Warm, punchy Nickel roundwounds please- no zingyness!

[cameltoe]

OK i've been generally using Fender 7250's for the last year or so, but recently went back to the D'addario XL nickels as my Fender's had started to feel dead.

Turns out I hadn't realised how 'dead' the Fenders were, as the new strings now sound waaaaay too zingy for me! I was sure they had sent me stainless by mistake, but no, I had just let the old strings go completely flat.

While the new strings now sound alive and fresh, and that's a good thing, I've realised how damn bright and zingy these D'addario's actually are. I had to raise my action a bit a couple of days after I put them on as the sudden increase in fret noise was getting on my nerves, even playing extra clean!

I don't recall new strings ever sounding as clunky as this when going from the 7250's to new 7250's

Some of the reason-I think- could be down to the fact that the D'addario's don't have any silk windings at the ends, which results in a lot of sustained 'laser-beam' type zing when open notes are played- but also on the whole I think they must be quite bright for nickels.

Can anyone recommend a set of nickel roundwounds which have all the warmth and punch of fresh nickels, but without too much zingyness to them? Silk windings at the ends would help too. And while I'm here, I'd actually prefer low-tension strings, if anyone can recommend a set that will do everything I want!

I've heard that lighter gauges=less tension, I've also heard that heavier gauges=less tension, and I've heard that it can be down to the way they're made as well- but I've also seen strings advertised as low tension before, so maybe they're out there.......

[stinson]

I recently bought a set of Dunlop nickels (45-105) for my P bass. Really happy with them, they settle down pretty quickly and a nice tension. Pretty cheap too. Worth checking out.

[cameltoe]

Nice one, I'll check em out.

[warwickhunt]

DR Sunbeams... not cheap but after the initial freshness has gone they last for ages, so can be as cost affective as cheapies.

[cameltoe]

Wow £27.60......yeah not cheap, but if they last twice as long as £14 strings then i'm happy. Are these silk wrapped on the ends?

Anyone got any words of advice as far as gauges go? I want the tension to be low. I usually use whatever has the 100-gauge E. Can be anywhere from light to medium.

Whats the deal with cloth wrapped strings?

[eude]

[quote name='warwickhunt' post='802916' date='Apr 11 2010, 07:11 PM']DR Sunbeams... not cheap but after the initial freshness has gone they last for ages, so can be as cost affective as cheapies.[/quote]

+1

Sunbeams are great strings, reckon they'll suit you down to the ground and they last
I personally like a bit more snap, but not too much, so I go with DR's Nickel LoRiders these days.

[quote name='cameltoe' post='803100' date='Apr 11 2010, 09:50 PM']Wow £27.60......yeah not cheap, but if they last twice as long as £14 strings then i'm happy. Are these silk wrapped on the ends?

Anyone got any words of advice as far as gauges go? I want the tension to be low. I usually use whatever has the 100-gauge E. Can be anywhere from light to medium.

Whats the deal with cloth wrapped strings?[/quote]

As far as gauges go, SunBeams are a little softer than other Nickel strings I've played, so I reckon if you go with your regular gauge you'll be pleasantly surprised.
Also, you can buy them from the states via ebay a lot cheaper.
I usually buy from this seller >> [url="http://shop.ebay.com/bassspecialties/m.html?_nkw=&_armrs=1&_from=&_ipg="]http://shop.ebay.com/bassspecialties/m.htm...from=&_ipg=[/url]

Silk windings won't have any impact on your string's sound, they're purely cosmetic and to stop the exposed string end scratching your bass.
The only bit of the string that has an impact on the sound is the bit between the two break angles/points, the bridge saddle and the nut.

Cheers,
Eude

[sifi2112]

I like the DR Hellborg but not cheap .. have bought 4 sets of Picato for nearly the same price !

Haven't tried em yet but luthier I know recommends & £9.95 for SS & £7.95 for nickels !!

[url="http://www.stringmail.co.uk/bass.htm"]http://www.stringmail.co.uk/bass.htm[/url]

cheers

Si

[Grand Wazoo]

Whoever told you that the silk wrapping may act somehow as a sound damper is talking out of his bath plug. Once the open string is resting "naked" between the bridge saddle and the nut slot, there is no amount of silk wrap that will make any difference to the sound.

Silk wrapping is just used to give the outer wrap a final seal, but many manufacturers like D'Addario and Ernie Ball don't use them as they've realized they don't actually need them.

Edited April 14, 2010 by Grand Wazoo

[lee650]

+1 on the DR Sunbeams, they are my absolute favourite string(i have them on my jazz), a little bit of zing initialy but wears off fairly quickly leaving a nice warm but very clear sound, just perfect, i used D,addario XL,s for years and you cant beat them on cost/tone as they are very good but as yo say quite bright and harsh compared to the sunbeams, i currently have fatbeams on my 5 string and they are very warm and smooth for steels, not much bightness at all really, i was very surprised, i am very tempted to try the lo rider nickels after the earlier post, although i remember trying the steel lo riders and not liking them at all.
Anyway its all subjective and a very expensive learning curve finding "your" string, good luck with the quest

Edited April 14, 2010 by lee650

[eude]

[quote name='lee650' post='805978' date='Apr 14 2010, 12:58 PM']+1 on the DR Sunbeams, they are my absolute favourite string(i have them on my jazz), a little bit of zing initialy but wears off fairly quickly leaving a nice warm but very clear sound, just perfect, i used D,addario XL,s for years and you cant beat them on cost/tone as they are very good but as yo say quite bright and harsh compared to the sunbeams, i currently have fatbeams on my 5 string and they are very warm and smooth for steels, not much bightness at all really, i was very surprised, i am very tempted to try the lo rider nickels after the earlier post, although i remember trying the steel lo riders and not liking them at all.
Anyway its all subjective and a very expensive learning curve finding "your" string, good luck with the quest [/quote]

I'm really digging the Nickel LoRiders, they just a have a bit more of an edge than the SunBeams, with quite a mid range growl to them, but without the harshness you get with Steel strings.
I also tried the Steel LoRiders, and although I liked them, they wheren't warm enough.
I'd say they're pretty close to the D'addario XLs, but slightly less harsh and lat a lot longer
One thing to note, the LoRiders, Nickel and SS, are a little tighter in feel than the SunBeams too.

