Rotosound bass strings....

[jdthecrazy]

who else uses them and why, or why not?

[Risen Ashes]

Great strings, I moved on to La'Bellas but Duff McKagan, Steve Harris, Geddy Lee just to name some guys that use those! They are top quality strings with great tone. I used the Swing Bass 66 ones

[Gramtron]

i use them, because i like the way their flats feel.

[ksandvik]

Try out a set and see if you like them. They certainly sound 'rock and roll...', the round-wound ones. --Kent

[spaz21387]

It seems to me that some rotosound strings are great and others are dead out of the box. I quit buying them because of that maybe they just sat in guitar center for way too long.

[JTE]

Why don't I use them? The RS-66 sets are great piano sounding strings for a few hours. They just go dead too fast. I tried two sets at different times (and from different batches) and had the same results. The guitar player asked me why I kept turning the treble down on my bass as the first set progressed.

And the famous users (Entwistle, Squire, and Stanley Clarke) have all reported that they change them every day. Anthony Jackson was changing them every TAKE when he worked with Al DiMeola. And I had the same experience. Not only my own basses, but with most of my customers too.

Add in the fact that Rotosound uses a very abrasive and coarse wrap wire for these stainless steel strings so that they do chew up the frets faster than other stainless rounds and it's not a winning combination for me.

YMMV...


jte

[Parabolic Box]

Originally Posted by Risen Ashes

Great strings, I moved on to La'Bellas but Duff McKagan, Steve Harris, Geddy Lee just to name some guys that use those! They are top quality strings with great tone. I used the Swing Bass 66 ones

+1 on La Bellas. That's where it's at.

[One Drop]

Originally Posted by JTE

Why don't I use them? The RS-66 sets are great piano sounding strings for a few hours. They just go dead too fast. I tried two sets at different times (and from different batches) and had the same results. The guitar player asked me why I kept turning the treble down on my bass as the first set progressed.

And the famous users (Entwistle, Squire, and Stanley Clarke) have all reported that they change them every day. Anthony Jackson was changing them every TAKE when he worked with Al DiMeola. And I had the same experience. Not only my own basses, but with most of my customers too.

Add in the fact that Rotosound uses a very abrasive and coarse wrap wire for these stainless steel strings so that they do chew up the frets faster than other stainless rounds and it's not a winning combination for me.

YMMV...

jte

I get a bit more mileage out of mine, but like the broken in sound enough to use them anyway. I roll up the treble at the amp as they age, but after a few days they stay the same and don't have that outrageous signature top that is pure rock and roll to my ears. I just end up with too much clank instead.

I soak mine in denatured alcohol for a few day's more goodness, but in the end I end up at the same place.

My second favorite rounds are DR Lo-Riders, a little less gnarly at the outset but they keep their brightness a whole lot longer, and are also way easier on the frets.

[ksandvik]

I think a lot has to do with the sweating and body chemistry, for some the strings (or maybe any string) ages superfast, for others less fast.

I wipe the strings after each session, and I could easily get about 2-3 months of usage from Rotosounds. The biggest problem I see with Rotosound is plain wear, maybe based on more aggressive playing style, resulting in dead spots on the strings. --Kent

[jnuts1]

i absolutly hate rotosounds. for me they are really course & i have a really hard time playing with them. they make me feel like i have rubber pads on the ends of my fingers. it feels like i cannot get my finger off the string fast enough.

[wyleeboxer]

Yeah i just think they feel like old technology or something? I remember using them years ago and thinking I got screwed on a bad set of strings, to a point I thought something was wrong with my bass.

[ksandvik]

Originally Posted by wyleeboxer

Yeah i just think they feel like old technology or something? I remember using them years ago and thinking I got screwed on a bad set of strings, to a point I thought something was wrong with my bass.

They certainly are not for everyone. They still have a very personal sound -- hence that's why I use them. --Kent

[John Wentzien]

I used them for 30....yes 30 years exclusively... i liked the guage they come in (45-65-80-105) and I'm allergic to nickle--so stainless is it for me.
But I've discovered webstrings.com about a year ago and frankly have not looked back.
Same guage--American made---easier ont the frets (and fingers) and about 1/2 the cost. Very consistant quality--not as harsh on the highs & fatter Low-end IMO..
10 bucks a set!

[RickenBoogie]

Their Jazz Flats, 77's are among my favorite flatwounds. And with 40-60-80-100, very even between strings. I admit to using the Swing 66's sometimes, but I prefer Rickenbacker strings for my Ric.

[John Wentzien]

Originally Posted by RickenBoogie

Their Jazz Flats, 77's are among my favorite flatwounds. And with 40-60-80-100, very even between strings. I admit to using the Swing 66's sometimes, but I prefer Rickenbacker strings for my Ric.

Roto flats are sweet!

[Lukejt]

First post here!!!

At the advice of a woman at Guitar World I picked up a set of Swing Bass 66s the other day. From this noobies point of view, the Swing Bass 66 strings sound really great, I really like the funky sound! BUT, they tore up my finger tips after just a couple hours of playing. I'm a mechanic and I've got pretty tough hands. I've been playing my new bass every chance I get, several hours a day for the past couple weeks with no problems on the stock (boring) Ibanez strings. I'm also having a harder time tuning these 66s, the silk just seems to fly right off the wires. I REALLY like the sound, but I don't care at all for the feel. They're also making a lot of noise on the frets when I slide my fingers.

After another trip to the store....I've just picked up a set of DR Hi Beams. They're much easier to tune, but don't have quite the same cool sound of the 66s. The DR strings are much easier for ME to play, and a lot easier on the finger tips, much easier to tune as well. I'd like a bit more of that Rotosounds funky sound from them though.

Wish I knew about that online dealer before shelling out close to $30 per set of strings locally!

[supablazed]

I like the Jazz Flats, but i like low grumble as opposed to pop

[sleepy]

i use the Rotosound swing bass 66
light gauge 40-60-80-95
great strings, sound and play very well.

[KrispyJones]

.. do rotos have a round or hex core ?

greets and thanks for your help

chrispy

[Johnny Crab]

Originally Posted by KrispyJones

.. do rotos have a round or hex core ?
greets and thanks for your help
chrispy

Not sure.
Email them here and let us know:
http://www.rotosound.com/contact.html

To the OP:
I use roto roundwounds on all of my basses in a semi-light gauge after the "factory" set goes lame OR if the factory set is garbage. I DO alternate which bass I use as they are, as all roundwounds are, a bit rough on frets.

String life:
We played 56 jobs last year(about 3~4 hours playing each) and my average practice time is about 6~12 hours per week. SO we have (56 x 3) + (52 x 6), using the low numbers, about 480 hours of playing on mainly 3 basses. I used 6 sets of strings over the year(2 per bass). 480/6 = 80 hours of playing time per set before they get too dead for me. That number is LOW because some gigs were longer and some weeks had "marathon" practices.

Application:
Because I rotate basses, I also rotate WHICH bass gets new strings so there is ALWAYS one with "the newest" strings. The bass with "the newest" set gets used if we play a place that sucks up definition(mids/highs) and usually gets used only for the last set.

Wear:
For reference, here is a 1964 Gibson Thunderbird after 10 + years(70's~80's) of using Roto roundwounds in the early 80's(IIRC) doing 1 to 3 shows per week and practicing 2 to 4 times per week....LOTS OF PLAY time. NOTE the extreme wear starting at the most used frets.....


Here's what a great luthier did to it via repair:


Here's THE MAN who did the repair: http://www.fosterguitars.com/meetjimmy.html