shortscale bass string advice please...

stewart · Post by **stewart** » Thu Aug 27, 2009 9:30 pm

i need to change the strings on my musicmaster bass, it's currently strung up with the ones that were on it when i bought it and they're really floppy and shit, and the low E string sounds particularly horrible. i'm not really a bass player, so don't have much of a clue about suitable string gauges for shortscale basses. i want something fairly hefty, roughly what gauge should i be looking at? 100 at the thickest? i'm not bothered about flatwounds at the moment, just ordinary ones.

ta.

serfx · Post by **serfx** » Thu Aug 27, 2009 9:38 pm

someone needs to answer this, as i need to get some new strings for my bronco
and i haven't the foggiest.

stewart · Post by **stewart** » Thu Aug 27, 2009 9:40 pm

yeah, i kind of need them by tomorrow afternoon too, so step up please, don't be shy now!

Shaguar · Post by **Shaguar** » Thu Aug 27, 2009 9:46 pm

Squier lists these gauges on their website for the Bronco : .040, .060, .075, .095. Fender have a set of strings for SS basses, Fender Super 5250XL P/N 073-5250-002.

Just make sure if you get anything from D'addario or the like, that its strings specifically for short scale, I learned this the hard way when I bought regular bass strings for my Bronco and the low E was so long that I had to cut into the string and had a unwinding mess that I couldnt tune.

http://search.store.yahoo.net/cgi-bin/n ... earch.html

stewart · Post by **stewart** » Thu Aug 27, 2009 9:49 pm

aye, i know they have to be specific for a shortscale. i don't really trust fender's recommendations to be honest, seeing as they ship their shortscales from the factory with fucking spider silk instead of proper strings.

i know there's less choice for shortscales, i just want the heaviest i can feasibly get. googling just brings up a load of nonsense and i don't have time to wade through it all.

edit: i suppose i could just phone the guitar shop in the morning and see what they have in stock...

Shaguar · Post by **Shaguar** » Thu Aug 27, 2009 9:52 pm

The highest gauge that juststrings.com has for SS is .050 to .105. Sorry I couldnt be any more help.

endsjustifymeans · Post by **endsjustifymeans** » Thu Aug 27, 2009 9:56 pm

serfx wrote:someone needs to answer this, as i need to get some new strings for my bronco
and i haven't the foggiest.

Sx sells shortscale bass stings, no?

stewart · Post by **stewart** » Thu Aug 27, 2009 10:09 pm

right, i've had a look, i think 90 is too light given that long scale ones seem to go way beyond 100.

these are 45-100 and are marked as 'regular light gauge'.

these are 45-105:

aha, here's 50-107, these are the heaviest i can find:

problem is i have no comparison, 107s could be nonce-in-a-box for all i know.

robroe · Post by **robroe** » Thu Aug 27, 2009 10:09 pm

i went the complete opposite direction with my mustang bass. i bought a pack of Bass VI strings and put on the top 4.

so mine go like this:

32 - 45 - 65 - 85

its fucking awesome!!

plays like a guitar, sounds like a bass

endsjustifymeans · Post by **endsjustifymeans** » Thu Aug 27, 2009 10:11 pm

http://www.rondomusic.com/product2027.html

seems to be .40-.95

JamesSmann · Post by **JamesSmann** » Thu Aug 27, 2009 10:15 pm

i can vouch for D'addario XL bass strings, no matter what scale. i love them.

robroe · Post by **robroe** » Thu Aug 27, 2009 10:15 pm

if you want some thick ass fucking string's buy the pack for the bass VI and string it up 65-135

that would be nuts. you would have to hack the ends off them though, just like you do with strings for shortscale guitars

James · Post by **James** » Thu Aug 27, 2009 10:52 pm

La Bella make roundwound strings, but you'll struggle to get them by tomorrow afternoon unless you happen to have a dealer near you.

benecol · Post by **benecol** » Thu Aug 27, 2009 11:31 pm

robroe wrote:if you want some thick ass fucking string's buy the pack for the bass VI and string it up 65-135

that would be nuts. you would have to hack the ends off them though, just like you do with strings for shortscale guitars

Aren't they the same scale length? Both 30"?

light rail coyote · Post by **light rail coyote** » Fri Aug 28, 2009 3:18 am

I got a 5 string set, and threw away the littlest string! It's a little to heavy though.

robroe · Post by **robroe** » Fri Aug 28, 2009 3:28 am

true.....

i never tried the bigger strings though. i didn't need to for the top 4

stewart · Post by **stewart** » Fri Aug 28, 2009 7:45 am

i'll ring a few local shops and see what they have, the bass VI thing's quite a good idea but i imagine they'd be an internet order fo sho.