Bass Guitar Strings Review by Type
Here is a listing of strings on this site organized by type - roundwound, flatwound, nickel, steel, coated, and more. The Bass String Guide (Overview) will give you all the background you need as far as the general characteristics of these string types, while the listings for each individual string will give you more specific information.
We will continue to update with more information, so check back often. Thanks for visiting.
Stainless Steel Roundwound Bass Strings
 | ProSteels are stainless steel roundwounds and the brightest strings in the Daddario family- both in terms of volume and treble. The strings use steel alloy, which help add low end depth to round out the brightness of the strings. It uses a hex core. |
 | A notable innovation from Dean Markley, these are stainless steel strings cryogenically frozen with liquid nitrogen (reaching -320 degrees) before being restored to normal temperatures. This is standard practice with many other metal products as it aligns the molecules. DM claims that this gives the string much longer lifespan and a better tone. |
 | Roundwound strings that were curiously created in order to mimic and compete with a "certain British bass string that everyone loved." |
 | Dean Markley Misfits Skullbusters Bassist Jerry Only of the Misfits designed these strings with Dean Markley for his custom built bass. |
 | Tapered strings, which gives them a brighter tone and greater sustain. |
 | Hi-Beams are steel roundwounds with a round core. They are clear, bright strings, but are more mellow than the lo-rider-reviewss. |
 | Lo-Riders are steel roundwounds with hex core. There is a "long-neck" variation, which is tapered. It is also available in nickel, which is more mellow. |
 | Solo Bass 55 are steel roundwound with a hex core. These strings have brightness and clarity, but are "pressure wound" to reduce finger noise/fret wear |
 | Rotosound Swing Bass 66 (Steel) Swing Bass 66 are available in either nickel or stainless steel varieties, the stainless steel naturally being the brighter. Both have a hex core. They are a very popular roundwound string, used by John Entwistle, Geddy Lee and many others |
 | Fat Beams are the signature string of innovative, world class bassist Marcus Miller. Check him out, for a variety of reasons, as well as to hear some characteristics of these strings. They are steel roundwound and have a round core. Similar to the hi-beams, smoother and fatter. Reviews cite them as having a tighter bottom end sound and warmer high end. |
 | Ernie Ball Slinky Stainless Steel Slinky Stainless Steels are, as you might guess, stainless steel version of the slinky strings with the round core. These are brighter than the nickel, and follow the same naming structure for gauge. |
 | Fender Stainless Bass Roundwound Stainless Bass Roundwound have a hex core and use stainless steel, making them brighter than the original and super bass models. |
 | Super steels - the second brightest string from GHS, they are roundwound with a hex core. |
| Contact Core Super Steels are the brighest strings made by GHS. They have a round core which is in contact with more of the string resulting in the increased brightness. |
 | Double Ball are roundwound steel strings with a hex core specifically designed for steinberger basses. |
 | Hard Rockin Steel are stainless steel roundwounds with a hex core. |
 | LaBella Deep Talkin Bass Roundwound Deep Talkin Bass Roundwound are the roundwound version of the classic deep talkin bass flatwound strings. They are stainless steel with a hex core. |
 | Super Steps are tapered stainless steel roundwounds with a hex core. See the article about taperwound strings for more information. |
 | Super Bass Taperwound are steel roundwound strings with a round core and tapered E and B strings, resulting in a very bright, clear set with lots of sustain. |
Nickel Roundwound Bass Strings
 | The XL strings are machine-wound nickel plated roundwounds that have a clear, bright tone that is a bit more mellow than the Prosteel. These are the most popular strings Daddario offers due to their flexibility for use in a variety of styles, while always holding good intonation. |
 | A nickel version of the Blue Steel strings, also cryongenically treated to last. Naturally, these strings are somewhat smoother and darker than the regular BlueSteels. |
 | A unique design from Dean Markley, these strings are roundwound over the pickup, but have been smoothed out over the fingerboard. Therefore your fretting hand deals with a smoother, flatwound-like feel, but the plucking hand is dealing with a roundwound string and brighter tone. As suggested by the name, this design is about being friendly to your fingerboard while still providing a roundwound like tone. |
 | Nickel wrapping over a steel core, these strings have a bright tone but a rather smooth feel for roundwound strings. |
 | Dean Markley Randy Jackson Alchemy Custom strings designed with Randy Jackson, successful studio bassist who has become a household name thanks to American Idol."Alchemy" comes from the fact that this is a blend of three string styles: It is a stainless steel string covered with silver-plated NPS to improve lifespan, then wrapped with a gold cover that has a smooth feel and unique look. |
 | A basic, affordable roundwound string from Dean Markley that gets the job done. |
