Stupid Stupid Question about guitar strings

P

Purpleb

New member
Can you put different strings on a bass guitar without it sounding bad or different?
Meaning say i put brand X roundwound strings on my bass guitar. And say that a string broke or I want to change two of the strings (but not all of them)...Will it be ok to replace the one string or two strings with brand Y roundwound string(s)?? or would this sound bad or strange etc..??

sorry if that sounds confusing. It really is not, I am pretty sure its ok and pretty sure people do this all the time (being the norm). I think that is why I can't find nothing online about it. And why i feel a little stupid asking.

Here is my situation. I have a bass guitar with brand new strings, I just wanted to change one of the strings for a thicker gauge string. The strings on there are one brand and the one string I want to change is another brand. is that the norm?? and is it ok??
Real question I guess is it ok to mix guitar string brands??

thanks and i am soooo sorry if this is a stupid question.
 
Hi,

If you mix up different brand strings or new with old you will find an unevenness in the tone between strings. This does not bother some people but it would bother me, and a lot of recording and sound engineers.

If you replace a string for the same model and brand but a different gauge, and the other strings are fairly new you will get away with it.

If I have to replace a string and they have been on a while I will replace the whole set.

Cheers

Alan.
 
Different brand strings will have different tonal qualities... whether you'd notice it is a different thing...

Different guages can affect the total amount of tension on the neck, which may affect the relief, but one string a slightly different guage? Again, whether you'd notice is a matter of conjecture.

It's a harmless thing to do... try it. If it makes the bass harder to play then you can always adjust the neck. And you can always put the old string back on.:)
 
replace the lot.....buy decent strings for a bass and you shouldnt have to replace them for a long time...I have strings that are about 8 years old on my long scale and they sound badass..

I just replaced the ones on my short scale and they will take ages to bed into the sound I want....
 
What everyone said ^^^^

But . . . there's no harm in trying. It may work out to be a good combination for you and your style of playing.
 
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