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Dunlop Super Brights - stainless vs nickel?


TRBboy
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Hi folks, 

I've used the stainless ones for quite a while now, but was just wondering if anyone has experience with both and could say how the Nickels compare? 

I know that usually, nickel will be a bit warmer and smoother than stainless, but I'm sure I read somewhere that people had actually found the SS version of these to have a bigger, warmer tone? 

Thanks for any opinions! 😊

Oli

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4 minutes ago, hooky_lowdown said:

I can't believe people said the steels have a warmer tone than nickels.

I know, I know, completely counter intuitive, but then these strings do feel, respond and sound a bit different to anything else I've used. Thought it might be a thing anyway, but probably not. 😂

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Just now, M@23 said:

I'm trying the nickels, I like the sound and tension. They're very coarse/rough on the fingertips though, compared to D'Addario nickels I normally use. 

The SS ones fell rough to start with too, you should find that goes fairly quickly though. 

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I’ve used both. I used to string my “smooth jazz/Fusion” basses with steels but nowadays just prefer the nickels on everything. Still super bright but more warmth and thickness in the mids for me. Nickel has just always been my sound despite my departures and attempts to prove otherwise! 

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Thanks for all the input guys, think I'll definitely go for nickels this time! 

Out of interest, has anyone tried both the 40's and 45's, and is there much difference? I've always used the 40's, and I LOVE how easy they are to play, but just wonder if the 45's would provide a slightly fuller sound, whilst still being fairly easy to play..... 

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3 minutes ago, hooky_lowdown said:

You probably won't feel the difference, I switch between 40s and 45s all the time. 😁

Cool, thanks! So 45's will basically feel the same, but will they sound a bit fuller or not? If not, I may as well stick with 40's....

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4 minutes ago, TJ Spicer said:

You can dig into the 45s a bit more, little more tension. I actually prefer the bottom end on the 40s but I’ve had a big batch of 45s to get through. 

Interesting! That seems kinda counter - intuitive? They do have a huge bottom for light gauge strings though. I love the feel of super lights so much, they just feel so easy to play! 

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3 minutes ago, TRBboy said:

Interesting! That seems kinda counter - intuitive? They do have a huge bottom for light gauge strings though. I love the feel of super lights so much, they just feel so easy to play! 

Yeah I was shocked by that too as I only started playing 40s after bass gear started shutting down and weren’t getting any more strings in stock. It’s just a different kind of low end to my ear. I think it may actually be that there’s a little less fundamental in the 40s making the low end “puffier” and bloom more, more like a an optical compressor sound (which is a big part of my setup). But I am now desperately searching for weird words to describe the difference so it’s all in the realms of personal experience haha 😂

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6 minutes ago, TJ Spicer said:

Yeah I was shocked by that too as I only started playing 40s after bass gear started shutting down and weren’t getting any more strings in stock. It’s just a different kind of low end to my ear. I think it may actually be that there’s a little less fundamental in the 40s making the low end “puffier” and bloom more, more like a an optical compressor sound (which is a big part of my setup). But I am now desperately searching for weird words to describe the difference so it’s all in the realms of personal experience haha 😂

Yeah I get what you mean, a fresh set of SS 40's do have quite a 'compressed', modern, sound to them

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I usually use stainless steel on active basses and nickel on passive basses. What I have found in all my years of using stainless steel strings that those Dunlop Super Brights were the harshest sounding strings I've ever tried fresh out of the packet, but they soon mellowed to a nice crisp tone that actually lasted very well. 

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