Brightest Nickel Rounds

[Razman]

What could be a more opinionated discussion than strings - motor oil? Fender vs. Gibson? Or perhaps the best bass for metal?

Ok, to be serious, I played a Cirrus for 6 years and put either Peavey Cirrus strings on it or DR's (when my local shop didn't carry them any more). I used Hi Beams for a while and then switched to DDT's to try something different. Since my church sound guys (and pastor) prefer a bright, aggressive tone, dead strings (read: 3 mos. old) were unacceptable so they got replaced frequently. The DR's were nice and bright, but after an initial zingy period they gradually tapered off - even with regular cleaning.

For a couple years I owned a Dingwall Voodoo fiver and loved Sheldon's strings. After nine months of owning it I put on a new set and couldn't tell much difference - those strings lasted forever, credit the scale/tension and quality of the bass/strings.

My last fiver was a Jackson on which I put D'Addario ProSteels (they were cheaper than DR's, I didn't have the 35" scale length requirement of the Cirrus and the sound was decent enough not to require the extra $$ for the DR's). Still, had to change them frequently to keep 'em bright and get good enough sustain out of them.

My current bass is a custom five string which is shod with Circle-K's (.150 balanced set.) The bass already has great sustain, the larger strings add to it, and although the Bart pups/pre tend to emphasize the bottom end I just boost the upper mids and highs to get the tone I need. The strings don't get harsh like SS can be, and they last a reeeeely long time. I'm at five months on my current set - and don't play any less than before; sometime next month or after the new year I'll order a new set.

What quality I really like is the fact that my tone changes less over time and is only perceptible when I change out the strings. I use denatured alcohol to clean them regularly and that also helps; and an older Circle-K string has the flexibility of a new D'Addario - if not more, even after months of use.

Either way, have fun on your quest. BTW I run Amsoil in my van...

[GroovinOnFunk]

got some rotobass strings (aka nickel roto swing 66 strings w/o the silk wrapping) and after a 3 hour gig (for which I had no amp and was going through just the PA), I thought they sounded awesome! Plenty of high end and mids! They are definitely smoother than their stainless steel counterparts, but are still coarse compared to most nickels I've tried. They sound amazing to me though...

I'm also interested in getting some super long D'Addario XLs and trying those. I can't help, however, but feel like I may eventually end up caving and buying some DR Black Beauties. They seem to pair really well with Roscoe basses in general.

[Lo-E]

So, at the end of November, I said I'd play one last gig with the D'Addarios and move on. Clearly, I lied a little.

The D'Addario XLs have been on the bass for about six months now, and that's a long time even by my cheapskate standards. While they did go dead eventually, they have lasted a very very long time. I really should have changed them back in November, but I'm impressed that they didn't really get any worse since then. They're still sounding okay, but I'd hardly call them bright anymore!

Next up: RotoSound 66 Swing Bass Nickel. Why did I choose to go with these next? Because they were in front! Very scientific!

I'm going to change them in a few minutes, and rehearse with them at a rehearsal studio later today. We'll see what happens....

[mmbongo]

Originally Posted by Lo-E

So, at the end of November, I said I'd play one last gig with the D'Addarios and move on. Clearly, I lied a little.

The D'Addario XLs have been on the bass for about six months now, and that's a long time even by my cheapskate standards. While they did go dead eventually, they have lasted a very very long time. I really should have changed them back in November, but I'm impressed that they didn't really get any worse since then. They're still sounding okay, but I'd hardly call them bright anymore!

Next up: RotoSound 66 Swing Bass Nickel. Why did I choose to go with these next? Because they were in front! Very scientific!

I'm going to change them in a few minutes, and rehearse with them at a rehearsal studio later today. We'll see what happens....

I want to see what you think!

Compared to XL's and SIT, I found Roto Nickels to be dull, dead, and lifeless.

[Lo-E]

Well, based on a 2 1/2-hour rehearsal with the strings still brand new, my thoughts are that the sound is much more scooped than the D'Addario XLs. The treble detail is way up top with not much in the upper mids. Tension is a bit higher than the XLs as well... more along the lines of how the SITs felt. The feel is smoother than SS Rotos, though.

All in all, I'm not in love with these strings. They're okay, but they don't have the nice mid push that the XLs had - even after the XLs had gone pretty dead. I do like the blue silks - very classy - so I guess it's not a total loss.

I have a small pile of gigs in the next few weeks, so I'll probably use these Rotos for them and then move on. All part of the learning experience!

[Lo-E]

Three+ weeks in and the sound of these Rotos has actually grown on me a bit - maybe I've just gotten used to them. I think I still prefer the D'Addario XL's tone, but these aren't bad; the top-end crspness is kinda nice.
Tension-wise, they're still too stiff for my tastes (or my wimpy fingers).
I've got three more gigs booked in the next couple weeks and then I'll move on to the next contestant on The String Is Right.

[sdenney78]

Lo-E

Great reviews! I can't wait for the next one! I'm going to use these reviews to help me in searching for bright nickel strings.

[Lo-E]

Originally Posted by sdenney78

Lo-E

Great reviews! I can't wait for the next one! I'm going to use these reviews to help me in searching for bright nickel strings.

I'm glad you're getting something out of this!

