[dosland]

I'm not very clever with the strings, so others will be better on that question than I am - I'm pretty happy with the D'Addario EXP series in hard or extra hard tension for casual play: cheap and long-lasting strings that put up with a fair bit of abuse. With the humidity where I live, the coating also keeps the basses from going dull as quickly as most other strings I've tried. You might want to try a forum search so you can read up on the wide range of opinions on strings around here - lots of helpful people around with loads of experience.