Rockabilly - 140RB (Rock a Billy) Med/Light Tension Strings

Innovation Double Bass Strings have a unique, non-metallic core which provide a gut-like tone without the cost or maintenance of gut upright bass strings. They hold their pitch well in climate and temperature changes, and most of their strings are equally suited for pizzicato (plucking) and arco (bowing).

Many of Innovation's strings are similar in design, but they assign different names to the different tensions/gauges. For instance, if you like the description of these strings but prefer a firmer feel, the Ultra Blacks are the way to go -- this "Rockabilly" set is essentially the "Ultra Black Light." You don't have to play Rockabilly to enjoy these strings, either -- they have a great old-timey pizz tone.

Innovation Rockabilly Strings were the first offering in their "Slap" line of strings and have a distinctive black outer winding over a synthetic core. These strings, designed specifically for the needs of rockabilly bassists, provide warmer, darker tone with decent volume, making them a great string for players who play predominantly slap-style.

Their decidedly gut-like tone - and softness - makes them a great alternative to the expense and maintenance requirements of real gut strings.

Players report that the Rockabilly strings are a good synthetic slap-style string - and they have the side benefit that they actually sound quite good for jazz pizzicato playing; they provide the player with enough sustain and growl to cover a jazz gig without changing to a different string. They are a little stiffer in feel than the Silver Slaps or Golden Slaps (an important distinction is made between "stiffness" and "tension") so the feel of the string is somewhat different.

Note: All of the Innovation strings do not contain any ferrous materials; they are not suitable for use with a magnetic pickup, like the Schaller we carry. They will work with all typical piezo-based pickups (like the Realist, Full Circle, and all the K&K pickups and systems).

Innovation designs these 3/4 size bass strings to fit on a standard 3/4 size bass. They may very well fit your bass if it is larger than 3/4. For your reference, the lengths of the string, as measured against the bass tailpiece to the nut is 51.5 inches, plus an additional 17 inches to handle stringing in the headstock.

For a comparison chart of the differences between the different Innovation String models, check out the "comparison" tab.

String Lengths

• Ball end to nut (Afterlength + Playing Length): 51.5 inches/136cm
• Afterlength (Ball end to bridge): 5.5 inches/14cm
• Wound top of string (pegbox): 17 inches/43cm

String Gauges:

Important note about the gauges listed above: the measurements were done here at the shop with a (cheap) digital caliper, so they may not be spot on – they’re not intended to be critically accurate, as they are here for basic guidance to give you a rough idea of what to expect. Additionally, variances in raw material supplies (at the manufacturer) can result in strings that may be slightly different from batch to batch. GHS makes the strings to meet a certain tension spec and mass, but (for instance) if there are variances in the gauge of the nylon wire or nylon tape used for the outer winding, it can make for a difference in the strings' overall diameter. All that to say, don't get too caught up in the numbers! Where the rubber hits the road is how the strings feel under the fingers.