Bass String Guide: Find the Right Strings For Your Sound

Whether you’re playing a vintage 69 Fender Jazz or a modern Musicman Stingray 5, you’re gonna be playing with a set of strings – it doesn’t work too well otherwise. And as fundamental (and we get it, borderline ridiculous) as that sounds, so many players don’t think enough about the types of bass strings they pair with their preferred bass. 

The strings are your interface with your bass and inform everything from your playing style and technique to the tone and characteristics of your sound. Furthermore, the world of bass guitar strings has come a long way with advances in technology and instrument quality, opening up a wide selection of choices to dig into. 

How To Pick The Right Bass Strings For You

The vast majority of bass guitars come out of the factory with a set of roundwound strings. These are generally inexpensive (compared to other string types) and have a bright sound that many players enjoy. That doesn’t mean they’re the right call for you, however. 

Several factors play into your choice of string for your bass – the scale length required, the desired string gauge, winding type, core shape, and wrapping material – strings can come in almost any combination of these variables, making it a pretty daunting experience if you don’t know what you’re looking for. We’re here to help. 

Scale Length of Bass

The first port of call is to identify the scale length of your bass. String packs will have an associated scale length to help you know which is the right choice and this is relative to the scale length of your bass guitar itself. Most basses are a 34-inch scale length, otherwise known as ‘long scale’, and will want a pack of strings with the same scale length. We’ve listed the available scale lengths below:

• Long scale – for 34-inch scale basses or string-through 30-inch scale basses
• Short scale – for 30-inch scale basses
• Medium scale – for 32-inch scale basses
• Extra long scale – for 35-inch scale basses of string-through 34-inch scale basses
• Multi-scale – for multi-scale basses

For the most part, as long as you have enough string available you should be okay as you can cut off excess string length once installed. It’s always best to match as close as you can, however, to avoid issues.

String Gauge

The next choice is the gauge of the strings themselves. Gauge refers to the thickness or diameter of the strings themselves and this typically translates to a change in tension and sustain – the higher the gauge the more tension and generally a stronger sustain. 

String gauges will be noted sometimes in general terms – 45-105, 40-100, for example – though all packs will provide the individual string tensions for each string too. Many manufacturers offer ‘balanced’ sets that provide unique tension profiles designed to have more even tension across the neck. 

Realistically, your choice of tension should be based on the ease of playing and the sustain you want out of your bass. Higher gauges will take more effort to play and will apply more pressure to your neck. Lower tensions will have a ‘slinkier’ feel to them but will lose some volume and sustain in return. 

String Core Shape

The core shape determines the shape of the inner core that the wrap material is wrapped around. Cores essentially come in one of two flavours – round or hex cores. Round cores promote lower tension and a vintage-sounding darker tone, while hex cores add brightness to the sound as the wrapping is not in constant contact with the string core at all times. 

This choice will have some impact on your sound but will typically take a backseat over other more impactful choices discussed in this guide. 

String Winding Type

The winding of the string changes both how it feels under your fingers when playing and the fundamental tone of the note itself. Roundwounds are the overwhelmingly popular choice that comes on basses from the factory and most players will use them throughout their entire playing career. That’s not to say they’re always the right choice, however. 

The available bass string windings are as follows:

• Roundwound – the wrap uses a rounded profile, leading to the characteristic bumpy feeling under the fingers. They offer the brightest and most dynamic tone available but are also the toughest on your hands and your instrument’s frets.
• Flatwound – the flattened windings create a glassy and smooth surface, making them a joy to play. They are the original type of winding used when the electric bass was introduced and are synonymous with a thumbing Motown sound. 
• Tapewound – they follow the same winding approach as flatwounds but use nylon wrapping over other metal materials, making them even softer on your hands and are the smoothest to play. The tone becomes increasingly dark at this point and is the closest emulation of upright bass tones from an electric bass. 
• Halfround & pressurewound – halfrounds and pressurewounds are slightly different approaches to achieving a similar goal. Roundwound strings are essentially flattened – either through grinding or through applied pressure – to a middle ground between roundwounds and flatwounds in feel and tone.

It’s worth having a play on each type of string wrapping if you can. They are the largest factor in the tone and feel of playing your bass, making this one of the most divisive and personal parts of choosing a string.

String Wrap Material

Finally, we have the material used for the wrap itself. The material affects the tone of your strings and will have visual differences too, which is worth considering. Wrap materials tend to be split across a few frontrunners: 

• Steel – the brightest tonally and most robust, designed to last for long periods while retaining its tone 
• Nickel/steel hybrid – the middle ground choice that balances durability with an even sound and reduced fret wear from use
• Nickel – the vintage material of choice. Warm tones and the sound of ‘broken-in’ strings from the get-go, i.e. having been played a bunch already

Wrap materials tend to align with the wrapping approach more often than not. Most flatwound strings will use nickel or nickel/steel hybrid, while roundwounds will likely use a steel material to further accentuate the brightness that players desire.

The Bottom Line

The world of bass strings is almost as varied and (if you’re like me) exciting as the basses themselves. Differences in technology, tension, and construction lead to massive variance in feel, playability, and tone, and it’s worth giving as many string brands to types as a try to see which suits you best. 

Even two sets of flatwound strings will have a different feel and tone – try asking whether TI Jazz Flats are better than LaBella Deep Talkin’ Flats and watch the chaos ensue. This guide will help you find the style of string that fits with your playing style and musical preferences, but the journey is just beginning.