Upright Bass String Comparison

[@butkaelinor9479]

I have tried nylon strings with a phosphorecient colour usually used on cutting grass machine and I find them great

[@nicolasgarza2001]

Went out and bought the slap happy premium. There's quite a few options from slap happy. Thanks so much for the info. Great info and talent!!

[@larryholland7192]

Thanks showing the difference between string types best video I seen !!

[@crustyjusty7]

I’m a fan of the sound of steels, but that’s mainly because they suit my playing style. I mainly do straight out rock, very little slap. Trade off is that they are hard on the fingers and the bass.

[@Butcher_103]

I love the sound of steel or synthetic strings so much more than nylon or gut. Just my opinion. The note is more crisp on steel/synthetics and the slap is clearer on nylon/gut

[@bradsparks6008]

Damm it steel strings give off a higher more clarified tone but ruin your fingerboard whereas the weed wackers have a nicer slap but quite dull when played normally but id rather not ruin my hands😂

[@jbc8434]

i've been playing the bass for 9years and play time to time the double bass, loving psychobilly and rockabilly i try to slap it but, man, the steel string are quite hard haha i'm looking to buy some weedwackers, any idea what's it the best between the standard, light and ultra light ?

[@FuzzBass66]

Slapping on steels, though possible and (for whatever reason) preferred by some, is pretty brutal indeed. If you're looking for a set of weedwackers, here's some things to consider: -Theres not much volume over all, especially when you're not slapping. The cores are usually kevlar and the outer wrap is essentially trimmer line, so although they'll give you a good click against the fingerboard, volume is nil. -The ideal gauge for getting the most out of them (from my experience) is the standard gauge. However, keep in mind that these, like gut strings, are MUCH thicker than steel strings. So, widening of the bridge and nut slots is required. -The extreamly low tension makes slapping a breeze, yes, but dosen't lend itself well to most other playing styles. Obviously there are exceptions to this as every player is different, but speaking from my personal playing experience and talking with other players, this seems to be somewhat of a general consensus. My advice in the end? If you wanna slap without destroying your fingers and/or without the metallic harshness of steel strings, I would highly recommend a set of Innovation strings. Non metallic cores, soft outer wraps, medium to low tension (depending on the set) and clear, pronounced tone for most if not all playing styles. I'm using the Psycho Slaps (also called the Psychobilly set in some markets) which are thicker and have a pinch more tension then others, but still low to the point where slapping is easy. The Golden Slaps, Silver Slaps, Rockabilly and Ultra Blacks are also fantastic sets. This isn't an ad either by the way, just personal opinion. They cost quite a bit more than weedwackers but they're well worth it. I have a number of videos up using them, so do a lot of other players, so if you're curious you should definitely check them out. Good luck with your search.

[@jbc8434]

@@FuzzBass66 Thanks for your advice ! for the volume, it's not a big deal, i play alone, didn't play in a band for quite some time and won't be doing it in the next years (especially on the double bass, i'm just a begginer) and, it might be a good idea to have a low volume string, for my parents at home or neighbours in my appartement. i was wondering if i will have to widen the bridge, i'm not a native english speaker so sometimes i don't understand some caracteristics, for example on the E string ultra light are a .155 and heavy at .170, is that about the thikness of the string or something like the force, are nylon string always thicker than steel ?

[@FuzzBass66]

Jb Carp Nylon/other synthetic strings will tend to be a bit thicker than steels, none more so than weedwackers though. They’re thicker for a few reasons, mostly to beef up the sound and add a bit of tension. Making the bridge slots wider is simple enough too, all you need is small triangular file.

[@jbc8434]

@@FuzzBass66 i just get my bass back from the luthier she done some tuning and changing the string, this is life changing, i can slap a lot faster and for long time thank's for the advice, i bought the weedwacker with standard tension and it's kinda tricky to play plucking, a low tension set would have been a mistake i think

[@jameszol5301]

Dam truck drivers, that's grim.... Your really good with the slapping. Im definitely taking your advice with the weed Wackers, I'm not so sure that they can be bowed, u never know it might just work... Keep up the good work dude, peace out! ✌️

[@jameszol5301]

Impressive dude, great slapping! I've just ordered some standard slap happy weed Wackers, I hope they work wiv my shadow RB pro pick up/ pre amp... With the steel strings I've got blisters on my fingers... Keep up the good work dude! 👍

[@FuzzBass66]

James Zol Thanks bud. The standard set are great when you're amping up (I'd reckon your pickup/preamp set up will do just fine, these strings seem to work with just about anything). The steels are brutal, especially for extensive slapping. Some guys love em (I know Lee Rocker used primarily steels with the Stray Cats back in the day, he uses gut now a days as well but still goes back to steels for some songs), but yeah man, not for me haha. This bass has since been destroyed by a careless truck driver (on the way to the repair shop ironically enough) and I miss it a lot...I'll get another one...someeeeeeday haha.

[@bennyblanko3]

What kind of bass was that? I guess it was in an accident ... so no more? Sounded good! And, great playing!

[@FuzzBass66]

The brand name was Stentor, the model was their 'Rockabilly Bass'...fitting name I always thought. Just your run of the mill, 'cheap' (and I use that word loosely, more in a comparative sense with other higher end basses) over seas made plywood bass. Nothing fancy but it did the job quite well for my style. And yeah, it was a rather unfortunate accident. I sent it in for a bridge replacement and the delivery driver who was taking it from the local music shop to their specialty luthier decided to slam the box down as hard as he could while loading, smashed the endpin through the bottom and smashed the sides which in turn caused the sound post to fall and the top to crack and partially collapse...so yeah, total write off thanks to that idiot. I tried to find another one but they all felt...I dunno, just 'off', so I took a payout for the loss instead and went without for a while. Ended up getting an Eastman VB80 back in 2018, same sort of idea, lower end plywood bass, but definitely higher quality than the Stentor. It's served me well since then.

[@FuzzBass66]

Thanks for the kind words as well, appreciate it.

[@bennyblanko3]

@@FuzzBass66 thanks

[@charliepomroy271194]

What's good wood 2316

[@edwither8284]

I recommend eurosonic ultra lights.

[@samhyde6395]

Putting a sticker on an instrument always makes me cringe. But to each there own.

[@FuzzBass66]

You should see the new bass, sporting not one but TWO stickers. Cringe city hahaha ;)

[@samhyde6395]

As long as you like it haha.

[@FuzzBass66]

It's funny, usually I'm also not a fan of stickering up instruments, but I've always dug the look on upright basses, if you're doing rockabilly/psychobilly stuff anyway.

[@Nekroman111]

@@FuzzBass66 reminds me of Mike Ness's guitar lol