Count Bassy Posted March 31, 2014 Share Posted March 31, 2014 Very happy with my Status half rounds! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Number6 Posted March 31, 2014 Author Share Posted March 31, 2014 Phew.....thanks all Lie down.in a darkened room first i think lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gub Posted March 31, 2014 Share Posted March 31, 2014 [quote name='bubinga5' timestamp='1396229264' post='2411238'] sorry to be the Rotosound negative guy, but i really don't like them. i think they are cheap, and don't last very long.lots of hype, but nothing quality about any string they have ever made. I'm not going to bang on about my favourite string. ok DR's. they last forever, and they sound awesome. yes they are expensive, but they are so worth it, no matter your preference. [/quote] I'm with bubinga on this one, you can just feel the quality under your fingertips ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gary mac Posted March 31, 2014 Share Posted March 31, 2014 [quote name='gub' timestamp='1396277485' post='2411713'] I'm with bubinga on this one, you can just feel the quality under your fingertips ! [/quote] and me. They last so well, surviving many a sweaty gig. I do always give them a good wipe down at the end of a gig though. I'm am also impressed by D'ddario Pro Steels. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lozz196 Posted March 31, 2014 Share Posted March 31, 2014 Are these DRs the high-beams? I love Rotos but now I`m in a band requiring a bright sound, they die too quickly so thinking of trying out some recommendations for longer-lasting strings. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Number6 Posted March 31, 2014 Author Share Posted March 31, 2014 I'm going to try some D'Addario XL Nickels i reckon.....quickly before i change my mind lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mokl Posted March 31, 2014 Share Posted March 31, 2014 I used to be incredibly fussy about strings and found DR roundwounds good in all flavours, but not all of them worked so well on every bass. I find D'addarios a great balance between price, feel, sound and quality. I tend to run the Nickel XLs on my 70`s Jazz (as it is very bright sounding anyway) but also really like the Pro Steels. They also seem to sound good when well played in. I try to mazimise my gig earning potential by not changing my bass strings any more regularly than really necessary, and I've been surprised how long I've been able to get away with them still sounding good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ML94 Posted March 31, 2014 Share Posted March 31, 2014 This might go off at a tangent but ... Where do you guys buy your strings for ? At the minute I;m using D'Addarios (EXL) which I have used for over 6 months now. I like the sound, how long they last and most of all I can get a 4/5 string set for around £20 on Amazon. I've heard good things about the Elixir strings but they're going to cost me back quite. (I buy strings every month because I get through them at an alarming rate !) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jezzaboy Posted March 31, 2014 Share Posted March 31, 2014 [quote name='Number6' timestamp='1396291367' post='2411970'] I'm going to try some D'Addario XL Nickels i reckon.....quickly before i change my mind lol [/quote] Good strings. I use them when not using Status flats or half wounds. But as was said earlier, strings are a very personal thing. But Rotosounds, for me, are the worst strings money can buy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Number6 Posted March 31, 2014 Author Share Posted March 31, 2014 I'm lucky enough to work in Central London so can get to Denmark St.....always a bit dearer but less aggravation to just walk in pick a set £££ and go. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
discreet Posted March 31, 2014 Share Posted March 31, 2014 (edited) Here's another for your list: Fender 9050ML Medium Light 050-100. Affordable and readily available online. Nice balance across the strings. [size=4]I used Roto RS66 for decades and was very pleased with them, but latterly found the quality to be not what it once was. Unfortunately.[/size] Edited March 31, 2014 by discreet Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted March 31, 2014 Share Posted March 31, 2014 [quote name='ML94' timestamp='1396293686' post='2412016'] This might go off at a tangent but ... Where do you guys buy your strings for ? At the minute I;m using D'Addarios (EXL) which I have used for over 6 months now. I like the sound, how long they last and most of all I can get a 4/5 string set for around £20 on Amazon. I've heard good things about the Elixir strings but they're going to cost me back quite. (I buy strings every month because I get through them at an alarming rate !) [/quote] When I bought my bass it came with a set of coated Elixirs. Felt a bit weird, but I quickly got used to them. The coating started coming off pretty quickly and making my strings look fluffy, so I swapped to DRs and they've lasted a lot longer. I don't know how they compare pricewise but I'm not sorry I switched. