ernbie ball strings tone

[therex]

how is ernie balls strings tone compared to daddario? i am playing a major gig by the end of the month i want to have a ultimate tone, my bass sounds great with fresh daddarios but i want to try ernie ball strings, what are your opinions?

[Coelho]

IMO and IME the nickel Ernie Balls sound and feel very similar do the D'addario XL.

[Revvv]

You won't likely be able to tell a difference. No one else will either. You're tone and your sound most likely comes from your fingers more than the strings.

You will only tell a difference in that the strings are NEW and BRIGHT.

[2001-Ps]

I'll second Coelho in the similar XL & E Ball Nickels. Ernie ball will feel more ``floppy`` as they have less tension than XLs...

[spaz21387]

I prefer ernie ball strings over d addario. I used to use daddario alot but then musicians friend raised the prices of the 2 string pack to 26$ and that caused guitar center to raise them up another 10 or so. So I switched to ernie balls and I dont use anything else. They are cheap and sound great. They do sound pretty close to daddarios though.

[kazuhank]

The tone is very similar between EB and D'Addario. One factor worth mentioning is that I've had a few sets of EBs with a "dead" string. It's happened to me a couple of times and when I managed a guitar shop it would happen with the occasional guitar and bass set. So to me, the EBs were a little less consistent so I always bought D'Addarios. YMMV.

[Mish_]

i have never tried ernie ball bass strings before. but, they're the only strings i will ever use on guitar, and i don't think i will have a different opinion for the bass. it's cheap in value, yet durable. i love it.

[therex]

Originally Posted by 2001-Ps

I'll second Coelho in the similar XL & E Ball Nickels. Ernie ball will feel more ``floppy`` as they have less tension than XLs...

really? will EBs be flopier than daddarios? the reason i was thinking of trying ernie balls is that they make 105 gauge E strings while daddario doesnt(i know they do but they are very rare in my country)

[jasper383]

Very similar in my experience. Balls are maybe a little brighter, D'Addarios a little mellower.

Maybe.

[KevinMG]

If you have a major gig coming up, I wouldn't change things up. And it would be helpful to know what basses we're talking about. But here's my experience with both.

On my 5 string Fender American Dlx P, the D'addario XLs offer more clarity on the B string and an overall darker character. More tension too (using 130-100-80-65-45) when compared to EB. I like the EBs though because I like the tone that comes from strings with some give. But I like the consistency across the strings of the XLs.

On a passive P, really hard to tell the difference. I was liking the EBs primarily because the top end mellowed more quickly.

Everything sounds good on my Jazz basses, but I'd agree that the EBs are brighter than XLs. However, once broken in I like how the EBs growl in the bottom range but still have some dryness to them.

Everyone's ears are different. I don't think you'll notice a difference and it sounds like you're already happy with what you have.

Good luck.

[infinitetoast]

Ernie Balls sound very bright and twangy, but feel slack and loose to my fingers. Their guitar strings are nice though

[kyral210]

Its all about your personal choice. I currently favour GHS Boomers over all others. Though I also prefer D'addario over EB any day!

[moomoocajoo]

Originally Posted by Revvv

You won't likely be able to tell a difference. No one else will either. You're tone and your sound most likely comes from your fingers more than the strings.

You will only tell a difference in that the strings are NEW and BRIGHT.

I cannot +1 this enough.

[Bass_masta16]

I'm quite satisfied with my EB's, I've never tried D'addario, but my fingers prefer EB's.
Its your choice though.

[phat5]

I have used EB Slinks and XL-170-5's. The Slinks (IMO) seem to have a warmer sound than the XL's; a touch more mid range content. The Slinks are also slightly looser in tension, not too much of a difference. I prefer the sound of the XL's, they have more "zing" than the EB's and cut thru the mix nicely. On the other hand, the EB's are more consistent string to string. I tried 2 different packs of XL's and the B string sounded slightly different from the others; two other bassists I have met in Iowa City area, have expressed the same.

[JTE]

I think they're the same strings. Ernie Ball is D'Addario's west-coast warehouse you know. They're packaging is exactly the same (check the little plastic pouches they use- if you can find the NON environmental packs from D'Addario any more). What other companies have a light set that's 45/65/80/100 and a medium that's 50/70/85/105. Every other company is 45/65/80 (or 85)/105.

Ernie Ball nickles are D'Addario XL nickles.

jte

[Marve]

Originally Posted by kyral210

Its all about your personal choice. I currently favour GHS Boomers over all others. Though I also prefer D'addario over EB any day!

Same.

[paganjack]

i liked EBs when I first started out, since they are super bright and metallic (I LOVED the sound), but they go dead after like a week. I went through like 3 sets of EBs in 2 months before I went over to DR Low Riders. I haven't looked back.
then again my hands are probably rougher on strings than most so maybe they last longer for some. maybe you could try that ethanol cleansing thing too with those and get some more mileage out of them.

[Dogbertday]

I use EB Hybrid slinkys... I love the sound but I hate the zing of new strings so to me they take a good week or two to break in... they seem to be pretty transparent no matter what stage of life they're in (meaning that my EQ can really do it's job and the strings don't seem to effect it as much as say flats would... though I get a great bassy tone from my EBs when they're dead...

I swear by the EBs

[ozrider]

I love the EB super slinkys. I like the feel and sound of them. had some XLs once and they are the only new strings that ever broke on me..