Caught Between Nickel and Steel...Suggestions?

[woody357]

Hey Will, you have jammed with Maynard Ferguson, man that is too kewl. I know that had to be a blast. Way to go bro.

[WJGreer]

Indeed it was. He did some clinics in Austin at one point, and I got to be in the band. Very cool. That cat can play some high notes.

[permadave]

Originally Posted by phat5

Ken Smith Burners are very smooth and very bright! I found a used set stashed in my "junk" box last weekend and put them on my P bass............They have been on 3 different basses, and soaked in alcohol. Bought these strings 3 yrs ago, & They still ring loud and clear! I just ordered another set for my 5'r.

+1 on these

I use the tapercore burners med-light and they are working fine for me so far on my G&L for slap/tap, finger style and pick. I use the steel tapercores on my other 2 basses and they rock too. The steel ones, however, are a lot rougher feeling than the nickels which are both bright and smooth IMO.

[FunkSlap89]

Originally Posted by Larzon

D'Addario XL (Nickel) - Best Nickels I've played, decent brightness

+1. I'm using these right now. If you decide to go with nickels, i'd recommend these. Although I'd also like to try sunbeams. Anyone have any opinions on these?

[phat5]

Originally Posted by permadave

+1 on these

I use the tapercore burners med-light and they are working fine for me so far on my G&L for slap/tap, finger style and pick. I use the steel tapercores on my other 2 basses and they rock too. The steel ones, however, are a lot rougher feeling than the nickels which are both bright and smooth IMO.

BBML-5-TC's The D,A,E & B strings are taper core / .045-.125
I just rcvd mine from juststrings.com $36.67 shipped!

[SGT. Pepper]

How about Stickel?

Naa, all kidding aside, try GHS B52's.

[bigtexashonk]

I'm mostly a flatwound player, but I recently put a set of D'Addario Chrome Flat mediums on my Lakland there's plenty of meat and zing. Plus, they have a nice smooth polished surface.

[Intune]

I haven't found a roundwound that matches Roto 66's. Yes they are rough on fingers & frets. Work your way up to playing them for a long time. The LaBella flats (great sound) on my p feel almost sticky when I switch from the Roto-strung j. I don't know how to describe it but I am so used to the rounds that the flats kinda "grab" my fingertips. Get tough, use Roto's!

[WJGreer]

Originally Posted by Intune

I haven't found a roundwound that matches Roto 66's.

Yeah, they sound good, but the last set I tried went dead after one night. Seriously.

[MysticMichael]

Originally Posted by SGT. Pepper

How about Stickel?

Naa, all kidding aside, try GHS B52's.

Yeah, I've played the B52s as well. I would second this suggestion...

MM

[Fuzzbass]

As noted previously, Sadowsky Bright Nickels are appropriately named... they are amazingly bright. And Sadowsky steels aren't as rough as Rotosounds.

I'll also vouch for the Elixir Nanowebs. Here's my usual testimonial: yes, Elixirs cost twice as much, but they pay for themselves. Last summer, in the space of just over a month, I played three outdoor gigs in 90 degree heat and 90 percent humidity. I sweat a lot in these conditions! Any set of uncoated rounds would've died within just one of those gigs, but the Elixirs still sounded great after all three.

Elixirs eventually die from metal fatigue and fret wear, but the coating protects them from sweat and oil and gunk that kills strings quickly.

As noted, they do have a bit of a different tone than uncoated rounds, mostly in the treble frequencies. But it works for me for fingerstyle, pickstyle, and slap.

[Larry99]

You might try the D'Adarrio Nickel r/w EXRs. They're coated and pretty zingy like stainless yet have the smooth feel of nickels. ...a bit pricey but I really liked them. Unfortunately I just picked up a 35" scale Lakland JO5 and they don't fit.

[LoveThatBass]

Try GHS Infinity Steels . They are steel wound but coated in a thin red coating. They feel good but still retain some zing.

[Mean Mr Mustard]

are the rotosound monel jazz flatwound 77 nickel or steel?

[markjazzbassist]

+5 on the d'addario EXL (nickel) roundwound

i also play funk, but just fingerstyle, no slapping. I liked these strings a lot better than the DR Low-Riders. They come in light to heavy gauge which is good in my book since i like a heavier gauged d and g string.

good luck