is my set of SIT silencers defective?

chilliwilli · #1 07-15-2006, 10:44 PM

ok just opened my SIT silencers (120-45) and strung them up on a yamaha bb615

the b string and e string felt sorta like normal nickels and sounded the part to, the a string felt and sounded like a labella flatwound, and the d and g string were something in between..

someone who has a set needs to let me in on the secret. Is my set whack? Also on a normal set do they all feel the same and sound balanced or are there some differences?

ive never gotten a dead set of strings, so was wondering

bassbully43 · #2 07-16-2006, 09:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chilliwilli

ok just opened my SIT silencers (120-45) and strung them up on a yamaha bb615

the b string and e string felt sorta like normal nickels and sounded the part to, the a string felt and sounded like a labella flatwound, and the d and g string were something in between..

someone who has a set needs to let me in on the secret. Is my set whack? Also on a normal set do they all feel the same and sound balanced or are there some differences?

ive never gotten a dead set of strings, so was wondering

Hummmmmmmmm...well...i am an avid SIT silencer user and can't say i have ever heard of this. I did once have a dead D and they sent me a whole new set with no proof at all i just sent an E mail but i do live in the city they are made. My 5 string sets all feel the same...they always have a little edge to them at first when you run your fingers down them but other wise feel smooth. The sound is uniform from B to G and they get deader as they age but still sound great.I have one set that is about 6 months old and another 2 months old and have had 3- 4 string sets before i switched to all 5 stringers.I only think the G feels like a true flat due to is gets so thin. I would sent them an e and explain this...SIT CS is very good.

bassman blue · #3 07-16-2006, 10:07 PM

never heard of that myself. my sit silencers have always been well balanced and no issues.

bassbully43 · #4 07-17-2006, 10:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bassman blue

never heard of that myself. my sit silencers have always been well balanced and no issues.

Bluesman...how do you like those silencers? I love em...but i will admit..i dont have alot of string experience. I have used D'adarrio and Fenders before trying SIT and hate roundwound noise so i stuck to them. I cant see using anything else but heard alot of great things about Chromes...what do you think? I can't afford to switch strings like some of these cats on here.

Mojo-Man · #5 07-17-2006, 08:22 PM

I tried a set.
Did not like them at all.

chilliwilli · #6 07-17-2006, 10:55 PM

well, no one has gotten back to me from either bigcitystrings or SIT.

I think im just gonna order a single A from just strings

chilliwilli · #7 07-17-2006, 11:06 PM

perfect juststrings.com doesnt sell single strings for sit silencers

bassbully43 · #8 07-18-2006, 07:51 AM

Keep trying SIT or give them a day or two...they will get back with you. Do you like the other strings and the sound?

chilliwilli · #9 07-18-2006, 03:50 PM

well i called bigcitystrings (couldnt reach them yesterday) and they said they didnt get the email and agreed to send me out an A string. The guy advised to call SIT also since he thought they would give me a new set for free.

I called them up and someone answered. Before i could really tell her what happened she said the guys who could help me were busy. I dont know if my email got through to them either, so i might not hear from them. Oh well at least i got an A string

and bassbully, the strings are ok they arent amazing or anything, but if they last me 6 months ill get my money worth i guess. Main problem i have is that the b string is to thin and a little floppy. I think I should have gotten the light guage of 5 string Sadowsky flats or the 5 string Fender 7150 original nickel instead though. I dont think ill be buying these again.

bassbully43 · #10 07-18-2006, 11:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chilliwilli

well i called bigcitystrings (couldnt reach them yesterday) and they said they didnt get the email and agreed to send me out an A string. The guy advised to call SIT also since he thought they would give me a new set for free.

I called them up and someone answered. Before i could really tell her what happened she said the guys who could help me were busy. I dont know if my email got through to them either, so i might not hear from them. Oh well at least i got an A string

and bassbully, the strings are ok they arent amazing or anything, but if they last me 6 months ill get my money worth i guess. Main problem i have is that the b string is to thin and a little floppy. I think I should have gotten the light guage of 5 string Sadowsky flats or the 5 string Fender 7150 original nickel instead though. I dont think ill be buying these again.

I use the same set 120-45 and i think IMO the B is perfect in size and on both my Fender and Carvin it is very tight and sounds good. I check both basses and sounded the strings after seeing this thread and they sounded even and felt exactly the same through out. I dont know what was wrong with yours...maybe they are just not for you. I am pushing 7 months on the first set with no problems what so ever and have never (knock on wood) broke an SIT. I really don't see how you need a thicker B thou...man you must like em like bridge cables

chilliwilli · #11 07-23-2006, 11:23 AM

Update!!!!!!!

Well SIT customer service didnt come through for me, but bigcitystrings.com sure did!!

the guy originally said it would be shipped out on the weekend cause he needed to break up a set and had some full sets that needed to be shipped out, but to my surprise an entire set got here yesterday. I just got a reminder why i do business with them. They act like they make the strings.

