Rotosound swingbass roundwounds - wow

morf · #1 10-26-2006, 07:09 AM

Hey again strings forum afficionados

When I first came to TB and asked around for which string set to buy, someone recommended rotosounds which I bought and loved. Since then I've had 6-7 basses and havent used rotosounds which I left on my original Cort bass, lent to my brother. I recently bought another set of the very same strings, and wow, theyre blowing my mind. I thought I was definately a DM blue steels kinda guy but these are just so damn great! My finger skin is tearing off but man, what a great tone!

Just wanted to let the person who recommended them months ago (if you recognize yourself cause I forgot your nickname) that they were right on the money about these - they're awesome!

borgward · #2 10-28-2006, 09:10 AM

Know where I can get Extra Long Rotosounds for my Gibson "The Ripper" I string thru the body. Long is not long enough. Any in Austin, TX? Would consider going to Houston for them.

Angus · #3 10-28-2006, 09:59 AM

See how you like them in like two weeks!

zombywoof5050 · #4 10-28-2006, 08:12 PM

Back when I used to use the Roto RS66's, I liked them best when they were about 1.5 years old!

morf · #5 10-29-2006, 05:49 AM

I remember the first set I got, it only got better with age so I think I'll just keep lovin them

Nils · #6 10-29-2006, 06:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by borgward

Know where I can get Extra Long Rotosounds for my Gibson "The Ripper" I string thru the body. Long is not long enough. Any in Austin, TX? Would consider going to Houston for them.

Krist from Nirvana had a Ripper and I recall reading somewhere that he use Rotosound strings, so there should be strings long enough for you're bass. Here's the quote, it's from livenirvana.com: "Krist used Rotosound strings, RS66 Long Scale, Standard Gauge."

BrandonBass · #7 10-29-2006, 11:19 AM

some questions...

i heard they are rough are they harder to play due to this?

how do u compare them to dr hi beams? which gauge are u using?

SherpaKahn · #8 10-29-2006, 12:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BrandonBass

some questions...

i heard they are rough are they harder to play due to this?

how do u compare them to dr hi beams? which gauge are u using?

I have a set of Hi-beams on one of my basses and a set of Rotos on my other bass, and Rotos are definitely rougher. Much rougher.

Anyway, for more just look at this thread:

compare Roto's Swingbass66 to DR Hi-Beam

It's titled "compare Roto's Swingbass66 to DR Hi-Beam". I think that should help.

Arthur U. Poon · #9 10-29-2006, 07:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Angus

See how you like them in like two weeks!

+1.

I was a diehard Swing Bass 66 user for a long time. I also found they lost their zing after a week or so, but I haven't found a brand of strings yet that can withstand my acid hands. But IMO the sound of a new set of Roto's can't be beat. I've been thinking lately about putting a set on one of my Fenders.

vashts80 · #10 11-01-2006, 01:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Arthur U. Poon

+1.

I was a diehard Swing Bass 66 user for a long time. I also found they lost their zing after a week or so, but I haven't found a brand of strings yet that can withstand my acid hands. But IMO the sound of a new set of Roto's can't be beat. I've been thinking lately about putting a set on one of my Fenders.

Honestly, I like the sound of steel Lo-Riders new better than a new set of Swing 66s. I've also found that zing lasts a lot longer, at least a week or two more than Swings.

morf · #11 11-08-2006, 01:06 AM

Yeah the Rotos are rough, get ready for some finger skin peeling, but hey, if you're looking for a growly (and i mean GROWLY) sound, then theyre for you. I love them on my Conklin GT Rocco Prestia.

ROON · #12 11-08-2006, 02:45 AM

I'm eagerly awaiting my Roto Swing Bass's to come in the mail. Cant wait to hear them

dragoon419 · #13 12-01-2006, 06:19 PM

Rotos are the kings, totally beating out those floppy DRs (which are painfully expensive).

When it comes to steels, finger callouses are your best friend. If you can jab your left hand fingers with a knife and not see blood (or feel pain for that matter) then you got nothing to worry about.

Grey Cat · #14 12-04-2006, 12:17 PM

I wish I could say I'm a Roto user, but I'm not. The first set I bought had a dead D string and the E string sounded like it had sand in it. So I bought a second set, which sounded awesome, and I figured the first one was a fluke. I emailed Roto and they were cool enough to send me a replacement set for free for the first set, and I went out and bought another set just to have around. Both the third set I bought, as well as the replacement set directly from Roto had bad strings (and not just a little bit bad, but horribly bad.)

I also noticed that after playing them for a couple weeks, my frets had very noticeable "grind" marks on them.

So alas, I quit using them. I can't afford to change strings all the time, and I can't afford to spend $20 on a set of strings, wondering if it's going to be good or not (when they're a good set, Roto's sound friggin' awesome!) I now use DR Hi-Beams and love them (at most of the shops around Denver, they're only running about $4 a set more than Roto's.)

The one really good thing I got from my Rotosounds is a super nice set of callouses on both hands, which the Rotos helped build up real quick.

Anyone want three brand new dead sets of Rotos?

Ampeg SVT · #15 12-04-2006, 12:20 PM

I have the same problem as you grey cat. I bought a set of rotos for my Stingray and the A sounded like it was a year old with heavy wear. my old set even sounded better than that. Im going to back to Dean Markley SR2000's and Blue Steels untill rotosound can fix this issue

*smb · #16 12-07-2006, 07:52 AM

I used these for a few months. I wasn't too impressed. They were too metallic sounding for me at first, and quite honky and nasal. In fact it had quite an effect on my style of playing and got me playing a lot above the 12th fret because it sounded better. When they calmed down a bit they lost some of the metallic sound but kept the honky midrange, which didn't much suit the sound I wanted. I use D'Addario strings at the moment on bass and also guitar - I like the stretchy feel of them and they seem to have a stronger fundamental than the Rotos did.