20 Best Short Scale Bass Strings (2023 Updated)

In short I’m all done with Ernie’s strings. Ernie Ball strings are corroded. They must have had water damage to there warehouse or something. Now they claim on there Package mind you” that their strings have a coating to protect against corrosion.

Here’s the clincher” They tell you, they now include strings that have corrosion in the set! In other words, very damaged strings that will break on you immediately after you get them on your guitar.

I had to fish around for an old D string that popped right out of the box. Soon as I put It on. I could tell right away It looked like a very used. Then I tightened it up and it broke right away. Shocked” dose not say it all.

I have never had problems w/Ernie Ball strings for 20 years. But now there Including corroded water Damaged strings In the set of new strings. Ba-By is the word. BY BY Ernie” By By. Been good knowing you.

I am now looking into other Brands of strings. After all there Is a sea of strings out there to choose from. Ernie Ball slinky thins are Garbage.

BB King famously convinced Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top to switch to lighter strings and Billy never looked back. Tone can be shaped so much by the amp so the primary function of strings is feel and playability.

Lighter strings like these mean you can play harder for longer. I also find I’m playing more accurately because my movements needs to be more delicate.

What can I say? I’ve been using Super Slinkys now for over 45 years. Yes, it’s true. I first put them on my ’72 Thinline Telecaster that I bought brand new and I don’t use anything else. 5 years ago I searched and searched for a different guitar and danged if I didn’t buy another Telecaster, this time an American Deluxe and what strings? – Super Slinkys.

These strings last a long time, bend just like I’m used to and sound crisp. I’ve tried just a few other strings, mainly because someone gave me a set, but I see no reason to stray from Ernie Ball and I keep on buying them.

I like that for the last several years (probably 10) they come in a hermetically sealed envelope, free from oxygen and moisture instead of just a plastic pouch with a flap. Now when you open them, there’s never a danger there could be any rust, even if you’ve had the new strings for many years sitting on a shelf.

I overbought one time and it took me quite a while to use the last pack (several years) and they were still great because they were sealed up so well.

I’ve been playing for 30 years now and have tried string after string on several basses and I always find myself coming back to Ernie Balls. They have the deep tone and the piano sound I like and the thicker stings just sound like a bass! Most guys today play the light gauge strings which to me, is nothing more than putting heavy strings on a regular guitar.

Too many guys playing bass that should be playing guitar! I love the bottom end and you can only get it with thicker strings and a real bass amp. Not those class D TOYS they sell today. Anyway, Ernie Balls are IT, for me!!.

I bought this set to de tune E to D, I have read good reviews about this set doing exactly this. Everything would be ok, but the volume of the last string is lower than others (even before the detuning).

I tried to work the pickups but it didn’t help. Now I don’t know if it’s just my set, or all of the work the same. I use MM HH4, Daddario EXL60 before the switch sets didn’t have this problem.

I’ve been using EB bass strings for years. They’ve never failed me, and I don’t think I’ve ever broken more than one or two of them, despite how I hammer on these things. Power Slinkies are optimal for tuning in D Standard, and C# standard.

You can get away with drop C, but for that use, I usually get a separate. 115 and use it instead of the. 110 just for some added beef. Great strings though, depdendable, and affordable.

Medium scale strings are hard to find, so its a good thing DAddario makes good ones. No annoying silks at the ends either. Fits my 32 scale bass perfectly. Tune up nicely and have a rich zingy sound.

Restrung and set up a friends bass. His brand/model choice. Good sounding, good feeling strings. Average price for “normal” strings, (vs. $$ for some high end strings). No issues.

I deal for through body strung short scale basses like Mustangs & SWB-1s. Brightness seems to last well wit care too.

I have played bass since 1964, worked as a professional musician until the 80’s and am still enjoying playing with amazingly talented musicians. The average bassist may purchase a new set of strings every six months or so.

