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Stock Allen Woody Strings?


sal4bass

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Hi everyone. I bought an Allen Woody Rumblekat last week. Killer little bass! Does anyone know what strings Epiphone puts on it at the factory? I would like to know both manufacturer and string gauge information if possible...

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Hey sal4bass, I bought my Rumblekat new and it had roundwound 45, 65, 80, 100 gauge cheap quality strings on it. The thing is that these basses have been made in more than one factory and I'm not sure if they all ship with the same strings.

 

As an Allen Woody fan I contacted Walter Carter at Gruhns music who in turn spoke to Woodys guitar tech Brian Farmer and asked the question what strings did Woody intend to go on the Rumblekat.

 

First thing is that a lot of guys like Flats on these basses, Woody did the development with Roundwounds. And he states his preference in his instructional video. Although he said he did use flats on some basses in particular circumstances.

 

Are you a fingers or pick player (like Woody)? What gauge strings are you used to? (E = 100 or 105 for eg).

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Hi Freuds_cat. Thanks for the reply. I am a finger player and generally like light gauge/low tension strings. Most of my basses have either 40-95 gauge DR Hi-Beams (steel RW on round core for low tension) or 45-100 DR Sunbeams (nickels on round core for lower tension). I also use Thomastik-Infeld Jazz Rounds on one of my basses (43-89). I have wrist tendinitis issues so I try to keep my sting tension low when possible.

 

My Rumblekat came with the same set yours did I believe. Though I think the low E could even be a 105. The strings had massive low bass response but very rolled off highs and sounded pretty dead overall even with the tone control maxed. The only short scale set my local Guitar Center had in stock was the 40-95 Fender. They sound disappointing on the Rumblekat - tinny and screechy with lots of finger noise. I was thinking perhaps a set of Thomastik-Infeld Jazz Rounds short scales might be just the ticket (42-93).

 

I have never played a set of flats before but they do intrigue me. I've read they have higher tension than round wounds.

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Woody was a pick player so he got more attack and click than you or I (I'm a fingers player as well). The thing with the AW Rumblekat is that the type and positioning of the pickups (combined with the semi hollow body) means that you get massive bottoms compared to say a Fender bass, excellent definition in your upper mids and almost no tops at all. Having no rear pup at all takes a lot of top end out of the sound.

 

The pickups are interesting because as Brian Farmer told Walter Carter, the original pickups were modified Gibby Firebird guitar pups, not just standard Gibson Mini Humbuckers. The pickups that ship on the Korean built Rumblekats sound great to me. I can only assume that they were made to the same specs as the modified Firbird pups. I would love anyone at Epiphone to confirm (or deny) this?

 

I prefer 45-105 rounds myself and getting the right tension for a short scale has been difficult but the ones I like best are these.

 

t_16503.jpg

 

http://www.bassguitarstrings.us/store/product.php?productid=16503&cat=346&page=1

Definitely not dull sounding, in fact very harmonically dynamic for me.

 

Getting some good shorty 40-95's is gonna be interesting. Let us know how you go with it all sal4bass. I'd love to hear what you settle on.

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