When it comes to picking either electric or acoustic bass strings, we think it would be fair to say that options are abundant. With all the various gauge sizes, materials and the promise that each set will improve playability, have greater longevity and provide you with the elusive perfect tone, sorting through them all is not easy.
However, by considering a few basics and arming yourself with a little knowledge, you should be able to narrow down your selection. In this article, we’re going to show you how to do just that. Whether you play a 4 or 5-string, metal or funk, we’ll show you the best flatwound and roundwound strings for beginners and beyond to buy from trusted brands such as Ernie Ball, D’Addario and DR.
Quick List - Top Bass Guitar Strings
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Before we dive straight into the products, let’s take a look at the factors you should be thinking about before purchasing. We’ll be looking at the different materials, gauges, how they’re wound and other important factors. Each moulds the tone and makes it better for one genre or another.
First things first, it's important to remember to buy strings that suit the type of bass you play or plan to play. Bass strings are made specifically for either acoustic or electric basses, so, if you’re playing an electric, opt for electric strings, and vice versa.
Don't worry, nothing will happen if you do use the wrong ones, and the instrument won’t be damaged. However, when playing acoustic with electric strings, you will find that the instrument is a little quieter due to the different material. This is because acoustic strings are made for this purpose and are generally thicker and produce a warmer, fuller sound.
After you’ve registered what type of strings to buy for your instrument, you should consider the different materials. There are five basic options – for electric, you have nickel, which will provide a vintage warm tone without too much treble, or low end.
The other option, stainless steel, is the opposite. These strings will be bright and clear with plenty of precision throughout the mid-range, making them ideal for more modern sounds. Lastly, for electric, there is nickel-plated steel, which offers the best of both worlds and will therefore be an ideal all-around option.
When it comes to acoustic, you have bronze or nylon. Bronze is the most common for acoustic basses and provides a richer, more rounded sound, whereas nylon offers a percussive attack, making them a little more mellow and better suited to vintage genres of music.
All bass strings have an outer wrap around a steel core wire. Most are wound in a certain way, with the two most popular ways being roundwound and flatwound. Here, we’ll look at each individually and what characteristics to expect from each.
Roundwound is by far the most common and most popular choice. Interesting fact: this style was developed by the company Rotosound for John Entwistle of The Who. The reason they are the most-loved style is that they offer clearer pop and clearer tones and are therefore popular with bassists who play a lead style and genres such as rock and funk.
There are some things to be aware of, though. Firstly, this style will wear down your frets quicker than flatwound, which could see your bass needing maintenance quicker. Secondly, they tend to produce more finger noise, meaning you’ll need to tighten up your playing to sound better.
Flatwound was the original type of bass string. It’s popular with jazz and older-style bass players as it produces a much mellower, warmer and rounder tone – think classic Motown bass lines. Furthermore, this style has a smoother feel, which generally makes the strings a little more comfortable to play.
The downside is that you won’t get a sharp, clear tone, which is much more common in the music world today outside of the “classic” genres. They’re also a bit more specialist, so you will have to search a bit harder for them as the most common packets are roundwound nowadays.
The gauge of your strings affects both the tone and how easy it is to press down on the strings. What does gauge mean? Well, this refers to the thickness. When people refer to the size, they usually use the fourth string (the low E in standard tuning) when referencing their preference. For example, “I play 0.105”.
There are plenty of choices, ranging from 0.095 (the lightest) to much heavier options. In our ranking, the lowest is 0.130. More often than not, players who play slap bass and fast lead riffs prefer lighter strings, whereas heavy metal, modern RnB or players who like to downtune prefer heavier strings.
A quick word of warning – if you’re a beginner, it’s wise to play with light-to-regular strings. This way, you can develop the calluses required to press down hard on the heavier strings. Also, changing your gauge can require a player to change the bass neck, as it may need more or less tension, which is tricky unless you know what you're doing.
Finally, the last thing to consider is how many strings you need. Whilst most bass guitarists use four strings, some players of heavier genres of music like to employ a 5th or even a 6th.
These strings are used to extend the low-end range of the bass and are often used in a low B, high C tuning. Therefore, if you have a bass with extra machine heads, you’ll need a packet that can provide you with the goods. While these are less common, they’re not rare. There’ll even be a couple in our ranking.
Products | Image | Click to purchase | Key features | |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Ernie Ball Regular Slinky | ![]() | The Benchmark For Bass Strings | |
2 | D'Addario EXL170-5 | ![]() | A Five-String Set With Supreme Consistency | |
3 | DR DDT Bass Strings | ![]() | For Those Who Regularly Flirt With Different Tunings | |
4 | Thomastik-Infeld AB344 | ![]() | Better Suited to Gentle Finger Picking Than Heavy Strumming | |
5 | Ernie Ball Regular Slinky Cobalt 2732 | ![]() | New Materials = New Sounds | |
6 | D'Addario NYXL4095 | ![]() | Extra Slim Strings Perfect For Beginners | |
7 | La Bella 760N Bass Strings | ![]() | A Unique Winding Brings Excellent Tone | |
8 | DR Lo-Rider | ![]() | If You Need to Slap and Pop, Look No Further | |
9 | Rotosound RS77LD | ![]() | Ideal for Those Trying to Nail the 70s Rock Tone | |
10 | Gear4music Bass Guitar String Set | ![]() | Probably the Cheapest Bass Strings on the Market |
While they might not be the most out-there inclusion, Ernie Ball's Regular Slinky are the benchmark by which all other bass strings are measured. We'd put our money on the fact that your favourite bass player has played them at some point – it's like a rite of passage.