That ain’t me. I have been on a quest for the perfect string and in this effort have spent a lot of money on bass strings. Honestly, I tried Ernie Ball’s several years ago and was not pleased. It was only through trying their Cobalt Flats (because they were recommended by Pino Palladino) that I realized that something has changed in Ernie Ball’s manufacturing process for the better.

So, I decided to try a set of the roundwounds, the 2824 Super Slinky set. I’m here to say this is the best and most versatile bass string I have ever used. Right now I have them on my American Fender Jazz, my Pedulla Rapture and my Squier Vintage Jazz.

One of the things I like best about the 2824 set is that it is extremely consistent from string to string in tone and volume and is easily colored with the instrument’s tone controls. This makes it excellent for any style of music, rock, funk, jazz, blues, progressive and more.

And the bonus is that this set will cost you less than other manufacturers’ sets. I cannot recommend them more highly. You will not regret trying them.

I am a drummer. My son needed strings. He took a few lessons years ago, and recently decided to try again. Guitar needed strings. I put on a full set and tuned it up. Seem to be functional. Fairly flexible.

I didn’t want really heavy strings. I know they would wreak havoc on un-callused fingertips!.

I haven’t used EB bass strings in quite a long time, I thought I would give them another try and picked them up for a good price. I am happy with them. They aren’t the best strings I have ever used, but they are quite good and a very good deal.

I like the feel of NPS better and these are pretty bright and feel good. I don’t think they are the best match for the particular bass I have them on. This bass is not as hot and could use a boost in the mids, so I am going to put a set of EB Cobalts on next.

These are definitely quality strings though, especially considering they’re so reasonably priced.

Have been using flat wounds for years. Thought I would give these a chance for a change. Like ’em. Low bass notes seem to be a bit clearer or sharper than with the flat wounds. No fret buzz that sometimes happens full wounds.

Give ’em a try.

I have been using these on multiple basses for more than 5 years. I, myself have been a bassist for more than 45 years. I always disliked true flat wound bass strings because they are basically dead when you take them out of the pack.

About 5 years ago, I got a violin bass – copy of McCartney’s – with the desire to get that “round” sound I’ve loved for decades. There are a couple of companies that make a flattened round wound string, and I’ve tried both, but I like these best.

They’re lively and full sounding out of the package and they hold their tone forever. I play a lot at church and other venues and I usually get at least 6 months without changing strings ( I used to change round wounds once a month to maintain that POP).

About three years ago, I got a fretless Jazz Bass and these are PERFECT!!!! All of the beautiful fretless sound with plenty of sustain and string life. If you are looking for the flatwound feel and extended fret life with the lively sound and harmonics of a round wound, these may just be for you.

If you’re going to play fretless, these are far and away the best of both worlds.

I bought these for my Harley Benton Beat Bass, which is a short-scale, violin shaped bass that looks like a Hofner “Beatle” bass. Unfortunately, even though that bass is definitely a short-scale bass, these strings were too short – I don’t have another short-scale bass for comparison, but they seem to be too short to fit any other short-scale basses that I’ve played.

Very disappointing.

This is my second set of Monel flats, but my first encounter with their short-scale set. I put them on my EB-0. As others have mentioned (and maybe this doesn’t apply to your bass), the silk wrapping at the knob end extends over the place the string touches the bridge.

It requires scraping part of the silk away so you can get a metal-touching metal. Again, this may not matter to you; the EB-0, however, produces a mellow tone already and anything that softens that tone (like the wrapping) makes it more difficult to tease even a little crunch out of the instrument.

Not a big deal, but an unnecessary step for me to have to do this when it would be a simple matter to use less silk at the factory and give us ready to use strings out of the bag. Other than that, I like Monel strings — they are strong and reliable — and would buy them again to put on a standard scale bass.

These are great strings. Roto makes great strings. Deep, percussive, but still articulate enough for recording, fast runs, and low notes don’t turn to mush. Be careful on the length, this is true with most string makers.

