compare Roto's Swingbass66 to DR Hi-Beam

Uziel · #1 07-25-2006, 02:46 PM

right now i'm playing a Noguera YC 8 with SIT conklin (the only set i've found with a 165 F#), but i need to buy strings for a 6... and i don't know what brand to choose...
can you compare Rotosound Swingbass66 to DR Hi-Beam (stainless) plz
what other brand do you recommand ?

Modern Growl · #2 07-26-2006, 06:43 AM

They both are very good strings. I use both.
DR Hi-Beams are everything! They are bright, with a growly bottom. They warm up and mellow out and sound more round and full after a while, but retain great definition. Roto's have a lot of texture and aggressive character in the mids. A very aggressive midrange grind. These also have a lot of defintion.

DR's are lower tension and perhaps a tiny bit smoother feeling.

Both are great. I like em both.

Only real way to see whats your bag is by buying them both.

Uziel · #3 07-26-2006, 08:45 AM

i've done the test, but years ago...

if i remember, Rotosound are less flexible isn't it ? can this cause problem on basses with string retainer (like sadowsky) ?

opivy3056 · #4 07-26-2006, 09:47 PM

Rotosounds:

Bright, with deep growly bottom. Really rough feeling, eat your frets. Die relatively quickly (still usable, but not the same.). Higher tension. Really aggressive sounding. Neat strings, but hard to love. probably my 2nd fav.

Hi-beams:

REALLY bright, with less bottom than rotos (at first.) Pretty comfortable to play. Brightness lasts a while, and they still sound excellent after 2 months or so. (much more growly, not as harsh.) Less aggressive but more versatile. I love these strings.

this is just my opinion.

KJung · #5 07-27-2006, 06:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by opivy3056

Rotosounds:

Bright, with deep growly bottom. Really rough feeling, eat your frets. Die relatively quickly (still usable, but not the same.). Higher tension. Really aggressive sounding. Neat strings, but hard to love. probably my 2nd fav.

Hi-beams:

REALLY bright, with less bottom than rotos (at first.) Pretty comfortable to play. Brightness lasts a while, and they still sound excellent after 2 months or so. (much more growly, not as harsh.) Less aggressive but more versatile. I love these strings.

this is just my opinion.

+1 to all of the above. I've never used a roundwound SS string that kept a moderate amount of brightness as long as the DR Hi Beams. Very smooth on the fingers and frets also.

slugworth · #6 07-27-2006, 06:41 AM

Rotosounds all the way. DR's burn out on me in about 3 hours.

Slug

daveonbass · #7 07-27-2006, 08:24 AM

I have used Rotosound Swing Bass strings on my 66 Jazz for years. Tried DR Hi-Beams a week or so ago because my local store didn't have Swing Bass strings in stock. Hated them so much I ordered a BOX of Rotosound strings so I'll never run out again, including strings for my 5 and 6 string basses.

Another vote for Roto's all the way. AND - in the process of contacted Rotosound to get these strings (and interest of full disclosure) I wound up getting our band a Rotosound string endorsement deal! Sweet!

So I might not have the most UNBIASED opinion...

Uziel · #8 07-27-2006, 09:24 AM

what gauge do you use for your 6 strings set ?
i think 35 for the high c is maybe too much...

daveonbass · #9 07-27-2006, 01:48 PM

For 6-string basses I use:
RS 666LD - 35 45 65 80 105 130

Also available:
SM 666 - 30 40 60 80 100 125
RS 666LC - 30 40 60 75 95 125

http://www.rotosound.com/bass.html

vikingraider1 · #10 07-27-2006, 08:51 PM

DR High Beams all the way. Great strings in my opionion and although the Rotosounds are good, they don't come close to the DRs.

Tedintheshed · #11 07-27-2006, 09:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by opivy3056

Rotosounds:

Bright, with deep growly bottom. Really rough feeling, eat your frets. Die relatively quickly (still usable, but not the same.). Higher tension. Really aggressive sounding. Neat strings, but hard to love. probably my 2nd fav.

The "eat your frets" is a myth the originated from some Ric users. Ric was using an inferior fret wire at the time- softer than normal. If this is the case for you, then that is probably the case for your bass too.

Roto's haven't died on me relatively quickly. I depend on them for a very ambient sound with lots of prescence.

I compared the two years ago- the rotos are definately brighter and hifer tensioned. I've used them for 14 years- never broke a string.

SherpaKahn · #12 10-18-2006, 10:21 AM

Man I am glad I ran across this thread! I've been playing KS Slicks and Compressors on my two basses for the last three months and am looking for a brighter sound (I'd love to be able to dial in Entwistle's Live at Leeds sound), so I ordered a set of Roto Swing Bass strings in .30-.85 gauge and a set of Hi-Beams in .040-.095. I've been playing .047-102 strings for the last eight months or so and am looking to try playing much lighter strings. I've heard a bunch of good stuff about DRs, and Rotos are one of those string brands you just have to try so you can contribute to the love 'em/hate 'em threads.

Anyway, please keep the opinions coming, and I'll put up a comparison of the two in a week or so.

-Stephen

Roger Pounders · #13 10-18-2006, 10:51 AM

Rotos.....always Rotos. I dont play anything else...

