String suggestion for Musicman Sterling HS

**pringlw** · #1 03-23-2009, 06:18 AM

Very aggressive sounding bass in general. I've played D'Addario Pro Steel (45 - 105) and so far have been pretty happy. Thinking about giving Rotosound Swingbass strings a go.

I'm looking for good growl when finger played and a nice tight thick but also aggressive pop & slap sound (without being too harsh at the high end).

Any other suggestions/opinions on the Rotos?

Double Agent · #2 03-23-2009, 08:01 AM

DR Lo-Riders. You won't be sorry.

Rotos do sound great, but they tear my fingers to shreds. Ever since I discovered Lo-Riders, I won't use anything else for rounds. Love the sound, love the feel. I think they will sound awesome on your Sterling. Just give them some time to settle, because they will be very bright when you first put them on. After a week or two, they settle in and they will still have that "settled in" tone for a long time, which is exactly the sound you are describing (aggressive fingerstyle & slap tones but not overly bright).

Syeknom · #3 03-23-2009, 08:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pringlw

I'm looking for good growl when finger played and a nice tight thick but also aggressive pop & slap sound (without being too harsh at the high end).

I'd also highly recommend DR Lo-Riders for this sound - they really are wonderful strings. Also great for pop & slap due to their increased tension

No experience with the Rotosounds, sorry

**pringlw** · #4 03-23-2009, 08:15 AM

I'll give them a try. Thx.

bassistgook · #5 03-23-2009, 11:56 AM

Lo-riders should work great for the tone you want. I just recently put on some rotosound jazz (flatwound) strings and they are doing for me what you seem to want too. The high strings will sound a lot more bassy then any round though so they might not be for you but it's a good choice if the lo-riders are too bright for you. Hope this helps.

D Rokk · #6 03-23-2009, 12:03 PM

i have a set of rotosounds sitting around waiting to be put on my bass.. of course i cant get over my DR's.. i'm a highbeams fan

eedo · #7 03-23-2009, 03:31 PM

I've played a sterling w/single H with DR lo-riders, both nickel and ss. SS sound great recorded.
Otherwise Elixirs

lawsonman · #8 03-24-2009, 05:19 AM

The best strings I found when I had my HS were the Super Slinkys that came on it.

KB · #9 03-24-2009, 02:08 PM

I use TI Superalloys on my Sterling HS and love the tone. They add a little more "meat" to the tone than the EB slinkys.