You may recall that I (and others on the wide wide world of web) were not entirely satisfied with the stock strings that ship with the Bass VI.
The 6th string is just a tad under nourished to play without buzzing like a march fly when playing with anything more than gentle plucking.
After a fruitless search locally (nobody wanted to sell me singles) I ended up purchasing a fatter low E from far across the Pacific.
Thanks to the modern age (fast shipping and being too busy to scratch myself) they seemed to have arrived swiftly.
It took a couple of minutes to get sorted and ready to play.
Going from an .084 to a .095 improved the tone on open chords considerably. Previously playing an open E was not a pleasant experience. Flabby and toneless.
Some folks on the forum mentioned that the .095 was the bare minimum required to have this instrument sounding the way it should.
From playing it a bit with the heavier string, I think I might have to agree.
The tone has definitely improved, and the buzzing on the frets has lessened significantly. I no longer hear the fret buzz through an amplifier or DI as I did with the .084
The difference between the A & E is slight, though noticeable.
Maybe the A could be fattened up too?
The A string's tone is fine in my pinion, so I think I'm done experimenting with strings for the time being.
I did read on a forum post (don't remember which one) by an apparent staff member that D'Addario were considering issuing a heavier set late last year. Unfortunately I can't find the post to follow up.
I'd really like to try some flat wounds, but since I'm not a professional musician, or even a weekend warrior I'll stick with what I have until they go dead or I break a string.
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