The absolute worst string I've ever played...or the shortest time I ever had a set on

Sub5ound · #1 01-26-2009, 09:03 PM

Ok. I tried to stop being a gear snob and bought a set of D'ADDARIO Chromes Half-Wound.(Gassin' for DR nickle lo's, impulse buy, urg.) I own a Fender 50's Precision bass. I researched the proper gauge strings that are currently stock on it, you know, to see if I would like a change. Unfortunately, the first music store I went to was closed. I went to another. They had a set of strings in the size I wanted. I passed because they were D'addario. I decided to try one more place a good distance away. The only set in my preferred size again, was D'a.....

These were halfwounds. I have used half's in the past and had no bad experiences with them. I bought them. When I got home and took them out, they didn't look like any half wound I'd seen before, they looked like a regular string....ok.
Strung my bass.
My string height automatically went up.
They felt sticky like steel(I hate steel strings)
The tone sucked!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I cannot emphasize the tone part more.

I took them off as fast as I could and put the set that came with the bass back on. This was a half hour before reheasal.
Is it me, or does D'addario just suck. Maybe the wrong strings in the pack?

DavePlaysBass · #2 01-26-2009, 10:40 PM

Their nickel rounds are a good string. Never played the 1/2 wounds. I have not seen a lot of praise for them either.

Ampeg SVT · #3 01-26-2009, 10:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sub5ound

These were halfwounds. I have used half's in the past and had no bad experiences with them. I bought them. When I got home and took them out, they didn't look like any half wound I'd seen before, they looked like a regular string....ok.
Strung my bass.
My string height automatically went up.
They felt sticky like steel(I hate steel strings)
The tone sucked!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I cannot emphasize the tone part more.

I will answer why they look like normal strings, its because they used to be roundwounds but the windings are ground down, there are several strings on the market that you can buy like this though they are called groundwounds or halfrounds.

The string height going up is something that can be compensated by lowering the action, that is something that any string can do to your bass and is something you will have to get over.

The stickyness is one of the reasons why some people dont like them, I happen not to like it either.

Tone sucking, well that is your opinion. You could have at least lowered the action to see if it was alright.

JimmyM · #4 01-26-2009, 11:19 PM

I've got a set of Half Rounds on my Turser Beatle bass. I didn't have those problems, but they're not my favorite string ever. But I'll keep them on there because they sound and feel good on that particular bass.

**barebones** · #5 01-26-2009, 11:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sub5ound

Is it me, or does D'addario just suck.

Maybe they're just not for you.

PilbaraBass · #6 01-26-2009, 11:25 PM

D'Addario Nickel roundwounds are simply my favouriter string, ever...

I know exactly what to expect from them, they are entirely consistant....and they sound very good...

I can't comment on the chromes...but I can tell you that I am not a flatwound kinda guy...

I either go nickel rounds, stainless rounds (newly discovered for me) or nylon tapewounds

JimmyM · #7 01-26-2009, 11:30 PM

This thread is why I usually buy strings online now. There are 6 or 7 brands of strings commonly available at stores, and a small pool of choices from those brands, all based on trends in sales. But you can get anything you want online.

bassbully · #8 01-26-2009, 11:41 PM

Funny i just posted today about the very same results with those strings....the worse i have ever bought. Others on here have said it too. A local music chain went out of biz last summer and there were 15-20 packs of DA halfrounds in the store. I cant remember but they were like 3 packs for $25 or $12 ea, something like that. The more you bought the cheaper they were. I had played chromes and really like them and thought for $12.00 why not. If i liked them i will come back and buy a bunch. Well i felt just like you those strings were off in 2 hours . Felt like metal slivers were going in my fingers and all the tone of a donkeys *ss. Chromes rock but those string blow.

bassbully · #9 01-26-2009, 11:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JimmyM

This thread is why I usually buy strings online now. There are 6 or 7 brands of strings commonly available at stores, and a small pool of choices from those brands, all based on trends in sales. But you can get anything you want online.

So true unless its an oddball local music store its the same old same old where I go

Kevinmach · #10 01-27-2009, 12:10 AM

When I got my first set of Roto rounds (stainless) they felt really odd. Coarse, kinda sticky/grabby, and very strange to play. I gave it a few days, and now they are favorite string I've owned so far.

I don't have as much as experience as many on here, but I was previously using D'A rounds (XL) and they were not bad. Nice bright tone, even if they were pretty much run of the mill strings.

