Stock strings on a Newark Series Starfire

Diggey

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Does anyone know what brand is stock on the NS Starfire? They seem to be fat and I'm curious what the gauge is also, if known. Lastly, any ideas for a good string for some Phil Lesh jammy jams? Thanks
 

mellowgerman

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Hi Diggey, the general consensus seems to be that "medium scale length" string sets fit best on Starfires. These are the same lengths that are recommended for most Hofner basses and therefore are referred to as beatle-bass sets by some manufacturers. Most "short-scale" sets will be too short because of how long the Guild bridge is from the point where the strings are anchored to the individual saddles.
In any case, depending on which era Phil Lesh tone you're going for, it's most likely that some flatwounds will get you closest. A lot of guys on here seem to like Thomastik-Infeld flatwounds for their Starfires. These are relatively low-tension strings and therefore have a very soft/flexible feel. I on the other hand have always preferred fat, heavy, high-tension flatwounds because I feel like they produce a correspondingly fatter sound and allow for more dynamic right hand attack; from soft to really digging in. It really comes down to your own playing style and what feels/sounds best to you.
My choice strings are D'Addario Chromes. They make a medium scale set that fits perfectly onto a Starfire bass, but I opt for one of their long-scale sets for the heavier 50-105 gauges. This does require stripping a few windings at the end of the E string to allow it to fit through the tuning peg, but these are very tough strings structurally and it has never caused any issues for me.
Here's a demo clip I recently recorded, initially to demonstrate the mid-notch filter switch I installed in my Starfire, but it does just as well to demonstrate the tone of the D'Addarios
https://soundcloud.com/mellowgerman/mixst004-1wav
 
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Minnesota Flats

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Another vote for D'Addario Chromes, but I use the ECB81M Light, (45-100 Medium Scale) ones. I didn't like the factory rounds at all and took them off ASAP.
 

fronobulax

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A point of caution. Read the package. The scale length is officially 30.5" inches. If the package says 32" then the strings should fit. But some brands use 'short scale' for 32" and others use 'medium scale' for 32" and there are definitely 'short scale' labeled strings that won't fit.

I am hesitant to question mellowgerman because in many areas his memory, opinions and experience have more merit than mine, but my recollection is that strings aimed at Hofners have been problematic because they are aimed at a 30" scale. If is saw "Hofner" or "Beatle Bass" on a string package then I would put it down and walk away slowly, even if "32" appeared on the label. Life is too short to buy strings that might not fit when there are so many choices that certainly will fit.
 
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lungimsam

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My Starfire is Scale length is 30 14/32”.
I use D'Addario ECB82 Chromes Flats (50-70-85-105) 224 lbs. set. Its long scale but I never had probs using LS strings on my Starfire, LaBellas included. I change strings anywhere between 6 months to 1.5 years.
Silk wrap is fine on A,D strings. E/G has 3/4 turn of metal in post. No probs so far.
 
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mellowgerman

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Mr. Frono has me second-guessing myself, though I know I successfully tried a set of "beatle-bass" strings from one of the brands (I think they were LaBellas) on my old JS-II bass which has the same scale length and bridge as Starfires do. In any case, it has been around 8 years since I had them, so I can't guarantee that they didn't change something, but their website does say: "Fits Hofner “Beatle” basses and similar models that require 34″ distance from ball-end to silk." Which makes sense since the string also has a ways to travel from the Hofner tailpiece to the floating saddle.
That being said, I have learned a lot from (and in collaboration with) Frono over the last almost-decade and he has tons of good insights and info. So by no means do I want the above statement to come across as a suggestion that I am wiser than he. Much respect and love for all my LTG brothers and sisters!

As per Lungimsam's comment, I forgot that the Newark Street Starfires have the modern Fender-style tuning pegs, so there would be no need to trim the outer winding of the E string. The vintage Starfire tuners have thinner pegs with a hole through the center much like a lot of guitar tuning pegs have, which is too small to fit the entire girth of the E string through it, thus my comment on stripping some of the outer winding.
 

Happy Face

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To throw just a little more mud into the mix, the TI Jazz Flat 324s (+32" four string) sets come (or at least recently came) in a regular and "Hofner" version. The Hofner version only differs in that the E string is a 95 rather than a 105. That's it. I've tended to seek them out since the 105 feels so large versus the others, but that's just one of my many foibles.
 

fronobulax

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Full disclosure. I wrote 31.5 upstream when I had intended 30.5" as the scale length. The Newark Street specs at the Guild website say 30.75" which differs from my claim. 1/4" is not enough for me to find an old catalog and determine whether the published vintage spec is different from the published Newark Street spec or my memory is just shot. I'll also note that there are various ways to measure scale length and the results do vary.
 

edwin

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If you really want that Phil Lesh 60s to early 70s tone, then Pyramid Gold flats are the way to go. They make a medium scale that fits the Starfire but you have to order them directly from the factory. The short scale set is a bit too short. They are the strings Phil used back in the day. Two notes of Cumberland or Dark Star and you know it's the right string.

Warning: these are very idiosyncratic strings. They sound different all over the bass, but they have "that" sound. It's a feature, not a bug!
 

Happy Face

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I like those Pyramid strings as well. Mainly because they feel a little "tighter" than the TIs.

But ... wasn't it once asserted here that the TIs are more like the 60s/70s Pyramids (which are now different)? Or am I mis-remembering things?
 

edwin

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I like those Pyramid strings as well. Mainly because they feel a little "tighter" than the TIs.

But ... wasn't it once asserted here that the TIs are more like the 60s/70s Pyramids (which are now different)? Or am I mis-remembering things?

I've heard that asserted, but when it comes to the sound, I don't believe it. The mids in the TI's are really different, kind of clangorous in the harmonic series. The Pyramids really have that old school tone.
 

Happy Face

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I've heard that asserted, but when it comes to the sound, I don't believe it. The mids in the TI's are really different, kind of clangorous in the harmonic series. The Pyramids really have that old school tone.

Thanks!
 
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