They're the classic 0.105 gauge, roundwound and nickel-plated, meaning they're practically the perfect jack of all trade strings. Plus, you get professional, industry-standard quality at a relatively pocket-friendly price.
Here we have the five-stringed version of D'Addario's classic bass set. They're popular with players of all genres, hence why they're so far up the list. They're roundwound, nickel-plated steel and are particularly good for basses with a long scale length. These are the heaviest gauge, but others are available if you prefer.
The set is made in the USA by digitally-controlled machines, ensuring consistency with intonation and clear fundamentals, meaning that you can expect that bright tone with a powerful output any time you lace up your instrument with them.
If you're here looking for a set of strings that you want to downtune for heavier styles of music, then look no further than the DR DDTs. These are purpose-built for the job. You see, drop tuning regular strings can give your instrument potential intonation issues.
The idea with these is that this doesn't happen as they're well-versed in a range of different tunings. Moreover, even if you don't play heavy drop tunings but you do change between alt tunings frequently, these will be able to handle the constant adjustment better than most other sets.
These are some of the most expensive strings among our recommendations. However, the fact they cost so much yet are still recommended by so many people legitimises their quality tenfold. Interestingly, the strings use a nylon core with is that roundwound with bronze.
With low tension and a high gauge, the makeup of the strings means they're not best for strumming and plucking away. Instead, they're unique in that they're better suited to gentle fingerpicking in such genres as Latin.
Although we mentioned that there are certain materials used for strings, that doesn't mean that companies aren't trying to push the boundaries. One such company is Ernie Ball, who have opted to wind these strings with cobalt. They claim this new material has a better magnetic relationship between pickups and strings, ensuring a clearer output.
Also, they're supposedly much more comfortable to play, being silky and soft to touch and making bending the strings a piece of cake. If you're someone who is always looking to experiment with different tones and sounds, then these could be right up your street.
D'Addario offers a variety of highly-respected strings for both bass and guitar. These are their NYXL4095s, but it's worth looking into all their range as they're just as excellent. These particular strings have a high gauge, which will give you more of a twang and resonance.
Not only that, but the thinness will make them easier for beginners to play as it will require less pressure to manipulate the strings. One thing to note is that they can be more prone to breaking due to their slimness, which isn't usually a common occurrence with bass strings.
La Bella's strings were a favourite of groove masters such as Booker T and the MG's Donald Dunn and James Jamerson. However, that was their electric string line. Nowadays, they've begun to rebuild their reputation with excellent acoustic strings, and these 760Ns are their most popular as they have maximum acoustic projection.
They also have a unique build as they're tapewound. This has a shorter decay and a bit more thud, giving them a brilliant tension, fantastic playability and excellent tone. The only downside is that you're going to pay a pretty penny for them.
This set of strings from DR have what most people would consider the average string gauge. However, due to being built from stainless steel, the strings have a prominent treble resonance, unlike many others, making them a match for those who like to slap and pop with their riffs.
Furthermore, the company state that the higher tension of these strings also makes them have more accurate harmonics. While these are brilliant for the aforementioned styles, they are less adaptable when it comes to playing other genres, so you'll need to be committed to slapping the bass.
Rotosound's RS77LDs have been used by many legendary bass players, from Roger Waters to Glen Matlock. They have an interesting build as they use the traditional flatwound system, originally for jazz bass, but are then made of stainless steel which gives them brightness and clarity.
This combination seems to make them the ideal set for 70s-sounding rock, but there's still enough tonal variety to adequately explore other genres. Some players do find them rough to the touch, however, and they are on the pricier side which could be a problem if you like to maintain fresh strings.
The truth is, if you play bass, the cost of changing your strings is far more expensive than those who play the fiddly six-string – even though you don't have to change them as frequently. However, if money is tight then finding a pack for around £10 is an absolute bargain.
This set is nickel-plated steel, so they are impressively durable yet still bright with a crisp sound, making them ideal for many genres. Plus, it's a pack of six, as opposed to four. Of course, this will likely be overkill for many, but for the price, you don't need to use the two extra high strings.
For a helping hand getting your new strings onto your electric bass, look no further than this instructional video from the experts at Fender. Aside from your strings, you only need some wire cutters or pliers, as well as a tuner to get them up to scratch once you're done.
No. 1: Ernie Ball |Regular Slinky
No. 2: D'Addario|EXL170-5
No. 3: DR|DDT Bass Strings
No. 4: Thomastik-Infeld|AB344
No. 5: Ernie Ball|Regular Slinky Cobalt 2732
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