Most commonly used strings ?

What are the most commonly used strings for P. bass ? Gauge, manufacturer etc.

While I'm far from an expert I see Ernie Ball, Boomers, Roto Sounds and D'Addario in most music stores. When I asked for a recomendation the store's bass playing salesman said he broke a lot of Boomers. I settled on a set of D'Addario light guage EXL170 .045 - .100

For the record, this was the first set of bass strings I ever bought.

the 0.040 and 0.045 is what I can hear the most used

I seem to remember .045 - .105 being a popular gauge back when I was looking to change my ancient strings. Ended up with D'Addario EXL165 and like them a lot.

In the UK? - probably Rotosound

I asked this myself in local stores.
Either Roto 66 roundwound or Roto 77 flatwound 45-105 (i.e. standard gauge)

What are the most commonly used strings for P. bass ? Gauge, manufacturer etc.


I prefer flats on a PBass and that seems to be the consensus among many others as well. If you're looking for a suggestion I'd recommend GHS Precision Flats .045-.105 gauge. Good old fashion PBass thump.

If those are a little too dark and thumpy for you try the GHS Pressure Wounds. They're a hybrid type string a little brighter and more tonally versatile than flats but much less bright and zingy than rounds and with a much smoother finish.

I've been using those on my Jazz Bass for about a year now and they are by far the best overall sounding and playing string I've ever used on any Fender Bass. If your looking for a source that has great pricing and can ship to you in Scotland try bassstringsonline.com. I get all of mine from them and I think you'll be very pleased with their service. It's top notch.

I prefer .050-.105 when using rounds (usually DR Low Rider) or lighter when using flats.

My backup P always wears flats. My main P, an MIA 60th Anniversary, likes rounds better.

What are the most commonly used strings for P. bass ? Gauge, manufacturer etc.

You see a lot of talk about flatwounds on bass forums, but they are a very small portion of the market. An executive with one of the largest string companies told me that rounds sell 10x as much as all other types combined (flats, tapes, half-round, phosphor bronze etc.).

Nickel rounds (nickel-plated steel) are the biggest sellers, for Precision or any other bass. Most popular gauge sets are 45-100 and 45-105 sets. Biggest sellers here are D'addario, GHS and Ernie Ball.

Stainless rounds have plenty of fans too, the most popular brand is still Rotosound but stainless DR Strings have become quite popular.

I have my definite preferences (Ernie Ball Super Slinkys for rounds, LaBella for flats) but I've had pretty good luck with most brands I've tried over the years.

You see a lot of talk about flatwounds on bass forums, but they are a very small portion of the market. An executive with one of the largest string companies told me that rounds sell 10x as much as all other types combined (flats, tapes, half-round, phosphor bronze etc.).

Nickel rounds (nickel-plated steel) are the biggest sellers, for Precision or any other bass. Most popular gauge sets are 45-100 and 45-105 sets. Biggest sellers here are D'addario, GHS and Ernie Ball.

Stainless rounds have plenty of fans too, the most popular brand is still Rotosound but stainless DR Strings have become quite popular.

I have my definite preferences (Ernie Ball Super Slinkys for rounds, LaBella for flats) but I've had pretty good luck with most brands I've tried over the years.

I would agree that flats are a smaller portion of the overall market but in stating that two things should also be mentioned;

1) Virtually all bass manufacturers that I'm aware ship their basses with round wound strings stock. Why? They're less expensive than flats.

2) Whereas flat wound strings can last for years and still remain very playable most rounds will become dull very quickly and require replacement. Some in a matter of months and some even sooner depending on the string, the style of play, and the amount of use.

These facts would indicate that rounds outsell flats 10:1 not because they're more popular but because they're replaced 10x more often. I think it also goes without saying that execs from string companies wouldn't discourage the purchase of rounds knowing full well they'll sell more strings if more players use rounds.

Now having cleared that up as a player you need to decide what your after tonally and that will help you to make a better choice. Peoples preference for brands vary a lot but a .045-.105 is fairly standard with most sets or maybe a .045-.100 with some of the higher tension strings.

I would also say from experience that with PBasses specifically there seems to be a preference for flats among many players. Not all but I would say a majority. Hope this new info helps.

I would agree that flats are a smaller portion of the overall market but in stating that two things should also be mentioned;

1) Virtually all bass manufacturers that I'm aware ship their basses with round wound strings stock. Why? They're less expensive than flats.

2) Whereas flat wound strings can last for years and still remain very playable most rounds will become dull very quickly and require replacement. Some in a matter of months and some even sooner depending on the string, the style of play, and the amount of use.

These facts would indicate that rounds outsell flats 10:1 not because they're more popular but because they're replaced 10x more often. I think it also goes without saying that execs from string companies wouldn't discourage the purchase of rounds knowing full well they'll sell more strings if more players use rounds.

Now having cleared that up as a player you need to decide what your after tonally and that will help you to make a better choice. Peoples preference for brands vary a lot but a .045-.105 is fairly standard with most sets or maybe a .045-.100 with some of the higher tension strings.



Companies ship basses with roundwounds because they're overwhelmingly more popular with bassists and have been for 40 years. As an old guy, I can remember how bassists abandoned flatwounds in droves once rounds became commonly available, starting with Roto Swingbass 66.

You're just making up the figure that rounds are changed 10x more often, but even if it were true, it would demonstrate that rounds are much more popular in spite of (supposedly) not lasting as long.

Rounds don't become dull very quickly, except for those few people whose body chemistry causes problems. A very few players will change strings the second they lose a little of their first brilliance, but in my experience most bassists like the sound of broken-in rounds and don't change them anywhere near as often as you seem to think.

All metal fatigues. All strings gradually lose the ability to intonate unless the bass is sitting in a closet unplayed. Flats are just as susceptible to this as rounds. They also go dull, it's just not as apparent because they don't have as many upper harmonics to begin with. Flats have never lasted any longer than rounds for me.

If you like a dull sound and don't care that much about intonation, keep using your old flats for years. But if you have normal hearing, change them after a while and you'll notice the difference.

I would also say from experience that with PBasses specifically there seems to be a preference for flats among many players. Not all but I would say a majority. Hope this new info helps.

Of all the P Bass players I know personally outside of forums, only one of them uses flats. The rest all use rounds.

BTW, one of my MusicMan basses is always strung with LaBella flats. I have nothing against flats. But I do recognize reality, and the reality is that the way flats get pushed on a lot of bass forums is not the way things are in the real world.