OK, total new-guy string questions

[Denis]

That's nice! Is that what Fender called "Mocha Brown"? I've flats on my '74 and you're right, with the tone all the way down there is NO brightness left. It's way cool.

[Pilgrim]

You mean, the one you didn't play for 30-plus years?  

Only a mere 23 years, sir.  

[Dave W]

Only a mere 23 years, sir.  

And when you took it out of its case again, they were just as dead as when you put in in 23 years earlier. 

That is, unless you bought special zombie strings.

[Pilgrim]

And when you took it out of its case again, they were just as dead as when you put in in 23 years earlier.  

That is, unless you bought special zombie strings.

They're "Wesly the Farm Boy" brand strings...only mostly dead!

[PhilT]

Trust me, when the tone is FULLY rolled off, it sounds like a P-bass playing through a blanket.  No unnecessary brightness left in those flats.  I wish I knew what brand they are.  Here's a pic of the silks, in case anyone can ID them:

I had some strings with silks that colour. La Bella, I think. The E silk was a slightly different colour from the others and the string was as dead as anything. NOS maybe. From 1972.

Did Jerome K Jerome make it to the States? He wrote a book called 3 Men in a Boat. He also wrote something very wise about bicycles. He said you needed 2 bikes, one to ride and one to do maintenance on. He would attack anyone who suggested maintaining his riding bicycle. I feel like that about basses. My main gigging P bass is just the way I like it and nobody's going to intonate it or adjust the truss rod, or, heaven forbid, change the strings. I have other basses for that, you can intonate those all you like.

[Pilgrim]

That reminds me of a comment I read once about Jaguars back in the 60's when they ran three SU carbs.  The author said that owners needed 3 Jags: One to drive that day, another in the shop being re-tuned, and a third ready to drive the next day.

I could easily believe they're Labellas - that brand lasts as well as any I've heard of.  But if so, they've changed silk colors since then.

[nofi]

my friend buzz (rip) was a mercedes benz machanic his whole life . he said if you want a mercedes be able to afford two because the maintenance costs will kill you.

[Freuds_Cat]

No disrespect to any high end bass owners here (and most guys here know I'm a total Gibson whore as well), but anybody that can't get it done any day of the week with a half decent P bass should just switch to guitar or something... 

hehe,     

I was being a bit unfair to Dave, he is a very good bass player, he just has more money than me for toys like his basses. He got the job done very nicely that night.

[Dave W]

I could easily believe they're Labellas - that brand lasts as well as any I've heard of.  But if so, they've changed silk colors since then.

Going back to the 60s LaBella flats always had royal blue silks. In the past 10 years they've changed the lights to a reddish-orange and I've been told the extra lights are a red and yellow woven together. The mediums are still royal blue and I think the 1954s (Jamerson set) are too.

[lowend1]

Great thread. I've used alot of different strings over the years, and have learned that I:
a) Generally prefer light-gauge nickel strings when it comes to roundwounds
b) like a flexible, lower-tension string, especially with flats

[Pilgrim]

Dave, I suspect you nailed it.  The photo is reasonably accurate in terms of color, but I sure wouldn't be surprised if the silks had faded a tad with age..and royal blue would be reasonably accurate.  I'm happy to consider them Labellas - a string I prefer in any case.

[Dave W]

I like flexible strings, not floppy ones.

[ack1961]

If there's one thing this test and this thread has taught me to do, it's experiment.

I'm learning that your playing technique can alter the sound of strings significantly.

I have a bad habit of letting the heel of my plucking hand come to rest against the body, which alters the angle at which I attack the strings.  Not only does it tend to deaden the sound, it also slows me down mechanically.  If I get back up in good playing position, I get good contact with the pads of my fingertips and the sound is so much fuller. That good position also allows me to travel up and down the playing area, which is also a haven of sound.  The sonic differences between playing towards the bridge and playing close to the neck is remarkable.

Some of my bad habits are exacerbated when using "grabby" strings, like GHS Precision Flats. The more acute my attack angle, the grabbier the string becomes, which slows me down and leaves me in awful position for the next note.  I know most of this stuff is old hat to most of you folks, but these discoveries are full-blooded revelations to me.

I'm actually thinking of a temporary training aid that helps keep the heel of my hand propped up in good position - like a huge thumbrest with a raised block...just to help alleviate bad habits and aid in keeping my hand/wrist/elbow in good form.  I'm also suspecting that if I practice more, these bad habits will disappear.

Again, this thread is filled with outstanding information, suggestions and banter.  Bass playing, although it's a hobby to some and a career to others still has to be fun...or you should find another hobby or career.

Steve

[Freuds_Cat]

Bass playing, although it's a hobby to some and a career to others still has to be fun...or you should find another hobby or career.

Steve

Never a truer work was spoken. I did it for a job for 10 years and ended up hating it. I had about 7 years where I hardly played at all and now I play about 25 shows a year and practice once a week in 3 month blocks with a separate original band that doesn't play live and only records. All for the pure enjoyment of it. I have never enjoyed playing as much as I do now.


As far as sounds go, its my experience that you can play a gig at a regular venue but with different weather and your damn sound is just...different! Its like you get used to certain settings and one day at the same place you are forced to change them because not only does it sound different but the strings FEEL different. Sometimes too grippy other times they feel like rubber bands, switch to playing over the back pup to get more string tension but lose your warmth and get more unwanted attack for a certain song etc etc. Humidity, different barometric pressures, I'm not sure what causes it but it annoys the hell out of me. Luckily It happens rarely.

[Highlander]

About the only change I make is volume (although I am experimenting with a rebuild, both instrument and cab) - The Hiwatt is left with everything fully up and I just adjust the volume to suit - I long ago dumped tone controls off all my instruments (except an SG guitar, left original) - I'm tempted to dump the volume controls, but I need to balance an MB, so...