 | Sunbeams are nickel roundwounds with a round core. They have gained quite a reputation for use on fretless basses, with glowing reviews on all sorts of bass forums. |
| Lo-Riders are steel roundwounds with hex core. There is a "long-neck" variation, which is tapered. It is also available in nickel, which is more mellow. |
 | Slinky are nickel roundwounds with a tempered core. The various names such as regular and hybrid slinky refer only to gauge. |
 | "Original Bass" are nickel roundwound. |
 | Super Bass strings are nickel roundwound with a hex core, providing more tension and volume than the original bass. |
 | The least expensive string from GHS, Bassics are a popular, simple nickel roundwound string that delivers. |
 | Even though these are nickel roundwound strings and advertised as the middle ground of GHS strings, Boomers are known for being quite bright initially, then mellowing out. |
 | Rotobass are nickel roundwound strings with a hex core |
 | Slappers use a steel core and a steel layer underneath the nickel wrap. This gives greater strength with the sound and feel of nickel, making them excellent for slap. |
 | 7150M are one of the few "pure nickel" strings on the market |
Coated Roundwound Bass Strings
 | The EXP strings are nickel plated roundwounds, similar to the XL version, with an "EXP Coating" that is designed to protect against corrosion from dirt, sweat and variety of other factors. Rather than a coating like a polish- the material is adhered to both the outer wrapping and wound into the core for stability and life. Though the strings cost more for this, they can maintain the "new" string character for many months longer. |
 | Black Beauties are DRs coated strings, which are roundwound with a hex core. The coating claims to make the strings last a lot longer and maintain the bright "new string" sound. Peacock Blue are the blue colored version of DRs coated strings. |
 | Bootzillas are the signature string of P-funk mainstay and solo artist Bootsy Collins. Like the Black Beauties these are coated roundwound with a hex core. |
 | A newer arrival in the bass string world, Elixir strings have become quite popular. They are nickel roundwounds with a clear, warm sound and numerous reviews site the coating as legitimately improving the life of the strings - justifying the slight increase in price over non-coated strings. |
 | Infinity steels are the least bright in the stainless steel family, making them the "darkest of the most bright." They are roundwound with a hex core, and have a coating on them for improved life. |
Flatwound Bass Strings
 | Chromes are flatwounds from Daddario with excellent user reviews. Smooth feel, mellow yet clear sound. |
 | Precision Flatwounds Use a stainless steel flatwire ribbon, and are the most mellow of the GHS string family. |
 | Ernie Ball Electric Bass Strings (flatwound) The very ambiguously titled "Electric Bass Strings" from Ernie Ball are their flatwound strings. |
 | Fender Stainless Bass Flatwound Stainless Bass Flatwound use stainless steel and have a hex core, but of course are smooth flatwound strings, thus making them more mellow than roundwounds but having a nice balance overall. |
 | Jazz Bass 77 are flatwound strings with a hex core. They have been featured on classic records including Dark Side of the Moon (Pink Floyd),A Night at the Opera (Queen), Live and Dangerous (Thin Lizzy) |
 | Deep Talkin Bass are LaBellas flatwound strings and use the number code 0760. The Letter(s) after refer to guage. The 0760M Bass set was used by the legendary James Jamerson on virtually every Motown hit record in the 1960s. |
Halfround Bass Strings
 | Daddario Halfrounds use a pure nickel roundwound string, which is ground down and "heat treated" to create a roundwound character with a smooth, flatwound feel. These strings are brighter than the chrome flatwound, but more mellow than the XL. |
 | Developed with Rocco Prestia of Tower of Power Fame. As the name suggests, these nickel plated strings have a round core- brighter, fatter. |
 | Brite Flats are the brighter of the two halfround options using stainless steel, placing them just below nickel in terms of brightness. |
 | Pressurewound are nickel halfrounds, making them the darker of the two halfround options. |
Nylon Tapewound Bass Strings
 | Fender Nylon Filament Roundwound Nylon Filament Roundwound are nylon strings that are roundwound with a hex core, making them a brighter option than nylon taperwound strings for those who like the feel and character of nylon but find them too dark. This is a rare option in the bass string market. |
 | Nylon Tapewound are Fenders take on this type of string (see the "about nylon tapewound strings" article for more information.) They have a hex core. |
 | Black nylon tapewound strings from GHS |
 | LaBella Deep Talkin Bass Model L-760M (Jamerson) Flatwounds that have stood the test of time and praised for depth, fullness, and surprising clarity for a flat. These are the strings used by James Jamerson on all the legendary Motown hits with Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, etc. as well as bassist Duck Dunn with Otis Reading. |
 | Tru Bass 88 are flatwounds made with black nylon and a hex core. There is a good chance you have heard them on: Abbey Road from The Beatles, Transformer (Lou Reed), or a Town Called Malice (The Jam) |