Cheers,
Eude

[discreet]

[quote name='eude' post='805990' date='Apr 14 2010, 01:08 PM']I'm really digging the Nickel LoRiders, they just a have a bit more of an edge than the SunBeams, with quite a mid range growl to them, but without the harshness you get with Steel strings.[/quote]

Will try these, sounds like just my thing - thanks.

[Adrenochrome]

Nickel Elites do that for me. Some have complained that they are rough but I've never had any rough strings so far.

[cameltoe]

[quote name='discreet' post='806008' date='Apr 14 2010, 01:25 PM']Will try these, sounds like just my thing - thanks. [/quote]

Oi! My Thread!

Thanks, I'll try these, they sound like just my thing.



Gonna give the Sunbeams a go I reckon! If I find them lacking a little snap I'll try the Lo Riders. Just trying to get away from the 'zing' of the D'addario's. They do have a sweet spot that they hit after a couple weeks of playing, but too often that doesn't last long enough and before you know it they're dead

I'd like to go for a set that gives me the sound I'm after fairly soonish after restringing, and that keeps that sound for a decent while. I notice when they're in their sweet spot as I hardly have to adjust my EQ when the strings are performing. Sunbeams seem to be the way forward- cheers for the advice!

[discreet]

[quote name='cameltoe' post='806334' date='Apr 14 2010, 06:02 PM']Oi! My Thread![/quote]

Oops.

[cameltoe]

No worries, just kidding

What I'm after is a percussive thump from my P bass (what it's good at!) that sits nicely in the mix and can drive a band along. I also need to be able to have fairly good note clarity- not trebely clunkiness, but enough tonal clarity that it's evident I'm actually playing notes!

DR Sunbeams seem to be the ones to go for, although I have heard people mention Thomastik Infeld roundwounds.....

Edited April 14, 2010 by cameltoe

[Musicman20]

DR Sunbeams...are they nice and flexible? I dont like really tense strings. If they are pretty 'average' tension they might work for me.

[discreet]

[quote name='cameltoe' post='806435' date='Apr 14 2010, 07:54 PM']What I'm after is a percussive thump from my P bass (what it's good at!) that sits nicely in the mix and can drive a band along.[/quote]

Yes, all this! When you get the strings let me know what they're like! Please.

[lee650]

Thanks for the info Eude!!!
i really do love the sunbeams, but i would like a little more snap from them (the d,addarios have a great brightness, but sound very harsh compared with the DR,s and they die very quickly and sound awful when they do) so the nickel lo riders sound ideal, there was alink to an excellent shootout between the DR line that ed friedland had done, he recorded them all, so you can compare them (the lo riders had the best slap sound i thought).
As i said something between the sunbeams and hi beams will be spot on, as i dont like stiff feeling strings, the round core strings are really flexable.
cheers - lee

PS - Sunbeams/hi beams = round core = flexible
nickel/steel lo riders = hex core = stiff

Edited April 14, 2010 by lee650

[Owen]

Thomastic Jazz Rounds. HOW MUCH?!?!?!?! but I have had a set on for 3 years now and they still give up their mellow goodness.

[warwickhunt]

[quote name='Musicman20' post='806492' date='Apr 14 2010, 08:38 PM']DR Sunbeams...are they nice and flexible? I dont like really tense strings. If they are pretty 'average' tension they might work for me.[/quote]
They are certainly not heavy going, I'd say they are at least 'average' tension if not less; actually quite close to...
[quote name='owen' post='807744' date='Apr 15 2010, 10:23 PM']Thomastic Jazz Rounds. HOW MUCH?!?!?!?! but I have had a set on for 3 years now and they still give up their mellow goodness.[/quote]
My second favourite nickel string is the Thomastik 'Alloys', they were very reasonably priced from Thomann when the £ v Euro was stronger but bordering on silly money at the minute.

[BigBeatNut]

[quote name='Grand Wazoo' post='805809' date='Apr 14 2010, 10:42 AM']Silk wrapping is just used to give the outer wrap a final seal, but many manufacturers like D'Addario and Ernie Ball don't use them as they've realized they don't actually need them.[/quote]
Ernie Ball's have no silks ? I'm trying to identify some flats with no silks at the moment, could you possibly take a look [url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?s=&showtopic=84755&view=findpost&p=809404"]HERE[/url] ?

Andy

[Kohpnyn]

I like Rotosound Swing bass nickels.
That said I don't have much experience with nickels.

[simonc61]

A friend of mine swears by Picato strings - £7.95 a set from www.stringmail.co.uk - he has them on all of his basses, around 10 or 12 I think.

[chrismuzz]

Ernie Ball used to be my nickel string of choice, even back when they were £25 a set!

Newtone strings are highly recommended too

[cameltoe]

Been using Sunbeams ever since I started this thread, couldn't be happier, exactly what I was after. Last ages and a great sound.