Bass Strings help please

[PeteeBee]

Hey, I have a bass coming in the mail from a trade. My dream bass would be a normal P bass, but for who little I anticipate using it I'll take the trade one. It's a 5 string Ibanez sound gear bass. I have no need for that low B, thinking about switching it to be E A D G C. Any recommendations on strings?

Couple unrelated things...
Will I need a new nut?
Why isn't it EADGB? Will I be a huge kook if I tune it like that?

[Blackened Soul]

I have no need for that low B, thinking about switching it to be E A D G C. Any recommendations on strings?

Strings are subjective and have too much to do with personal taste. To start.. round wound or flat wound?

Couple unrelated things...
Will I need a new nut?

Yes, maybe.

Why isn't it EADGB? Will I be a huge kook if I tune it like that?

The short story?
It's a bass and not a guitar is why.
A bass guitar is more of a merging of a double bass and a guitar than a detuned guitar.. And the high C tuning for a 5 string bass guitar as seen on the Fender BassV

comes from the tuning used on the Kay S-51


Which was a Jazz thing.. 5 string double basses have been around for over 100 years with a low B so you can play music that needs lower notes than a E

[PeteeBee]

I have no need for that low B, thinking about switching it to be E A D G C. Any recommendations on strings?

Strings are subjective and have too much to do with personal taste. To start.. round wound or flat wound?

I think round wounds. I like some good punch and plan on using a driven/fuzzy bass paired with cleanish guitar. In my mind the round wounds help with dirt. I have an ampeg b2re head but I need to replace the cab. Looking to get another 4x10 when one pops up locally.

Thanks for all that info! I had no idea about the double bass stuff. Somehow that little info makes me want to keep it how it is tuning-wise, in no small part because I'm hoping to really play bass, not just play the root notes of the chords and stuff like that.

[Blackened Soul]

I have no need for that low B, thinking about switching it to be E A D G C. Any recommendations on strings?

Strings are subjective and have too much to do with personal taste. To start.. round wound or flat wound?

I think round wounds. I like some good punch and plan on using a driven/fuzzy bass paired with cleanish guitar. In my mind the round wounds help with dirt. I have an ampeg b2re head but I need to replace the cab. Looking to get another 4x10 when one pops up locally.

Thanks for all that info! I had no idea about the double bass stuff. Somehow that little info makes me want to keep it how it is tuning-wise, in no small part because I'm hoping to really play bass, not just play the root notes of the chords and stuff like that.

really though.. you could buy a 6 string set and see which way you like it... Personally I like kalium and DR rounds.. I don't like nickel bass strings at all. And really flats have more punch than rounds in very focused direct sort of way vs a piano-y harmonic laden sound I'm going to say... think about what people's sound you sort'a like use that as a starting point and then wander off in you own direction

[PeteeBee]

Hmmm interesting. Well, the bands that I think of when I think of bass tone similar to what I would want are Modest Mouse, Self Defense Family, and Dream Decay. I'll have to do some research. I'm sure I can find out about modest mouse at least. I like DR guitar strings. I'll probably do that just because I already like them.

Thanks again for all the help!

[sears]

Yeah, you'll probably need a new nut.

[Pepe]

Yeah, you'll probably need a new nut.

You'll definitely need a new nut. Let a luthier do that. It will spare you lots of broken strings.

[PeteeBee]

Yeah, you'll probably need a new nut.

You'll definitely need a new nut. Let a luthier do that. It will spare you lots of broken strings.

Makes sense. I'm going to play around with it first, then potentially go this route if I don't like the low string. The bass is really cheap so I'm hesitant to invest any more money into it than necessary.

[Chankgeez]

Spend more on strings than you did on the bass. Get a set of the Thomastik flatwounds!

(Don't know if they come in 5-string sets. )

[Blackened Soul]

Spend more on strings than you did on the bass. Get a set of the Thomastik flatwounds!

(Don't know if they come in 5-string sets. )

Yep,
http://www.juststrings.com/thomastikinf ... wound.html
but if you want a hi C you have to get a 6 set or a 4 set and a single high C
http://www.juststrings.com/flatwoundtho ... rings.html

[Pepe]

But you have to LIKE flatwounds. I don't get along with these. Always feel and sound strange to me.

[PeteeBee]

Anyone rock halfwounds? or whatever they're called. I have a friend locally who swears by them, but he also plays a ridiculously expensive bass that I always think sounds bad soooo

[greyscales]

I've currently got halfwounds on my Ric 3000. I'm not a huge fan of them, they just feel like a weird cross between really old rounds and flats to me.
Tonally they sound a lot like flats but they grip kinda like rounds?

I would only recommend them if you want the tone of flats but hate the way flatwounds feel on your fretting hand.

[Blackened Soul]

I tried them once and I found the opposite they sounded like old fuggy round wounds and were smoothy feeling like rotosound or labella flatwounds neither of which I like I like flats that are really smooth like chromes or TI or Ernie Ball or GHS or Rickenbaker... so I hated the things.

[PeteeBee]

Ha! Well regardless it sounds like the worst of both worlds.