I usually go medium scale for short scale so I don’t end up with fabric in the nut, or worst, on the fret. Remember, a great deal of your tone comes from the string striking the nut properly. That’s why plastic sounds different than bone, graph sounds different than brass.

If you have cloth in the nut slot, you are robbing yourself of tone. As I said in the title, great if you know what you are buying. Here’s a hint for the many players out there who feel compelled to negatively rate a string because it doesn’t fit your style of playing.

Hey, you don’t buy flatwounds to slap, or chug, or slam. You buy them for their intended purpose; a nice mellow groove. Just because your ignorance on string type led you to a bad purchase, don’t rate the strings bad.

All my basses have flat wound strings on them. Recently I purchased a 1956 Danelectro bass reissue. It is a short scale bass. I needed flat wound strings and D’DDARIO ECB81S Chromes light strings are what I chose to string it with.

These strings are great. They feel right. They give me good tension. The bass sound and plays great. Game over. I may never need new strings, but if I do, I will put the same strings on this bass.

These are a nice strings for a Short Scale Bass. I put them on a 30. 3 scale Gretsch Bass and they really sound good! Not as bright as Round Wounds but twice as Smooth. I think they would work on a fretless fingerboard as well.

I was looking for something to add a little more thump without being too dull and these fit the bill perfectly. I have a Marcus Miller V7-5 and these strings are lovely on it. We had a professional sound engineer come to our church to teach the sound guys how to EQ better and he remarked “that’s a lovely sounding bass”.

I’m getting a better sound in boomy halls too, surprisingly.

These strings do sound great and easy to play but the one set I bought had a dead A string. I followed same protocol as always putting a sharp bend in the string just before cutting as you would do on any round core string to keep the core from slipping.

I do this on my DR strings and never have a problem but this A string is dead from this set of La Bellas. Such a shame as the other strings sound awesome. I took the string off and made sure it wasn’t twisted as this will also cause a dead string sound sometimes.

Still no joy. Great strings but if you also find a dead string in your set, I wouldn’t buy them anymore. I will try another couple of sets and be sure before I decide whether I will use these long term.

I got lucky and won a pack of these, at some F bass event. I didn’t think they would be that great, was expecting them to be average. After putting them on, I was surprised at how amazing they sounded, they have this top end to them I’ve never noticed on other strings.

I remember the only guy who endorsed La Bella’s was Jason Newstead. I would say these are similar to D’addarios xl nickel imho. But they felt a little slinkier to me. Not a fan of slinky’s but they felt great!.

The Labella RX strings have a great tone as soon as you re-string your bass. Nice tension and they have a finish that sparkles like a diamond. They feel great and are responsive to touch and vibrato and I must admit they are very balanced volume wise against each other.

I ordered another set and will install them on my brand new Pro P bass. Thanks LaBella, for making superior products in AMERICA!.

3 things about these: Firstly the warm deep sound pushes twang away from the Bass Guitar, if you want twang you won’t get it from these unless you EQ it that way and even then. Secondly the feel of the string on the flesh tip of your fingers, so it is very easy on the fingers.

Thirdly you can get them for different scale lengths so make sure you check and it tells you on the top of the packet what the scale is (short, medium etc). I play only short scale bass and that’s not 30 inch that’s 25.

5 inch scale so you get fret distances the same as a Classical Guitar and a very light (and smaller) instrument depending on the wood of the Bass. These strings give me a certain tension that I want because the scale fits.

I love the sound of them and the feel of them. If you want that deep warm sound but still with definition and a really nice feel these strings do that. I also like the packaging they come in, sealed plastic bag.

Take note of the Model number ETB92S that ‘S’ on the end probably stands for Short, because you don’t see it when the strings are ‘medium’. Look at the top right hand corner of the packet, that tells you the scale also.

They have got more expensive probably due to the exchange rate but given that they last pretty much forever. I don’t play any other kind of Bass string. If Dogal brought out a range of these type of strings I would have those, but they don’t.