I guess the longer you play, you know what you like, and you like what you like.

In summation, I can't say D'A as been my favorite string, but I would not hesitate to buy their brand name if they had something that caught my eye or the price is right. It's all about experimentation and trying new things.

John Bigboote · #11 01-27-2009, 12:25 AM

I'm perfectly fine with the half-rounds; have 'em on two Fender 4s. Like the way they play, like the way they sound. Guess I'm used to them.

The only strings I've ever hated were Boomers. Awful.

-jb

fullrangebass · #12 01-27-2009, 04:05 AM

I would not say "hate", I'd say "highly dis-liked". It is the DR Bootzilla strings. They felt very sticky and stiff, while they sounded muted. After 30min they were off my bass. I had another 4 sets (for 5str bass) of these strings and I gave them for free

JTE · #13 01-27-2009, 08:21 AM

Rotosound RS-66L. During the first set I used them, the guitarist asked why I kept turning the treble down. I wasn't touching the amp, it was the strings going dead. Two sets from different distributors same issue. Goes along with their reputation- even The Ox who invented them said he changed them every day.

Fender 9150 ML flats- The ugliest clankiest set of flats I've used in 30 years. I left them on the Sting for a few weeks to allow them to mellow, but no luck. I haven't liked Fender strings since I quit using the Studio Bass Flats back in the mid '80s.

As for the D'Addario Half-Rounds... I used them when they first came out around 1976. They were nickel then and made a nice bridge between rounds and flats, but ultimately didn't really succed as either one. GHS's Brite-Flats are a much better moddified round-wound than D'Addario's Half-rounds for me. And I'm a bigger fan of D'Addario than GHS (for both bass and guitar) by a long shot and have been for 30 years. Half-Round (and Brite Flats, and Dean Markely's Ground Round Wound) strings are not for everyone.

While the OP only says the tone sucked, with out any objective description of what he wants and what he wasn't getting, these modded rounds are made for specific sounds. If you want a bright boingy roundwound sound, they ain't gonna do it. And they do tend to be a higher tension so of course the action will go up. That feel on the outer surface is part of the character of new modded rounds. So, I suggest that for the OP, it's better to make sure you get a string that's of similar construction to what you want than to just buy the same gauges.

jte

Sub5ound · #14 01-27-2009, 09:07 AM

If anything, I felt they were too bright for what they were. Yes, I did buy them in haste and should not have assumed that the tension could possibly lower than the Fenders(which rate pretty high compared to say, a DR string of the same gauge). The tone was the worst out of any string I ever put on a bass...period. I did not know what to expect,
what I got got was crap, end of story. Of course this is just my opinion. I can say that for the price, the constuction seemed a bit off...there were spots where the string was really dark on the surface and there were noticeable "grind" marks. To me, it felt like I was playing with some high tensile electric fence wire from Home Depot, not bass strings.
I'm just curious if anyone else has shared this experience. My own opinion needs no re-evaluation.

kevinmoore73 · #15 01-27-2009, 09:13 AM

I think D'Adaario Chrome flats are great strings. I've never use the half-wounds before.

ohskigod · #16 01-27-2009, 09:16 AM

I had the same experience (not as much a problem with the tone, which to was ok) but the sticking point (pun FULLY intended) was how they felt to the fingers. I wanted to break my bass over someone's frikkin head it was so annoying. those strings had to go!!

switched to rotosound flats and never looked back......they had that best of both worlds sound i was looking for and felt great under the fingers.

rrohde · #17 01-27-2009, 09:19 AM

I really, really love the D'Addario Chromes ECB80 - Ribbon Wound - Super Soft Gauge (.040-.095) strings. They feel just perfect to me. Maybe check them out as well?

BaldBass · #18 01-27-2009, 12:14 PM

As most posters seem to agree string choice is pretty subjective, "one man's trash is anothers treasure" so to speak. For me the worst strings I ever used were Elixirs, I just didn't like anything about them, tone, feel, price...nothing. My favorite strings are LaBella Deep Talking Flats, If I need a set in a pinch DA Chromes will do.

debassr · #19 01-27-2009, 12:18 PM

This topic was recently covered in another thread: Which strings do you like the least?

FiveStringsNme · #20 01-27-2009, 01:35 PM

I have halfrounds on a fretless precision, and I've honestly had 'em on for years on end now.. they still sound as good as they did years back. I haven't had any problems with them.

well then, there you go. I hope you wound up getting the strings you wanted after all of this.