Strings with brightest sound
 

Which strings have the brightest sound and last for a good amount of time?

I always remember Rotosounds being super bright, but I cannot remember how long they last - I've not used them in 20 years because of their brightness.

So far the brightest strings I've found are Dean Markley Helix HD strings. I bought the nickel plated steel (from Bass Strings Online) and they were so bright I had to back way off on the treble to keep the zingy under control. They have been on my bass getting regular play now for a little over three months and are still very lively. I figured they would have deadened considerably more than they have.

They're great sounding long lasting strings. :bassist:

+1 on the Dean Markleys. Rotosound Swing Bass '66 are stainless steel and very bright, and that's what I use religiously, although it seems with hard playing, the high end shimmer tends to drop off after about a month, maybe two. Any stainless steel string is gonna have lots of snap and fidelity, I'd be hard pressed to hear a DRAMATIC difference between brands though.

I definitely recommend D'Addario ProSteels. I have played no string that's brighter. I was blown away when I first came across them. They're great for a super-bright, punchy, metallic tone. They're excellent strings all around. You should put them on for a go and see how they work for you :)

As far as flats go, rotosound 77s are the brightest I've tried (also used ghs, sadowsky and labella). They're also my favorite. I'm considering putting rotosund 66s on my other basses that don't have flats because how much I dug their flats.

Rotosound 66s or D'Addario Prosteel are about equally bright sounding

GHS Super Steels are bright and very twangy like a sweet and sour sauce smothered bass. :D

I've never used the 66s, though I love D'Addario ProSteels. How would you compare their longevity? And which set would you say eats away more at your frets?

In the "Basses" forum? Seriously, dude? Seriously? :eyebrow:

MM

n00b !!! Bayonet Charge!!

Anyways, I used to play in a math metal band and wanted the brightest strings possible. For recording I used LaBella (labeled as Carvin) Nickel Roundwounds and replaced them every 3rd session. Live, I ended up going with Elixir (and have stuck with them since) since they start off being fairly bright and stay that way for a looong long time. I would switch to regular nickel rounds like the Carvins to record though if I needed super bright tone.

Hi, I have found ProSteels to be very bright in the D'Addario lineup. I'd say they are the brightest strings from them. I also find the EXL-170 light gauge nickels to be very bright. I have not played them side-by-side with 160s, but I would say they are brighter than the heavier strings.

My Dyna Bass was strung with two alternating (the ones that weren't on the bass were in a tube of denatured alcohol, and I switched them out every other week) sets of 66s between 1985 and 2003 and they were still plenty bright when I took them off, but the bass was nearly fretless at that point. I have no personal experience with prosteels, I'm just reporting on that one with my ears.

DR Hi-Beams are certainly bright, and they retain that sound for a relatively long time.

They should start a 'strings' section here at TB for discussions like this.

Oh wait....

Yea i know sorry guys iam a new user

This.

No big deal. :)

Moved to Strings.

Markley Blue Steels, D'Addario Pro Steels, or La Bella Hard Rockin's Steels have imo been the brightest strings I have played.

Basically, if it has "steels" in the name, it's bright. lol

Hi Beams, imo, aren't super bright. They have a polite brightness that isn't really in your face. Wonderful strings.

Rotosound steels aren't super bright, but they do have a grindy hi-mids thing that no other string has. They do however last the longest of the steel strings, ime.

I never cared for the Markley's. They just feel funny to me. I love the DR's. They seem to have a good consistant brightness across all of the strings, even the B. I guess that's why I've used them for 20 years.