Which electric four-string bass should you buy?

It's important to note that certain strings suit different basses and styles in a way that can only be determined through trial and error. For myself, as a lover of the Fender Precision bass and the deep thumping tones of the Motown sound for the blues style that I play, I really love the LaBella "Deep Talkin" flat wound strings in 110 (or heavy) gauge. These strings were made famous by Funk Brother James Jamerson in the 1960s. They're hard to find and a bit costly. However, I find they sound better as they age instead of worse like many strings, so they can be left on the instrument for a year or two. With most other strings, I change them every three or four months. That makes the "Jamersons" a bargain. Some instruments, a Rickenbacker for example, don't take well to such a heavy string. The LaBella and Fender are a match made in bass heaven! Rock musicians...stick to round wound strings for the punchy growl. Flats are best suited for jazz, blues, and R & B where deep tones and reduced finger noise are a real bonus. Doug Wolgat

Bassist for The Bluescasters

http://www.thebluescasters.com