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[BigHig]

I know I may be beating a dead horse here, but who out there prefers the old silicone strings to the new polyurethane strings?

[Brock]

The Ashbory sounds far better with the Silicone strings in my opinion. Here's a post that demonstrates the sound difference nicely:
http://www.largesound.net/bass/index.php/topic,653.msg2216.html#msg2216

This is not to say the polyurethane strings don't have their place or role, but that post does a great job of breaking down the sound difference.

-Brock

[BassFace]

How about the upright sound, do the Pahoehoe work for that?

[dgs]

I am quite satisfied with the standard silicone strings.  I have owned and used my Ashbory for over 3 years and have NEVER broken a string!  I did have to replace my D string once because it developed a weird harmonic and was impossible to tune.  I would not expect any string on any instrument to last forever.  Normal wear is just that, normal.  I have never tried any of the other strings because from all I've read on this forum they sound like a pain to contend with, what with special mounting procedures and all that.  I've also read that the other strings have less sustain than the silicone strings.

[Tankgirl]

I love the Pahohoe strings and haven't broken one since I made the switch.   Before that I broke several, almost always the G and sometimes when it was sitting in the stand.  The last time was in the middle of a gig.  That convinced me to give the Pahohoes a try.  I also MUCH prefer the Finger Ease spray to the very messy powder required by the silicone strings. 

What I love about this website is all the great tips you find from other 'Bory Heads.

[redstriper]

I prefer the pahoehoes, they sound great - different to the original strings but still great.
The best thing is that they don't break and I can now rely on my Ashbory as my main gigging bass.
They are also more stable - the old strings just keep strecthing until they become really floppy, while the pahoehoes soon settle down and remain taught.
Finally, I'm pleased to have got rid of the talc, which just gets everywhere.
I won't go back now.

[redstriper]

There are no special mounting procedures with the new pahoehoes, but I think they they do have slightly less sustain.
I found the original strings much more prone to damage and not able to withstand normal wear and tear for long - I keep the same strings on my traditional basses for many years.

[Gman]

I just picked you three sets of old Guild Ashbory strings from a dealers who had them shoved back in a drawer. I paid him $7 a set. So far the fist set seems to be fine.

[heymelbs]

Pahoehoes for me.  IMO the silicone do a better job at sounding like an upright, but I'm not always playing upright kind of music.

[johninmemphis]

I like the Pahoehoes also. I bring a jar of Palmer's Cocoa Butter and lightly dip the tips of my fingers in it every couple of songs to keep the strings slippery.

[Grassy Ash]

I just mailed an order to Owen for a couple of sets and I'm looking forward to trying them. I should have something to report pretty soon. I've been meaning to do this for over a year, and finally all of your good reports have got me going. 

[BigHig]

After trying the silicone string for a while longer, I finally got COMPLETELY fed up with string breakage. I'm now fully committed to making the pahoehoe strings work for me.

I'm not in love with the weird overtones that I get from the pahoehoes but I think I may just need to tweak the settings on my amp to filter those out.

[heymelbs]

I used to have a lot of string breakage when I played acoustic guitar, until I used a looser grip on the pick.  When I was breaking strings left and right, it drove me and the other band players crazy.  As a result, I get really irritated when strings break.  At least with the acoustic guitar, I could blame myself but if I'm at the mercy of strings that break willy-nilly, then I'm looking for something else.

[krellmusician]

Just curious -- the low tension/short scale pahoehoe strings have somewhat smaller diameters than the regular silicone strings.  Has anyone tried stringing the Ashbory with pahoehoes that more closely approximate the silicone sizes?  Is there a reason why this wouldn't work properly or wouldn't produce an adequate sound or sustain?