I already knew before I ordered the Ignition SE, that change of strings was essential for it to sound better, because the default strings sound terrible. So I ordered a set of flat wounds, that were unfortunately too long for this violin bass. I had to reorder a set of medium scale, from the Hofner brand itself, and finally the bass was set up! It sounds amazing with the warm low end from the flat wounds, and the shorter neck makes it super playable. Let's not forget about the bargain you get for this price!