Best strings on a. 4 string rotosound. Now the micro I’ve looked high and. low for flatwound tapewound strings. Finally my calluses get a break because of the smooth strings that are available here. I will be purchasing a few sets.

I’ve been a Bass Player for over 50 years. For many years I have used tape wound strings. I absolutely love them. I have a 70s model Fender Precision that I put tape wounds on in 1985. They are still great.

I just bought an Ibanez Mikro bass and immediately ordered Tape wounds and replaced the round wounds which were tearing up my fingers. These are silky smooth on my fingers and I’ve already gotten compliments on the sound.

I’m old school and love the deep bass sound. I’ve never learned how to slap so I can’t give an opinion how they work for that. If you love the deep bass like I do, you’ll love these.

I was a loyal user of Ken Smith strings for years. With availability seeming to dwindle, I had to consider other options. Tried just about everything on the market, then at the suggestion of a fellow bassist, I tried these.

Unbelievable. Never going back. The steels are awesome, and not grabby on the fingers, the way new steels often are. Marvelous product.

These strings are nice, very well balanced tone. The low B sounds awesome on my Music Man Stingray Special 5 HH! They are not as bright as Ernie Ball Stings in actual color, and tone, but its something I personally like about these strings.

They last a decent amount of time, and for the price, I’m a very happy customer.

All through the 80’s and beyond this GHS set was my set of preference. They sounded great. The price was right and they were above all consistent. Then something odd happened with GHS in the late 80’s and early 90’s and with this set.

I began to experience sets with one or more strings that were dead right out of the package. I suffered along with that for awhile being loyal to GHS and hoping that experience would change. I would get a completely fine set but then the next set.

lets just say it was a 50/50 chance that one or more strings would be dead and that was across all the sets I used for all my bass guitars. Being a professional musician I could no longer deal with buying several sets to get one good one so I made a switch and never looked back.

A month ago I was shopping here on Musicians Friend and just for ya ya’s I thought after all these years I would try another set of these from GHS hoping that whatever problems GHS had at one time had long since been corrected.

When I received this set I put them on one of my jazz basses. I was thoroughly disappointed to hear that the “D” string in this new GHS set was deader than the one in the set I just took off. I could hear the difference before I even jacked in and when I did jack in it was even worse.

What a shame. I used to love these strings and if it wasn’t for this apparently ongoing problem (which I have not had with any other strings by the way) I’d still be using these. As it stands I might as well have rolled up the money I spent on these and smoked it! I ripped these strings off and put on a two year old set pair of Ernie Ball Extra Slinky’s I had laying around but had never used.

Funny they sounded great right off. Nothing dead there. What’s up GHS?.

I’m still waiting on the second set for the order. I ordered two but only one arrived. The email says sometimes orders are divided and come in separate packages so I have faith they will send the other one soon.

That aside, I use these strings on all my basses and believe they have the best tone for my music.

I have been a Rotosound user for the last forty years. Inconsistent quality control, and three dud sets in a row, prompted me to look for something else. The GHS Boomers have so far ticked all of the right boxes.

A good string with good tone and tuning stability.

I used to use Dean Markley lights (9-42). They decided they were going to stop making them with round cores. They were making them as a “vintage” set for a while but then decided to not make them at all anymore.

Hex core is fine for loud, screaming and overdriven sound, but lack the vintage tone I require for the vintage guitars I play. I began the search for a set of strings that were as close to the Markleys as possible.

They were like playing butter. But in my search and hundreds later I found that most string manufacturers had jumped on the hex core wagon. My friend suggested GHS strings to me and I contacted GHS tech support to find a very helpful person.

I described the problem and asked about any strings they had that had round cores. He explained that the Boomers still do and that what I was probably looking for in flexibility were these. So I thought I would give them a try and I was impressed.