But anyway i opened up my set and was confused. The outside packaging said silencers, but the individual paper wrap for the strings said power wound. It was still 120-45, but SIT doesnt offer a 120 b string with their powerwound according to their site. The first set i got had plain unmarked paper wraps for the strings that just said what guage it was.

Well i took them out and noticed they were much shinier than my other set when i first got them, but they still felt smooth. The G string still felt kinda like a flatwound like before too. I put them on and wow!!!! They sounded amazing. They were brighter, deeper, and punchier than before. These are probably the best strings i have ever played. If you are looking for a groundwound/halfround string that slaps look no further. I used to play a 5 string American Deluxe Jazz Bass with DR HiBeams and my Yamaha BB615 with these bad boys is right up there with them. They sound deep during fingerstyle too.

Now Im pretty sure they were silencers and my entire other set was defective, which is amazing since they were still playable and sounde decent besides the a string, but they sounded so damn alive i almost want to say they were SIT powerwound Nickel plated steel. Could someone who has used powerwounds tell me if they are smooth feeling? That would tell me for sure.

chilliwilli · #12 07-25-2006, 09:33 AM

bassbully43 · #13 07-26-2006, 09:54 PM

Sorry to hear that SIT let you down ...what did they say? My silencers are nickel and not shiny...kinda that dull nickel look. I think you got Powerwounds and if i remember they feel like reg old roundwounds...silencers have the thin wire wrap and feel kinda grabby at first but smooth. SIT powerwounds are great strings thou as well are silencers compare the two and see what you think.

chilliwilli · #14 07-27-2006, 04:25 PM

well whatever they are they are staying on here for a long time hopefully.

Its a shame sit doesnt offer a 5 string set of their flat wounds, id like to try those.

Jkaz · #15 08-14-2011, 09:01 AM

I bought a bass a few months ago that had SIT Powerwounds, and I was very pleased with the performance of the strings. So I figured I would try the Silencers, and I have the same problem as the OP.

I noticed right away, when I took the strings out of the packaging that the A and G strings were discolored, as if they were used already, but they weren't. The E and D strings had a consistent color across the strings, which is expected.

Despite the appearance of the strings, I strung them up, and I just don't like the feel of the strings. Other TB'ers have mentioned that the strings feel sticky, and I have to agree. There is a bit of tackiness when my fingers leave the strings, and its not easy to slide up the neck.

I've tried Elixirs, and they are much better than the Silencers. Maybe I got a bad batch of strings. I never had that happen before.

Based on my experience with the Silencers, I cannot recommend these strings to anyone. I'm still a fan of the Powerwounds. A great nickel string that has a brighter sound than their DR counterparts, which are very good strings also.

I already have an order in for DR Silverstars to replace the Silencers.

mmbongo · #16 08-14-2011, 09:49 AM

Silencers are a ground roundwound string....you're comparing them to coated roundwounds (Elixer and DR Silver Stars) and regular roundwounds (Powerwounds). Of course they will feel different. Apples and oranges here.

Jkaz · #17 08-14-2011, 11:32 AM

I didn't want people to think that I was bashing SIT, that's wy I mentioned positive feedback on the Powerwounds. I think they might have a quality control problem with the Silencers.

I also mentioned the DR's because I have used them, and I was just sharing some of my experiences. It was a bit off topic.

The Silencer's are constructed differently than the coated strings, but it seems to me that SIT is offering this product as an alternative to coated strings, except for the color. I was attracted to this product because it had similar qualities to the coated strings, and it was very inexpensive. I tried it, it didn't work out, so on to more expensive solutions.

Toptube · #18 08-15-2011, 06:20 AM

I've had several sets of Silencers, but that last set I bought was several months ago, so I can't comment on the possibility of quality issues with recently shipments.

Silencers should be very shiny when new, not quite as shiny as new elixirs, but shinier than other nickels like, roto nickels. They should also appear visibly flatter than a true roundwound.

I've only ever had one set that didn't really feel a little tacky. They usually have the grabby feel and its just something you live with. But, they do cut down a lot on finger noise, have a really nice mid hump in the sound, but they still manage to sound fairly open. They retain a lot of the roundwound quality, without sounding to harsh. With some pickups they can have a bit of a synthetic quality to the tone, though. They also have a pretty balanced feel from string to string.

Overall I like silencers a lot. The only issues being a little grabby, so not good for fast playing. and don't work well with some pickups, but I think just about any string could have that problem.

fretlessguy · #19 08-15-2011, 08:23 AM

Although Silencers were not my cup of tea, I cannot faut them for their quality. I'd attempt to contact them again and tell them what you thought about them.

Jkaz · #20 08-15-2011, 05:47 PM

Hey guys, thanks for your comments.