Telecaster Guitar Forum - View Single Post

marshman · June 3rd, 2009, 10:22 AM

Well, my two cents:

I always preferred Dean Markley Blue Steels, but they're on the pricey side. I've tried tons of others and never had any that were so bad I thought "GadZOOKS, I need to get rid of these things!" and I tend to prefer something in the 45-105 range, which I think of as a medium bass guage. Try something there out and see if you like 'em, and then move up or down a bit to see if you feel like you're missing something. Flatwounds give a classic old-school sort of 'thud' that can't quite be mimiced with rounds and the tone down all the way (but it's close enough for most gigging environments), but I prefer the peppier attack of the roundwounds most of the time. And my strings are good for a lot longer than 6 weeks at a shot, though I don't practice hard every day and try to wipe 'em down occasionally. Flats are generally a lot kinder to your frets, if that's at all important, but if you're not Billy Sheehan, I don't know it'll make a huge difference in those terms. As far as set up goes, I spent years as a Stevie Ray Vannabe and like my guitar action reasonably high, but I keep my bass action down pretty low...take it down as far as it'll go before buzzing and then bring it back up a notch.

Tubes Rule! Unfortunately, tube amps get reallllllly heavy (and pretty expensive) at the power levels most bassists need, so SS is the rule of the day. I picked up a second hand Nemesis 210/200 watter a few years ago for $450, so you should be able to find something gig-worthy in that range. If you're just practicing at home, and you're sure that's all you'll be doing, get a little practice amp and be done with it. Like all technology, the smaller they make it, the more expensive it gets.

And I'd also recommend you take some time and get to know the tones your bass is capable of generating before diving in and replacing bits.

To review my position:
Medium guage=good starting point
Lowish action=good starting point
Flatwounds=vintage-y
Roundwounds=modern-er
Tube amps=heavy+expensive+great tone+expensive
Solid State amps=lightweight-er+more affordable(in general)+good tone

Enjoy!

June 3rd, 2009, 10:22 AM	#22 (permalink)
marshman Friend of Leo's Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: SE PA Age: 41 Posts: 2,011	Well, my two cents: I always preferred Dean Markley Blue Steels, but they're on the pricey side. I've tried tons of others and never had any that were so bad I thought "GadZOOKS, I need to get rid of these things!" and I tend to prefer something in the 45-105 range, which I think of as a medium bass guage. Try something there out and see if you like 'em, and then move up or down a bit to see if you feel like you're missing something. Flatwounds give a classic old-school sort of 'thud' that can't quite be mimiced with rounds and the tone down all the way (but it's close enough for most gigging environments), but I prefer the peppier attack of the roundwounds most of the time. And my strings are good for a lot longer than 6 weeks at a shot, though I don't practice hard every day and try to wipe 'em down occasionally. Flats are generally a lot kinder to your frets, if that's at all important, but if you're not Billy Sheehan, I don't know it'll make a huge difference in those terms. As far as set up goes, I spent years as a Stevie Ray Vannabe and like my guitar action reasonably high, but I keep my bass action down pretty low...take it down as far as it'll go before buzzing and then bring it back up a notch. Tubes Rule! Unfortunately, tube amps get reallllllly heavy (and pretty expensive) at the power levels most bassists need, so SS is the rule of the day. I picked up a second hand Nemesis 210/200 watter a few years ago for $450, so you should be able to find something gig-worthy in that range. If you're just practicing at home, and you're sure that's all you'll be doing, get a little practice amp and be done with it. Like all technology, the smaller they make it, the more expensive it gets. And I'd also recommend you take some time and get to know the tones your bass is capable of generating before diving in and replacing bits. To review my position: Medium guage=good starting point Lowish action=good starting point Flatwounds=vintage-y Roundwounds=modern-er Tube amps=heavy+expensive+great tone+expensive Solid State amps=lightweight-er+more affordable(in general)+good tone Enjoy! __________________ 42