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TimR Posted April 1, 2014 Share Posted April 1, 2014 [quote name='EMG456' timestamp='1396269064' post='2411540'] Bass Centre Elites? I've been using them for years and they do the job well and last a good length of time. [/quote] I'm sold on these. They're really good. I can't remember when I last changed them. Maybe two or even three years ago. Still don't sound dead. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigRedX Posted April 1, 2014 Share Posted April 1, 2014 (edited) Just to illustrate just how personal string choice can be here are my opinions on some of the strings listed in this thread. D'Addario Pro Steels. D'Addario make my favourite guitar strings, so I was massively disappointed to find that their bass strings were so very average. Rotosound. Great provided that you only buy them direct from the Rotosound stand at guitar shows and put them on your bass as soon as you get home. Also IME completely incapable of making any bass strings that aren't for 34" scale 4-string basses in standard gauges. DR. Universally horrible. Based on the numbers of people raving about them on here I bought a whole range of sets to try. Hated them all. Will never string any of my basses with a set of DRs again. Elixiers. Nasty. Nasty. Nasty. Say no more. Elites. OK average string at a reasonable price. Will do if I can't get a set of something I like better. See what I mean? Edited April 1, 2014 by BigRedX Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JTUK Posted April 1, 2014 Share Posted April 1, 2014 (edited) Ok, I'll play. Changed basses which meant a different peg config and so I had to junk all my spares which were mainly DR's. Tried Pro Steels... were ok, so brough a couple of sets. Decent enough price and not truly offensive. Can get by with these if I really had to... Tried a few variations of DR's ... I don't think their QC was is worth the premium price. Used to be bomber in that regard, but I don't feel that now.. IMV. Ken Smiths... Fine, would have no problem using these again. LA Bella Super Steps. I liked the taper on all strings and they were good but not cheap. Newtones.. I settled on these are they make them up for me and I have tapers on all strings. Look very clean out of the box, clean up well...which is very important... and are a decent price. Not super bright but the dull-off is more gradual and progressive over a longer time than other strings I've used. I more likely change them because of the gunky feel than a gunky sound... I'll stick with these guys... Any others I've tried have been entirely forgetable and I have likely had them straight off the basses again and certainly never gigged them.... Edited April 1, 2014 by JTUK Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
icastle Posted April 1, 2014 Share Posted April 1, 2014 I just use Rotosounds. I've used better but they're OK for what they are and I don't expect miracles from the cheapest set of strings in the shop. I wipe them down after using them and as they start to dull down, I just nudge the highs up on my EQ. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uncle psychosis Posted April 1, 2014 Share Posted April 1, 2014 [quote name='ML94' timestamp='1396293686' post='2412016'] This might go off at a tangent but ... Where do you guys buy your strings for ? [/quote] My current strings of choice are Pressurewounds. And, annoyingly, the only Pressurewounds long enough to fit on my 35" TRB1005 are Ken Smith Compressors, for which there appear to be zero UK stockists. So I have to order them from the States (and pay about an extra 50% for the postage costs) or find a friendly USA-dweller who is either coming to visit me or is willing to post them to me directly at more reasonable cost. The strings are worth it though! For those of you who have shorter basses, the GHS Pressurewounds are very good indeed and IME are nearly identical to the Ken Smiths, only shorter. I'm led to believe that GHS make the Smiths, which would maybe explain the similarity. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dand666 Posted April 1, 2014 Share Posted April 1, 2014 La Bella Flats on 2 of my Basses, and Rotosound Rounds on my others. