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10-31-2005, 11:39 AM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Germany | | | Could it be that stainless steel strings aren't really the right strings for me?
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I kind of like a bass sound with a bit of bite, so I've always used stainless steel strings plus the occasional set of nickels when I couldn't get any steels.
Thing is, I noticed that some stainless steel strings have a very "high" top end, not a lot of mids and lots of bass, which makes them sound a bit muddy when their freshness is gone.
Is it just me, or do nickels not "age" this badly or is it just my imagination?
In closing, could someone recommend me some strings to me that sound bright and snappy, have strong high mids and not that much bass? My Status fiver has enough bass of its own which can sometimes be too much, which I'm trying to correct with a set of bright strings. |
10-31-2005, 01:29 PM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Jan 2000 Location: Aarhus, Denmark | | | DR Hi-Beams
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10-31-2005, 02:19 PM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Québec city ,Canada | | | +43550
nothing else than high beams for me now... |
10-31-2005, 03:57 PM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Maple Valley, WA | | | Steel strings...meh....
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10-31-2005, 10:23 PM
|  | Knowledge is Good - Emile Faber | | Join Date: May 2003 Location: Pleasant Hill, CA | | | Hmmm. I swore up and down that Prosteels were the string for me. And they are. . . . on my Reverend and other passive basses. They did NOT sound good on my Sadowsky, however. Probably the worst string imagineable. I went to a nickel. Fender 7150s. I highly recommend the Fenders.
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10-31-2005, 10:29 PM
| | | | Hey great quote Daniel! |
10-31-2005, 11:28 PM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Maple Valley, WA | | Quote: |
Originally Posted by WillBuckingham Hey great quote Daniel! | Heh. Quote: |
Originally Posted by Folmeister Hmmm. I swore up and down that Prosteels were the string for me. And they are. . . . on my Reverend and other passive basses. They did NOT sound good on my Sadowsky, however. Probably the worst string imagineable. I went to a nickel. Fender 7150s. I highly recommend the Fenders. | Steel strings just sound awful on my current bass. Half rounds and my bass couldn't make a better couple. I really like super slinkeys, just on certain basses. And I REALLY like steel strings on marcus miller sig basses. (Don't own one, but have played one with steel strings).
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Having technique is not only about using technique, but knowing how to apply technique to music. In this respect, monster chops are relative.
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10-31-2005, 11:28 PM
|  | TalkBass' resident Bongo + Cowbell player | | Join Date: Nov 2000 Location: Bucaramanga, Colombia, South A | | DR Hi-beams are the best strings I've played, but unfortunately they're not easily available where I live. What I normally use is a set of La Bella Hard Rockin' Steels and I like them a lot. It's strange to me that musicians seem to have sort of a grudge against La Bella (at least where I live) and I think that's the reason why these strings are cheaper than D'addario XLs (nickels), the most popular and expensive strings in my town. Normally, steels are more expensive than nickels, but that's not the case here with these two brands (I think if someone ever brought D'addario steels, they should be extremely expensive). Quote: |
Originally Posted by phxlbrmpf Is it just me, or do nickels not "age" this badly or is it just my imagination? | That's exactly the reason why I don't like the XLs. They sound incredibly good when fresh, but they die too quickly. In general, I've found that steels last much longer than nickels and that's why I prefer them. My advice is to try a set of DR Hi-beams first and if you don't like them (after a considerable amount of time and playing, of course), try the Hard Rockin' Steels. |
11-01-2005, 02:33 AM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Germany | | Ok, I think I'm gonna try the HiBeams when I have some cash lying around. What do yo think of the Rotosound Swing Bass strings? They're a bit cheaper and as far as I know, they're pretty much the "classic" steel string. I remember the first pack of strings I ever bought being Rotosounds, the E string kept on jumping out of my bass's nut because I had no clue you were supposed to wind the string around the post from one direction only due to the positioning of the tuning machine and I kept trying again and again. My entire room was full of fuzzy red bits of cloth from the stuff that was wound around the end of the strings.  |
11-01-2005, 02:38 AM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Jan 2000 Location: Aarhus, Denmark | | Yeah, I actually had Roto's in my mind too, when I recommended Hi-Beams. They sound somewhat different from the DRs, but still matches your critia for emphasis on the hi-end and higher mids. More raw and hollow sounding. www.stringbusters.com has them cheap, and taxes should be no problem since you are in europe too.
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11-01-2005, 05:05 AM
|  | I took the one less traveled by | | Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Reims, Champagne, France | | | I don't like the feel of steel plated strings.
They act like a file on my calluses.
I don't like the tone when they're brand new, clanky and all.
And yes, I too noticed they wear really quickly.
Nickel for me. |
11-01-2005, 05:34 AM
|  | Unprofessional TalkBass Contributor | | Join Date: Dec 1999 Location: Brighton, England, UK, Europe | | Quote: |
Originally Posted by phxlbrmpf I kind of like a bass sound with a bit of bite, so I've always used stainless steel strings plus the occasional set of nickels when I couldn't get any steels.
Thing is, I noticed that some stainless steel strings have a very "high" top end, not a lot of mids and lots of bass, which makes them sound a bit muddy when their freshness is gone.
Is it just me, or do nickels not "age" this badly or is it just my imagination?
| What you are describing is "dead on" to me - in about 20-25 years of bass playing this has been my experience as well.
So there was a time when Rotosound steels were the only reasonable bass strings I could get, but I hated how they were too bright and scratchy when you first put them on - then there was only a brief period where they were usable! 
It was such a revelation to discover decent nickel strings and especially D'Addario SlowWounds!! 
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