Nastiest snarlies fattest sounding roundwounds?

[Kyon`]

What do you recommend to get the nastiest snarly in your face sound with just fat growly bottom and harsh aggressive highs. Really I'm just looking for a more aggressive sounding strings... I've always liked Fat beams but I find them too polite on my G&L, same with Hi Beams too.... I'm a DR fan but I don't know they seem to polite for me. Ernie Balls also sound too nice and mellow and rotos just don't keep that same bite beyond an hour for me. I am trying to decide between DR Lo Riders and Dean Markley Blue Steels as I've heard and remember them being bright yet full though I'm open to anything at this point.

[Dogbertday]

bootzillas might be something to check out. I got a set that I'm going to try out this summer. some other guys here might be able to attest better than me but the description on the package is pretty much exactly what you're describing here.

[mvw356]

rotosound swing bass 66

[7StringBassist]

how bright ya want um ?
Pro Steels are hell of bright.

[BillytheBassist]

highbeams> prosteels>fatbeams.

[dmusic148]

Originally Posted by mvw356

rotosound swing bass 66

+1. If you can deal with how they feel, they sound great.

[OriginalCrash]

This screams Rotosound SS rounds to me... and screams loudly at that.

Brian

[funkmangriff]

Originally Posted by Kyon`

rotos just don't keep that same bite beyond an hour for me

SPOT ON!!! can't agree more!!

Lo-riders are the strings for me, tryed hi-beams but they don't seem to have as round a low end.

definatly try Lo-riders, they last ALOT longer than ANY rotosound i have ever used

[Kyon`]

Yeah I know the sound I'm looking is the rotosound sound but I just don't feel like they keep the same sound long enough for me to keep buying them.

[lorenk]

Blue Steels. Talk about harsh highs at first, then once they break in you get great highs...forever.

lows are great too...pick and pluck gets such different sounds outta em (imo). I really like em!

[Geezerman]

Steve Harris flats

[anthowl]

Originally Posted by mvw356

rotosound swing bass 66

+100

the steel ones yes? very grunty, even and have great aggro highs that are still contained and don't take your head off.

[jdombrow]

Tomastik-Infeld Power Bass

[Thundar]

I love a nasty roundwound tone...I used Blue Steels for years but Im lovin the Dean Markley SR2000's...and they last

[PBass101]

I tried the TI Powerbass and found them lacking top end. Very punchy, middy string but not "nasty" or "snarly" in the least.

Rotosound Swing '66's - some of the most rough, edgy bass tones you'd ever hear have been developed using these - Entwistle, Geddy Lee, etc. - and if you can afford to keep them fresh for gigs, you're fine. Strings don't need to sound brand new when you're just practicing.

[Nedmundo]

I have SS Lo-Riders on my L-1500, and frequently use Blue Steels on my Precision. They're both great. To my ears, the Blue Steels have more treble cut, but the Lo-Riders have fatter lows, which is why they work so well on the L-1500 with its "sweet spot" humbucker. The Blue Steels are a little light in the lows, but I still think they're well-balanced overall, and they're probably my favorite rounds for my P-bass.

[THSL]

I don't think it's the strings only... I'm using D'Addario Pro Steels. Also, I have Nordstrand Big Singles Pickups...

I was recording this last weekend with my band and discovered something about my bass... I found that snarly, growly, fat sound that I was looking for by simply using the neck pickup only. I also ran my bass through an EBS MultiComp on the tubism setting with very little compression => Empress ParaEQ pedal => Tubeworks Tube DI => Presonus FW interface => Protools...

I got all the fattness, snarl, growl without all the fret/string noise. I basically had a bass-vana moment...

[jgroh]

I do like Rotosounds as well and used them for years, but you are right about the tone dying quickly. Also, for me, I used a pick exclusively up until a couple of years ago, so the coarseness never bothered me. Now that I use my fingers a lot more, it bugs me and seems "sticky".

I just put DR Hi Beams for the first time on my Ric and IMHO, those really growl...again, its hard to NOT make a Ric growl though. I also used GHS Bass Boomers with good success as well.

[RONQUITO]

I was going to say Fat Beams but after reading the OP...Warwick Black Labels Nickel...

[chunkstyle]

the blue steels are pretty mean sounding. i used to like MTDs, too, but it's been a while.

to me, the D'ad pro-steels are a polite version of gnarly. just like chromes are the polite version of flats and regular Xls are the polite version of ordinary.