They are very close to what I am looking for in an old friend that I don’t have to struggle with to play. Hats of too GHS, my new “go to” string set.

GHS Boomers have always been my 1st fave in strings & I keep coming back to them. When I got back into guitar 6 years ago I discovered coated strings & tried a few kinds that I mostly like. When I saw these I had to try a set.

Same as my usual boomers but last even longer without the annoying string drag noise. Also easier on the touch. Don`t listen to the nutbars who dump on coated strings, these are worth a try.

Upon reccomendation from a friend, I put these on my Squire Affinity 5-string jazz bass which I previously upgraded with Basslines pickups. Wow! I’m amazed how much better it sounds. These strings give me exactly what I was looking for; strong fundamental notes, punch, clarity, with good balance across lows, mids, and, highs.

The band I’m in plays a wide variety of styles. County, disco, light jazz, classic rock, funk, these strings make it all sound good. I use flatwounds on my P-bass but from now on GHS Boomers are the only strings that will go on my Jazz bass!.

Much longer life than other nickel strings I’ve tried – but I buy new ones regularly because they are quality strings. The low tension is easy on my hands and highly playable. I hope Dunlop don’t mess with the longevity formula (like Rotosound did) – and maintain this standard.

I’ll use them forever. I’ve found my dream set of strings. Sorted.

Possibly the best available today? (Subjectively of course). Don’t let the “super bright” bit put you off; these really are an elegant string with a beautiful voicing and comfortable suppleness. Plus with care, they possess great longevity.

Not quite as good as 45-105s sound wise for ‘proper bass playing’ but much easier play fast noodley stuff. Would recommend either gauge depending on your personal aim.

the strings do not fit a fender precision bass. Also the silk ends are badd quality and the stainless steel texture is undesirable compared to other brands. Also the packaging is not as shown.

Having a couple of basses set up for B-E-A-D, I’ve gotten pretty used to just using 5-string sets and throwing the top string out. But it feels less wasteful to go with these Drop Zones. Only question, obviously, is the price.

As far as the strings themselves go, Rotosound steel has a reputation for wearing down frets faster than the competition, but I’ve never found that to be true. As comparison videos on YouTube have shown, they really do have a certain charming piano-y tone to them, too.

Rotosound fan, just not this set. B string was lifeless from the get go. Noticing this lately with their .130 B strings.

Sound choice is a personal preference. This brand of Dunlop strings are perfect for me to play melody solo lines on the bass. They have a smooth broke in sound compare to the other strings that have too much of a bright treble sound and squeal everytime you play slides.

These don’t have awful fret noise associated with the other strings known for being bright. These are the sound I was looking for. These are my favorite string for the style of music that I play. If you like a smooth warm sound these are the strings for you but if you like the bright noisy treble sound don’t but this mid tone dunlop string.

These are the perfect string for me playing solo melody bass lines.

Hey there i’ve been playin bass 27yrs if i have to say and i always look for durability. I play with a pick being i learned guitar first then switched to bass so i’m not easy on my strings. I’ve tried the expensive kind and some reason break them, seems to me the cheap ones always last.

I like the dunlop and have them on all 3 of my basses and am pleased. Now the guy makin a comment on breaking the g string? I would suggest lookin deeper like maybe you got lil notches in your bridge saddle that need a lil filing down.

Experience is to always look at that when you change strings and i bet you will have less of that issue. Point is it’s only 1 string and that same string breaking. Hope he reads this LOL! Give em a try.

Just bought a set. D string sounds as dull as my old one. Absolutely the same! Never gonna buy Dunlop strings anymore! Buy Dunlop?… Bye Dunlop!!))

I play a Rickenbacker 4005 bass (original owner) and have been using RS66LB strings on it since I first discovered them some time in the early 80’s. Before then I had been using standard RS66 strings.

