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dlloyd

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Mar 16, 2004
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Where I live, I can't find a decent selection of bass strings in any of the guitar shops, so I order off the net, from

www.stringsdirect.co.uk

Good range, good prices, quick service, and all that.

But, this time, I screwed the order up and ordered power slinkies (0.055" to 0.110") instead of my usual regular slinkies (0.050" to 0.105")

I was going to return them, but instead I stuck them on my Stingray (I was going to set it up anyway, might as well experiment)....

Oh...

Wow...

They are staying there and I will be ordering more. My bass has never sounded this good.
 

midopa

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Hey dlloyd,

How's the sound? Is it more metallic and bright than Super Slinkies?

Regards,
Sam
 

dlloyd

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midopa said:
Hey dlloyd,

How's the sound? Is it more metallic and bright than Super Slinkies?

Regards,
Sam

It's difficult to quantify... although they are made of the same materials, which would suggest they would sound the same, I do think there is a difference in the quality of tone.

I have compared regulars (.050 to .105) with supers (.045 to .100) and there is a definite "liveliness" the heavier strings have in comparison to the lighter ones. The big difference is obviously in volume. The power slinkies are LOUD. I'm guessing that the increase in amplitude has some effect in increasing the perception of higher-order harmonics. There is a definite piano-like sound to them.

The down side? These things are stiff. I have a hard playing style as it is, and I'm fairly comfortable with them, but if you're used to .040s, you're going to have a rough time with them.
 

midopa

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shaver, "yeh, word of advice, dont get the new signature flea strings"

Shaver is very right on this one! Beware! The GHS Flea sigs break very easily! I said this before, but Shaver's brought it up so I want to expound a bit. :p

You'd think Flea sig strings would be fit for slapping and popping, right? Nope! I was playing RHCP's Stone Cold Bush and was had just entered the bass slap solo when the G string goes pop. Irony, eh? Flea's own sigs break on a song that he's made!

Shortly after, the D and A strings popped also, leaving me with a GHS Flea sig E and EB Super Slinky A-D-G's. I got rid of the E and completed my bass with an EB E. Now my bass sounds nice and balanced and no lousy, expensive strings popping on me! ;)
 

shaver

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haha weird, i was playing stone cold bush at a show with those strings, and i couldn't move them and i got off time dureing my solo..

their like ment for picking..

and the e string blows, it died like mid way threw the set
 

midopa

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Hey shaver,

Is it possible for you to post a mp3 of you and your band playing Stone Cold Bush? This is the first time I've met a bassist who plays old RHCP tunes! :)

Thanks,
Sam
 

dlloyd

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dlloyd said:
Strange that Super, Regular and Power slinky means different things for 5 string sets compared with 4s

What I mean by that is the Super Slinky 5 string set is an Extra Slinky 4 string set with an additional .125; a Regular Slinky 5 string set is a Super Slinky 4 string set with an additional .130; and a Power Slinky 5 string set is a Regular slinky 4 string set with an additional .135...

Bizarre.
 

dlloyd

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marshmellomann said:
can i buy the power slinkys 5 off of eb or can anyone tell me what website they recomend

Sorry, can't help you there (the one I use is UK-based and is unlikely to be competitive when delivery is included)

Does anyone else think this might be a useful thing to have in a FAQ for this board?
 

Disquieter

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Apr 23, 2004
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I played EB power slinky's once for a recording session, i figured they would be good on the EB...


astonishing! how wrong was I??!

I've found that the only strings I really can dig and get super into are the DR's usually the Lo Riders, but i recently put a set of hibeams on my 79 (per recommendation), and it sounds pretty nice, doesn't seem as chunky as my lo riders, but still feel pretty good, I'll probably get the loriders on it in a few weeks...


yeah, so DR strings really bring out the MM sound!


love and tenderness
joel D.
 

dlloyd

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Disquieter said:
I played EB power slinky's once for a recording session, i figured they would be good on the EB...


astonishing! how wrong was I??!


Well, different strokes and all that...

Presumably you set the bass up when you fitted them?

I've found that the only strings I really can dig and get super into are the DR's usually the Lo Riders, but i recently put a set of hibeams on my 79 (per recommendation), and it sounds pretty nice, doesn't seem as chunky as my lo riders, but still feel pretty good, I'll probably get the loriders on it in a few weeks...


yeah, so DR strings really bring out the MM sound!

I've heard a lot of good things about the DRs, never actually tried them myself... perhaps I'll give them a go next time, mind you their nickel strings don't come very heavy.

The Lo Riders and Hi beams are both stainless steel... does your bass have a rosewood neck? Just curious...

Have you compared the DRs with Rotosound strings?
 

cgworkman

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dlloyd said:


Well, different strokes and all that...

Presumably you set the bass up when you fitted them?



I've heard a lot of good things about the DRs, never actually tried them myself... perhaps I'll give them a go next time, mind you their nickel strings don't come very heavy.

The Lo Riders and Hi beams are both stainless steel... does your bass have a rosewood neck? Just curious...

Have you compared the DRs with Rotosound strings?

i just tried a set of DR's for the first time - i really have to say that i'm quite impressed!! I'll be curious to see how long they retain their "freshness" - but so far so good!! :)
 

Disquieter

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depending on what kidn you are using, they should last you a couple months, assuming you wash your hands well before really sitting down and playing and you don't have excessively corrosive oils in your skin...



I've gotten ones to go upwards of 5 months before they got thuddy, but they never seemed to lose the quality of tone that i like so much in them.


Now i'm seeing how long these slinky's will last...


joel D.
 
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