Warwick Red Label, are they really that bad?

[Bruvvamoff]

Beginner Bassist here.

I bought Quarter Pounder pickups to beef up my Squier P Bass for recording some grunge demos.
On recommendation from the store I got a set of Warwick Red Labels on a good deal.
They weren't the cheapest so I assumed them to be middle of the road.
After reading the few reviews I could find, they seem to be most hated.
Would they be OK for a beginner who just wants to lay down a rhythm section on Cubase, or should I not bother opening them?
I'm no Victor Wooten, but I'd hate to show my demo to someone and them laugh at the bass track.
(by the way, the bass is being run through an Art DPS tube preamp, a TL Crimson eq, and a DBX160X comp)

Please no accusations of me being lazy, I've searched for an hour through the pages of forums and found only a few reviews.

[matante]

I've never used those strings but they can't be that bad. Most negative reviews of strings are based on little preferences, not because the strings are unusable. For example they may feel a little rough, not last as long as another brand, or not be as bright as another brand, but they should be fine.

[vbchaos]

Red labels are ok for rehearsal. I bought them back when i was a student - mostly because they were cheap! I once was in a studio that time and the engineer said "damn, go buy some good strings"
Since my cashflow is better i do not use red labels anymore. It feels like your fingers are glued to them in some way. They die pretty fast, too. But 8 euros a set compared with, lets say 30 euros for rotosounds or ghs - pretty obvious what you do when money is an issue.
Regarding sound: they can sound! Friends of mine still play them and sound pretty good with them.

[Mr.Typhus]

They are OK strings for the price.
Sometimes I got some really bad B-strings with those sets, but now always. Red Labels feel really rough on the fingers but are really bright sounding when new. When I was younger I used to buy these strings only cos i didnt have money for anything else. I also used them to record and never got complains about the strings. Its all in YOUR fingers, not the strings

[PatQ]

I used red labels when I was a beginner and didn't have much money - but only bought them two times. I don't remember how they sounded, and maybe I wasn't able to judge there tone anyway at that time. But they felt REALLY rough and I just didn't like that.

[Bruvvamoff]

Originally Posted by vbchaos

Red labels are ok for rehearsal. I bought them back when i was a student - mostly because they were cheap! I once was in a studio that time and the engineer said "damn, go buy some good strings"
Since my cashflow is better i do not use red labels anymore. It feels like your fingers are glued to them in some way. They die pretty fast, too. But 8 euros a set compared with, lets say 30 euros for rotosounds or ghs - pretty obvious what you do when money is an issue.
Regarding sound: they can sound! Friends of mine still play them and sound pretty good with them.

This worries me a little.
What strings did the engineer recommend?

[TNCreature]

There is nothing inherently "bad' about these strings. Their sound falls into the preference category. They are springy and bright and a bit growly. But they are very rough on your fingers, and possibly your frets. Want to build calluses? These are your strings.

[vbchaos]

Originally Posted by Bruvvamoff

This worries me a little.
What strings did the engineer recommend?

Nothing particular. He just noticed that my strings sound horrible. But i guess (years later with more knowledge) they were on the point of dying, so maybe that's what he ment. But dying red labels really sound horrible :-)

[Bruvvamoff]

I think I'm going to treat them like practice strings, once I'm at the point where I'm ready to record I'll fork out on a decent set.