Recommend Some Bass Strings (Por Favor)

[velorush]

I've been playing (at) bass for three or four years now. I started out with the '97 Deluxe PBass I've posted about here and it's been great fun and I've learned a great deal. Thanks to a great deal of assistance and learned advice from JohnnyB and others, I loaded the Fender with a set of Ken Smith Compression Wound Strings .105 - .044.

Last Halloween I bought the '82 Cruisebass (also posted about here). It came loaded with what I would describe as really heavy guitar strings - very very small (for bass) roundwound strings of unknown origin. The only other strings I had in the house were the (larger) roundwound strings that were on the Fender bass when I bought it, so I put them on there. They're old, but the flat spots from fretting are in a different spot due to the differences in the bass.

So, here's the question: what would you put on here? I'm not gigging presently, but would like to put strings on that were worthy of such. I like to play every imaginable style of music (and likely would, given the opportunity). I'd like for this to be somehow different from the Fender, but given the Fender is active and the Cruise has these great DiMarzios in it, I don't think they'd be similar even with the same strings.

Lastly: the only thing I know about is that I've really liked the Ken Smith Compression Wound strings. Other than the worn out strings presently on the Cruise, I've tried nothing else for any extended period, so any suggestions/advice/stratagem you have will be very welcome.

[JohnnyB]

Finally bought a set of these:

Suddenly the Cruisebass is a piano!

I love the sound of Alloy 52. Combining that with taper core should produce "tone to die for and sustain for days." Iron and nickel are softer metals than stainless, so you may get some "plays like buttah" as well.

GHS's tend to be pretty bright right out of the package, but they settle down--or you change your tone control or amp settings, I don't remember which.

[velorush]

It's amazing how smooth they feel. I was expecting sandpaper and squeakiness but they're really not rough at all - out of the package they were as smooth or smoother than the worn out round wounds they replaced.

I just got in from work and they've stretched a bit more. I retuned and the action is up quite a bit. I'm going to give them a few days to settle before I attempt to change anything about the setup.

I've read James Jamerson used to lunch on a greasy hoagie to take some of the brighness off new strings.

[JohnnyB]

It's amazing how smooth they feel. I was expecting sandpaper and squeakiness but they're really not rough at all - out of the package they were as smooth or smoother than the worn out round wounds they replaced.

Sounds like you expected RotoSounds. Rough. I can't abide them at all when there are so many smooth and polished brands of strings out there.

[anotherfreak]

I always seem to go back to the D'Addario chromes, I do have a set of GHS black tapewound strings for "trial" right now and I like 'em a lot, but I'll prolly just go back to the Chromes for the cost/feel/lifespan ratio

also I play mostly fretless