SherpaKahn · #14 10-24-2006, 06:48 PM

Well, I strung up the Hi-Beams today and wow are they zingy! It sounds like I'm playing a harpsichord! I don't want this post to scream too much of fanboyism, but wow are they zingy! They're pretty responsive to my playing technique, too. I brought the action of my bass way down low now, and the combination of low action and much lighter gauge is quite a change from my former high-action heavy gauge setup. Once I string up the Rotos I'll put up a comparison.

SherpaKahn · #15 10-27-2006, 01:29 PM

Well, that's it: Rotos for me. I switched the E-strings on my Roto-strung Precision and my DR-strung Ibanez Musician (Neck-through, Ash, EMGs), and the difference is enormous. DRs are much smoother than the Rotos. They're still bright, but the Rotos have the really agressive growling edge to them, and that's the sound I want. Playing the Roto E string on the Musician I immediately thought of Berry Oakley's solo in Mountain Jam at the Fillmore east, it has that edge, that growl, that amazing amazing edge. One thing I notice with the DRs is that they get fundamental-heavy much more quickly as you travel up the neck. The Rotos stayed growly and IMHO, clearer as I traveled up the neck on both basses. Now it's not fair to read too much into this, because it was only an E-string, but after seeing what that one simple transfer did to my pretty silk winding, I decided one was enough.

Will I play the DR's for the next few months? Absolutely. But I'm buying Rotos (Or maybe even a box of them) when the time comes to get new strings. Dayum they've got growl!

I've always struggled with the sound of my Musician; the EMGs make it sound a bit too harsh, sterile, and artificial to me, so string choice is very important to me on that bass, as it needs a very certain kind of string to make it come alive, and I do think those strings are Rotos. I've only been playing both sets of strings (About three hours a day) for the last four days, so they're both very new, and I'll see how they age. Still, if the Rotos last at least a month, I'll be buying some more.

Oh, and a little ironic fact about these two sets: The Rotosounds are fine; no dead strings, nothing fishy. On the other hand, the DR A string came out of the box very gray and significantly darker than the other strings. It sounds fine to me so I'm gonna hang onto it, but I found it a little funny. I hope this is helpful.

-Stephen

dragoon419 · #16 12-05-2006, 01:56 PM

First of all, lets look at the price. A pack of 4 string DR Hi Beams is $35.00 CA , a pack of 5 string Roto 66's is $40.00 CA. Clearly Rotos win when it comes to cost.

Secondly, lasting power. DRs are as reslilent as hell! I've taken off and restrung my pack of DRs off and on my old 4 string like 3 times, and they still sound brand new. Since I just started using Rotos, I don't know how long they last. Therefore, I'm gonna have to give the prize to the DRs.

Thirdly, sound. Now I know both Hi Beams and Rotos are steel, but they do have different sounds. Hi Beams as far brighter than Rotos, but that's not neccessarily a good thing. At the same time, the fact that Rotos aren't as bright isn't a bad thing. The sound is all in the style. Thus saying so, I feel that the two string are at the very least equal in the matter of sound.

I see that make a tie.

diechris · #17 12-06-2006, 06:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tedintheshed

The "eat your frets" is a myth the originated from some Ric users. Ric was using an inferior fret wire at the time- softer than normal. If this is the case for you, then that is probably the case for your bass too.

Roto's haven't died on me relatively quickly. I depend on them for a very ambient sound with lots of prescence.

I compared the two years ago- the rotos are definately brighter and hifer tensioned. I've used them for 14 years- never broke a string.

im not saying that you're lying.. but i JUST tried some roto's on my modulus.. and its only been about 3 days.. and i noticed some grooves on the frets... maybe it could just be my frets

KJung · #18 12-07-2006, 07:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Modern Growl

They both are very good strings. I use both.
DR Hi-Beams are everything! They are bright, with a growly bottom. They warm up and mellow out and sound more round and full after a while, but retain great definition. Roto's have a lot of texture and aggressive character in the mids. A very aggressive midrange grind. These also have a lot of defintion.

DR's are lower tension and perhaps a tiny bit smoother feeling.

Both are great. I like em both.

Only real way to see whats your bag is by buying them both.

+1 That's how I hear the differences in both those strings. I GREATLY prefer the DR's for longevity, feel, and tension. However, both great... I hear Roto's as more 'aggressive rock' and DR's as more 'aggressive funk' regarding tone.

jonpeck · #19 12-08-2006, 03:16 PM

im going to try some DRs soon butb the rotos go dead so quick

Modern Growl · #20 01-18-2007, 07:38 AM

I just wanted to re-visit this and update my last post's.
I have since decided to use Rotosound's and Only Rotosounds Swing 66's. These strings are just plain out Ear Candy! They really are something special! I have never ever found a string (and I've probably tipped $1,000 in strings over the last 3 years) that has so much harmonic content, with so much pleasing character in the midrange. The high's are very sweet as well, less "harsh" then Hi-Beams. More subtle high's.

DR's are okay, but Roto's are more 'focused' sounding. I just put on a new set of Hi-Beams and they comparatively sound 'sloppy' sounding. Perhaps due to the wider frequency range, but the bottom end was almost hard to control. Then again, I feel they are hard to control in general due to the low tension.

Rotos are just plain out awesome! Turn the tone control down, or cut a little treble and the aggressiveness turns into focused, meaty tone with plenty of Ear Candy.