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Number6 Posted April 1, 2014 Author Share Posted April 1, 2014 I've bought some D'Addario XL Nickel wound from the Wunjo Bass shop today.....re-string and re-set up tomorrow.....i'll let you know my thoughts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cheddatom Posted April 1, 2014 Share Posted April 1, 2014 I have a set of newtones on one bass, they're over a year old now and still sound great. I don't play it loads, maybe once a week, but that's still pretty damn impressive. Still, it cost more than £50 and I had to wait 4 months to get them I've always used Elites on my other basses and I like them, but they seem a bit less consistent over the strings when compared to the Newtones. This is on 6 string basses. If I had loads of money I'd stick to Newtone, as I don't, I'll be back to Elites Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Conan Posted April 1, 2014 Share Posted April 1, 2014 (edited) Having played Elites for many years, I decided to try some other brands about five years ago. Having tried DRs, D'Addarios, Fenders, Laklands, Newtones, LaBellas and Ernie Balls (I change my strings fairly frequently!), and liked (and disliked) aspects of all of them - I finally decided to go back to the strings that I used as a teenager, over 30 years ago - Rotosound RS66s. And I really like them!! Strangely though, I don't like then straight out of the pack. I prefer them after a few hours in alcohol/IMS/methylated spirits... After this treatment they sound more zingy (which is my preference) and last much longer before going dull. They can then be resoaked and refitted a couple of times before being consigned to my school's music department and their cheap basses! At around £16 a set, I find that they also make far better sense than some of the sets I used to use which cost nearly three times that amount! Totally agree with the comments about different basses working better with different strings though... Edited April 1, 2014 by Conan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Dyer Posted April 2, 2014 Share Posted April 2, 2014 Would be interested in reading what people think happens to strings as the get duller/older. As far as I know and from what I've read elsewhere, over time natural oils from your fingers combined with sweat, skin and general dust, liquids etc, build up between the windings on the string, this affects the sound of the string as it vibrates. Apologies if I'm stating the obvious. I know people have their preferred method of cleaning but, all you are effectively doing is trying to 'de-grease' the string, and the easiest way to do this is simply a bowl of very hot water and some washing up liquid, just wipe them in the water with a cloth until no more marks appear. How do I know this? Well, I've had headless basses for most of my time playing and one of the great advantages of double ball end strings is they can be cleaned repeatedly, I've extended the life of strings this way for months, years even. Sorry for going a bit off topic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KevB Posted April 2, 2014 Share Posted April 2, 2014 That's why I like using the ones I currently have, never even have to think about wringing that extra bit of life out of them. If they sound a bit dull after a few months at a fiver a set they can be replaced with barely a thought of cost. So far I'm changing them roughly every 4-6 months depending on how much gigging they have done. But I'm not a stickler for minutae of tone, I'm playing rock and pop in a 4 piece covers band. All I'm interested in is what tone I get from my whole setup (including strings) [i]in that context[/i]. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TimR Posted April 2, 2014 Share Posted April 2, 2014 (edited) [quote name='Mark Dyer' timestamp='1396433580' post='2413434'] Would be interested in reading what people think happens to strings as the get duller/older. As far as I know and from what I've read elsewhere, over time natural oils from your fingers combined with sweat, skin and general dust, liquids etc, build up between the windings on the string, this affects the sound of the string as it vibrates. Apologies if I'm stating the obvious. I know people have their preferred method of cleaning but, all you are effectively doing is trying to 'de-grease' the string, and the easiest way to do this is simply a bowl of very hot water and some washing up liquid, just wipe them in the water with a cloth until no more marks appear. How do I know this? Well, I've had headless basses for most of my time playing and one of the great advantages of double ball end strings is they can be cleaned repeatedly, I've extended the life of strings this way for months, years even. Sorry for going a bit off topic. [/quote] Playing the strings also stretches them and together with tuning up/down the steel core eventually loses its elasticity. Heating them up will restore this a bit. The problem with water is that it'll rust the core eventually and the string will break mid set. I've only ever broken one string. Back in the 80s when everyone was boiling their strings and playing like Mark King Edited April 2, 2014 by TimR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Dyer Posted April 2, 2014 Share Posted April 2, 2014 [quote name='TimR' timestamp='1396435191' post='2413463'] Playing the strings also stretches them and together with tuning up/down the steel core eventually loses its elasticity. [/quote] Can you provide some evidence that this actually happens, and how loss of elasticity affects the sound? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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