Buying an Upright Bass: The right strings can make all the difference.

What are the best Upright Bass strings?
After you have chosen the right bass for you, the next most important step is how you have it set up to play your music. The right upright bass strings can make all the difference. The right strings for you depends on the style of music you play and your playing technique.

All upright bassists experiment with different string brands, gauges, and even hybrid combinations, looking for “their sound.” Strings are a very personal thing so if you ask 10 bass players, “What are the best strings?” you’re likely to get 10 different answers. That’s why there are so many different types of strings and manufacturers. Here’s just a few: Corelli, D”Addario, GHS, Jargar, Kolstein, La Belle, Pirastro, Rotosound, Eurosonic, Super-Sensitive, Thomastik-Infeld…

Here, we give some general string advice in relation to how you have your bass set-up. We encourage your comments and questions on this subject.

Playing styles:
For Orchestral you want strings that resist rolling under the bow as you change directions or start a stroke. This is part of what makes them good orchestral strings. Helicore, Belcanto and Spirocore are all good orchestral strings along with numerous others that resist rolling. They all have different tonal characteristics, tensions and feel. Helicore Hybrids are good for orchestral and pizzicato playing and are generally cheaper so are probably most commonly used.

For Bluegrass you need strong sounding strings. Metal is most commonly used, but you can get by with nylon core strings depending on the sound you are looking for. Avoid orchestral strings as they don't sound off well enough when plucked.

For Jazz you'll want strings with good sustain and definition. Spirocore are most widely used but there are many other good jazz strings including Helicore Hybrids, Pirastro Obligato, etc.

For Rockabilly you want short sustain strings you can slap. This playing technique requires a non-metal core. Weedwacker strings are very popular for Rockabilly and Psychobilly Slap Bass. They are solid nylon with a Kevlar core and are your least expensive option. As with all nylon strings, they need time to stretch out and for the tone to settle in with the E & A strings taking the longest. If you are used to steel strings they are weak sounding un-amplified but they work great amplified with mic or piezo type pickups (of course, they don't work with magnetic pickups because they don't contain metal). The new Weedwacker Pro's have a bigger better sound and the break-in period is down to a day or so. These days a lot of rockabilly slap bass is played on Weedwacker strings. Brand name louder upright bass strings, in order of increasing cost are Supernil, Rotosound, Innovation, Eurosonic and, if you have the money, gut strings.

Again, this is general advise and I encourage your comments and questions on this subject.