It's funny... I wasn't all that picky for years. I used whatever nickel rounds I could find that were a good deal and were available in my preferred guages (45/65/80/105 - I like an 80 on the A better than an 85). For a long time that was D'Aquisto, which has since gone belly-up.

I buy one bass that sounds darker than the others and the next thing I know, I'm on a flippin' crusade! Thanks to adding a dark-sounding bass to the stable, I'm listening to things I never thought about before - and learning a lot in the process.

However this ends up, I'm having fun.

[exidor]

For my P I put Dunlop nickel plated steel nice N bright!! 100-40

[mmbongo]

Originally Posted by exidor

For my P I put Dunlop nickel plated steel nice N bright!! 100-40

Oh Lord, no. Dunlops are not bright nickels. They are about the same as Rotobass, Warwick, and Dean Markley. I've got a set of each right here.

D'Addario and SIT are the brightest nickels I've tried.

[Lo-E]

For all practical purposes, I could stop testing right now because I got what I was after with the D'Addarios... but what fun would that be?!? ...and what if I'm missing something even better? I got a bunch of sets of strings and, darn it, I'm gonna try 'em!

As I said yesterday, it's making me pay attention to a lot of things I never really payed attention to before. It's a fun process.

[ggvicviper]

Originally Posted by Lo-E

For all practical purposes, I could stop testing right now because I got what I was after with the D'Addarios... but what fun would that be?!? ...and what if I'm missing something even better? I got a bunch of sets of strings and, darn it, I'm gonna try 'em!

As I said yesterday, it's making me pay attention to a lot of things I never really payed attention to before. It's a fun process.

D'Addario is a great string company, no questions asked. However, what drove me nuts about them was the length of the string that was long scale. Would never fit a through-body bass or a 35" scaler through-bridge.

I started using Hartke strings, and they're very similar to D'Addario XLs in feel and tone. They're cheaper as well (sold at all Sam Ash locations), and have the .135 B that fits through the body. I haven't used them long term yet, but I like 'em so far.

[Lo-E]

I used to pick up the Hartkes every once in a while. Sam Ash would sometimes have them in three-packs for stupid cheap. I haven't used them in at least five years. Probably longer. I do remember thinking they were pretty similar to the D'Aquistos, though. Perhaps I aught to try them again!

[exidor]

Originally Posted by mmbongo

Oh Lord, no. Dunlops are not bright nickels. They are about the same as Rotobass, Warwick, and Dean Markley. I've got a set of each right here.

D'Addario and SIT are the brightest nickels I've tried.

I concur and agree.I don't own nickels

[mmbongo]

Originally Posted by ggvicviper

D'Addario is a great string company, no questions asked. However, what drove me nuts about them was the length of the string that was long scale. Would never fit a through-body bass or a 35" scaler through-bridge.

I started using Hartke strings, and they're very similar to D'Addario XLs in feel and tone. They're cheaper as well (sold at all Sam Ash locations), and have the .135 B that fits through the body. I haven't used them long term yet, but I like 'em so far.

D'Addario now winds their strings longer, right at 37" I think.

[ggvicviper]

Originally Posted by mmbongo

D'Addario now winds their strings longer, right at 37" I think.

....???? Since when????????????? Last packs I picked up didn't, and it wasn't that long ago - maybe 2-3 months ago?

I want to know more please.

[Lo-E]

Next! Sadowsky Black Label nickel.

My first impression after just plugging into the B-15 in the living room: Nice feel and a very nicely balanced tone, but not especially bright. I could see myself liking these on other basses a lot. I kinda wish the A was an 80 instead of an 85, but it's not the end of the world. I have a rehearsal scheduled later today that will put them through their paces for a few hours. Will report back with real-world impressions (my living room - much to my chagrin - is not the real world).

[FourBanger]

How much do you all play each type before evaluating it? I find a big difference between the out-of-the-pack sound, the broken in sound, and the eventual worn out sound, whereas some guys perceive it as new, worn out, then way worn out.

In my ear, the initial sound is not the nickel sound. Some stainless players seem to onlt want the initial sound for those, but the me a nickel roundwound is not an out-of-the-pack and on to a session string.

[Lo-E]

Originally Posted by FourBanger

How much do you all play each type before evaluating it? I find a big difference between the out-of-the-pack sound, the broken in sound, and the eventual worn out sound, whereas some guys perceive it as new, worn out, then way worn out.

In my ear, the initial sound is not the nickel sound. Some stainless players seem to onlt want the initial sound for those, but the me a nickel roundwound is not an out-of-the-pack and on to a session string.

Throughout this thread I've been giving an initial out-of-the-pack impression, an impression after playing with a band and then revisiting each set several weeks later.

[Lo-E]

And now for the with-a-band impression of the Sadowskys:

They were definitely brighter in a band setting than my first living room impression. Lots of nice detail. Still, I would not characterize the sound as especially bright, compared to the other sets I tried so far.

Instead, these are really even, balanced strings. In fact, I really like these strings a lot. It's very likely that I'll be using these again on some of my other basses if they last well. The feel and the tension are very comfortable. I'm glad I found these!

On this particular bass the D'Addario XLs are still in the lead for bright tone, but these Sadowsky's are a nifty find, indeed.

I'll revisit in a few weeks to report how they've held up.