I have small hands and fingers and the difference between RS66 & RS 66LB strings made a huge difference in my playing. I had to do very little EQ tweaking to regain any low-end I might have lost when I switched to lighter gauge and the difference in the overall “feel” and response of the strings was instantly noticeable.

especially in the attack and sustain of the E-string. Now I’m 58 years old and my hands are rather damaged from hard work. It was affecting my playing. So I finally tried RS66LA strings and the difference between them and RS66LB’s was the same for me as how I felt decades ago when switching from RS66 & RS66LB.

I lost almost no low-end and any change is very easily adjusted by a tiny tweak of EQ on my rig. The ease of play, attack and sustain are incredible. The response of the E-string is fantastic and when I play F, G, A’s, etc on the E-string my bass responds like never before.

Very clean & no mud whatsoever. I was afraid such light gauge strings might be loose and floppy on the fretboard but nope. they feel like Rotosounds always do; piano string sturdy. Of course I can easily get less treble & harmonic response if a given song requires a less “classic Rickenbacker sound” by using the tone controls on the bass.

In fact, now the tone controls make a better difference than ever. Rotosound RS66LA strings have now become my only string of choice.

Ive been playing on standard 45-105 gauge steel rounds for some time now, tuned to C#. This worked well for a heavy playing style on my mexican jazz bass, which has a thicker neck profile. But what about my super slim Japanese Jazz Bass? This bass was far too delicate and bowed under medium steel rounds.

I wanted to get that comfortable slack feel, with all the sustain and volume of a steel string, but with this one in E. The extra light rotosounds did the trick! Surprisingly balanced and never flabby in standard tuning.

Had to make a few action and intonation adjustments, but otherwise these strings were just right. Rotosounds have brought new life to an old favorite bass. Best strings hands down for a bass with a slim neck.

These have been my go to strings for 25 years now. The great luthier Rick Turner once wrote an article explaining in a scientific fashion why lighter bass strings provide superior sound to their heavier counterparts.

I have found this to be true in real world playing as well. They’re also much easier to play and especially bend. Rotosounds always sound great, although they don’t hold their tone as long as some of the more modern designs.

As I understand it, typical roundwound strings are made with a hex wire core. The Flea Signature strings are made with a round wire core. This allows you to tune to pitch with less tension making it easier on your fingers, hands and allows greater dexterity.

The feel of the strings are similar to flatwound (you can really feel the string bend around the fret but you get the brightness of roundwound strings. The trade off is the strings aren’t quite as punchy or bright as the hex core strings, but they still sound great.

Was looking for strings that would sound great for slap. These are nickel wrapped with a stainless core and personally, I think they sound better than all stainless. That’s just my opinion though. Everybody has a different sound they think is spot on.

GHS is a company that makes a consistent, reliable set of strings which I have been using on my bass guitars, electric and acoustic guitars for many years. Great clarity and warm tone. There are a lot of quality strings out there, but I personally prefer the “Boomers” for their comfort, tone, endurance and play-ability.

The new packaging made it hard for my daughter, a novice to replace the strings. She need extra help. The strings seem to be of a lesser quality as the high E broke well before coming in tune, and needed to be replaced.

Hope the future purchases are better!.

GIBSON Strings Simply one of the best out there excellent tone, feel. Proper sealed packaging and wont dont rust like Ernie Ball strings.

I like the PressureWound strings for my fretless – they are not dull sounding like flats and they don’t chew up my fretboard like rounds. I’m putting this set on my fretted to have a similar string tone when changing basses in the middle of a live set.

When ordering, I mentioned that local stores don’t have stock 5 string sets. They do, but not PressureWound!.

As I play a fretless, I like these strings! They don’t chew up the fretboard like round rounds do, and they have almost as much snap to the tone, which flat wounds don’t have any. I like these better that the ground would as well.

Absolutely love these Pressurewound Bass strings from GHS. They are a great middle ground between Flatwound & Round-wound. Incredible tone, and less harsh on the fingers. Made in Michigan USA. Highly recommended!.