that stainless steel.
Flatwound strings can often feel different enough that you’ll either love them or hate them (one point to note is its common for flats to feel more rigid unless you buy a specific ‘low-tension’ set)
I’d say start off simple with string sets you can comfortably afford:
- Try a different type of material (nickel, cobalt)
- Later, try out another type of winding (eg flatwound)
Personally I would suggest picking some full nickel roundwounds of the same gauge and play them in for a few days / a week and see how you like the tone then.
The more you try over time the better idea you’ll have of what works for you 
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Yes, absolutely. The wood of your neck will react to seasonal temperature/humidity changes, which you will likely notice as either buzzing strings or string height being higher than usual.
When environmental fluctuations happen, a small truss rod tweak (incremental flattening or adding a bit of a bow to the neck) will get your bass back to playing easier.
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@howard & @MikeC Thanks for the tip about the seasonal adjustment of the truss rod, I’ll certainly keep an eye on that.
@renouf Great tip, nickel rounds seems to be a good compromise indeed! I finally opted for the Pyramids pure nickels (blue packaging) which seems to fit my requirements (lot of bass and midrange and less high end).
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Check the neck bolts to be sure they are tight before doing else. I found one bolt on my bass that was loose.
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Hey everyone, a quick feedback for those interested:
I replaced the TRBX174 stock strings with a Pyramid Pure Nickels .45-.105 set a week ago and I must say I’m now quite pleased with the tone! I still have some squeaking so I can continue to focus on my technique but I love the depth brought by those strings.
I managed to record two sound clips (straight from the bass to my Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 2nd gen), with both pickups maxed as well as the tone knob (so no frequencies cut). The setup of the bass is overall the same in both recording (action/pickup height) etc.
“no name” stock strings soundclip
Pyramid Pure Nickels soundclip
Excuse the sloppy playing (I’m still working on it 
) and focus and the tone!
Cheers,
Subgenius.
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The pure nickel definitely sound better
The pure nickels sound indeed more “round” and less harsh; no matter what words you will use to describe the difference, as long as they sound “better” to you, this feedback alone will make you play more and pick up the bass more often.
How do you like the feel of them? I. e., do you notice a difference for your fingers when playing the pure nickels compared to the stock strings? To me, feel is probably almost equally important to sound, not least because a lot of the overall sound comes from what your fingers do (especially the plucking fingers, of course).
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They feels less “harsh” on the fingers (no impression of the strings “biting” the fingers anymore 
) and a bit more flexible, but far from the “butter smooth/velvet” description of flats I read online, they definitely still feels like roundwounds.
With the previous stainless steel strings I sometimes had a weird feeling where the strings were too stiff and “abrasive” to play comfortably and that was messing with my plucking pattern in a sort that I couldn’t manage a consistent rhythm when chugging with my index and middle fingers, even on the higher strings… That feeling is gone since I restringed (restrung? ) the bass.
But take that last point with a grain of salt as I’m still a bass noob, so that feeling could have come from inexperience/lack of training rather than the previous strings themselves. 
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Noob or not your feelings and opinion are as valid as anyone’s. This is a journey, and your thoughts are representative as to where you are in your journey, as mine speak where I’m at presently.
To people starting out, they impart wisdom, to older hacks they are a reminder of the joy of discovery we once experienced. Keep the comments coming.
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Words of wisdom here… 
I don’t know if I ever encountered an online community as positive and welcoming as this one, this is refreshing. Thanks!
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I have it very similarly with stainless steel strings (or other strings that feel “rough” to my fingers) - they are good for slap though
Again, what others feel and describe isn’t necessarily going to be identical to your own experience - there is almost no substituting trying out many strings and find what works for you!
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Indeed, I plan to try flats in the future, but for now I’ll let those nickel roundwounds age for a while before investing any money in other strings.
I read (yes, again! ) that the tone will become darker and darker so I’m curious to test it myself.
I can get a decent slap sound with those nickel strings, but obviously not as zingy as with the stainless steel ones.
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You only need one note to be badass! 
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