If your bass has bisonic pickups you will need medium scale strings.
It’s all up to your hands and ears. But if you want Flatwounds your biggest challenge will be getting a set that doesn’t have at least one dead string in it right outta the package -with all manufacturers I have encountered this problem. Don’t use long scales as they can break from bad wrappage on low E string post and gives worse intonation.
Short/Medium scale strings that fit Starfires that I have tried. My impressions only. Others will differ in their opinions:
- TI Jazz Flats (JF324 43-56-70-106 short scale set, fits). Nickel flats with silk wrapped spyrocore round core. Very powerful fundamental. Clear and present articulate tone. Almost no harmonics. Very powerful tone but has a softer edge and not as airy as steel rounds. Light tension 120-something lbs. They sound like the bass in the second verse of the song Kashka from Baghdad by Kate Bush.
- GHS Precision 3120 Stainless Flatwounds medium scale 45-95 Dead and dull sounding
- Pyramid 640 Flatwound strings short scale. D and g sounded clear, but the an and e strings were dead. Light tension comparable to TI.
- Daddario black tapewounds. A snd E dead. Even replacements from Daddario were dead. The d and g sounded great.Fun to play snd nice sound overall but too bad about the an and e strings. The d and g sounded great. Fantastic woodsy tone when strings clank on frets. Think Carly Simon “you’re so vain” bass intro/Macartney and swings “My Love@ tone. Fun to play. Wont ground out when touched because of nylon outer tape winding so gonna be more interference noise than with metal strings. Light tension comparable to TI
- D’Addario ECB81M 45-65-80-100 medium scale flats. Sounds like TI Jazz Flats but brighter. Light enough tension but stiffer than the former strings mentioned here.170-something lbs. tension Sound great! On the brighter side.
- LaBella low tension flats. Exquisitely made to the eye but sounds like rubber bands when tuned to pitch to the ear. At least the set I received did.
- NOS Maxima nickel flats medium scale.A/d/g sounded awesome. Low E was utterly dead. Comfortable to play and had a nice feel in the left hand.
- Rotosound 77 flats medium scale 137.31lbs. 40-90 were dead sounding. Very dead sounding set. If you are into that. These are for you.
My favorites for bright tone is Ernie Ball Cobalts but they don’t make them in medium scale. Daddario sound closest. TI Jazz flats sound amazing but softer attack and less bright. For now I use TI strings as they are the most fun to play, light tension, sounds great!!!!
