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Am I the only one here that feels this way?

#21
I love love love the Rotosound 66 40-100 set for my main bass (not a P). They're crunchy and aggressive when they're new, and when they settle in they have a nice bottom end. Throughout their lifespan they always have a heft and meat to them that just isn't there with the nickel strings i've tried, which have all been to airy.
 
#23
Auroras color coated light 40-100s,
DRs color coated light 40-100
Dean Markley Helix, light 45-125 5 string set I used the top 4 for my Fender.

lots of bottom end because I set my stuff pretty flat which allows me to turn up the volume without loading the mids and boom.....sometimes I am a little disappointed with the highs above the 12th on the g string.

All these are rounds, all on active basses. HAve a similar set on my Epi Explorer, passive that also sounds great,


Bought all of these through Bassstringsonline. He's great about recommendations.
 
#24
Salamenster said:
My experiences with different string types:

Flatwounds
New: What is this annoying awful glassyness in the upper notes?
Old: Yeah, cool! Thump, but where did my definition go?!

Nickel roundwounds:
New: Alright, a little bit of zing, nice bottom, but now the mids are concealed.
Broken in: I can work with this, but now I want more thump.
Old: Now they're dead, my sound is rubbish: There is no 'life' in these strings no more.

Rotosound Swing Bass Roundwounds:
New: AAAAH, all this awful zing, where is my bottom end?! This is all high-midrange!!!
(Really) Old: I'm in heaven!! No more zing, great bottom, nice beefy mids, but with definition!

So yeah. My P has brand new rotosounds on it since yesterday... So now we wait...
Click to expand...

LOL. Your assessments are right on. I have flats on my P bass and I find myself turning the treble way down.
 
#26
The problem is that this follows the same logic as "tube vs solid state vs hybrid" amps.

There are distinct characteristics you'll typically find in tube amps, same as you will in most flatwounds/roundwounds/nickels. However the manufacturer has more to do with the sound than you are giving credit to. I can play a pair of EB slinkies and they lack bottom to me, intensely, but DR Hi-Beams are bright while still having tons of bottom. I hear what you are saying, OP, but there is a lot of variation in different strings. I'd also recommend pickup height adjustment for each string type change. You'd be surprised at what a difference that can make.
 
#27
Yup, pretty much the same thing with me.

That's what I like about Sadowsky flats... they have a biting upper-mid bark that doesn't fade away as they break in, while keeping the classic LaBella thump down below.

Nickel rounds all sound pretty much lifeless and boring to me, right out of the pack.

Not a huge fan of fresh zingy steels, but oh sweet jeezus do I love the gritty, grindy punch of a broken in set of Rotos. I have a set that I've played off and on for a couple years whenever I need my roundwound fix, and they get tastier every time I put them on.

LONG LIVE THE MIDS! :bassist:
 
#28
i accidentally bought taperwound fender strings 5 string med gauge *for my 4 string* because they were the only med gauge strings they had *pawn shop* and i didn't notice they were taperwound
ended up using them, anyway $30.00 mistake is it true stainless strings are hard on your frets i really want to try the rotos but i dont wanna kill my frets.:-<
 
#29
Salamenster said:
My experiences with different string types:

Flatwounds
New: What is this annoying awful glassyness in the upper notes?
Old: Yeah, cool! Thump, but where did my definition go?!

Nickel roundwounds:
New: Alright, a little bit of zing, nice bottom, but now the mids are concealed.
Broken in: I can work with this, but now I want more thump.
Old: Now they're dead, my sound is rubbish: There is no 'life' in these strings no more.

Rotosound Swing Bass Roundwounds:
New: AAAAH, all this awful zing, where is my bottom end?! This is all high-midrange!!!
(Really) Old: I'm in heaven!! No more zing, great bottom, nice beefy mids, but with definition!

So yeah. My P has brand new rotosounds on it since yesterday... So now we wait...
Click to expand...

I never have problem with my La Bella Deep Talkin' flat wound strings nor definition problem. I love them.

YMMV.
 
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#30
Yep, couldn't agree more. Never tried flats personally, but I found nickel roundwounds to (usually) be lacking in mids when they're brand new. Once they're broken in a bit, they sound great - very balanced, with enough treble to accentuate aggressive playing, but not so much that string noise is an issue. But after 3-4 months, they start to lose ALL their top end, and the low end doesn't actually get accentuated. The result is a fairly thin sound, regardless of how you dig in.

However, I'be been using Rotosound Swing 66 strings for two and a half years now, and they're GREAT. They're as durable as my old D'Addarios (which was one of the big pluses about those), but I think they age better. They are a bit brighter when they're new, and a bit harder on your fingers, but I think they age better than any other nickel roundwound string out there. That's good, because I don't like changing strings if I can help it (partly for economical reasons, partly because I have my strings on the low side so lots of zing kills note definition). One of my basses has had the same set on for over a year, and the other's had the same set on for 6 months; both have plenty of low-end, but with plenty of upper-mid range definition. I've heard that they chew up frets faster than most nickel RWs, but I think that isn't a problem if you leave them on for awhile.

I'm really happy with them because I've tried many brands, with the particular focus on finding a set that I can leave on for over a year without it just sounding DEAD. Fender strings broke too easily, as did Dunlops (though that was a few years ago, and I've been told Dunlop have really lifted their game since then). Ernie Ball's were good, but a bit expensive (I've never even tried DR strings just because of how expensive they are), and didn't come in the exact gauge I wanted. D'Addarios also didn't come in the exact gauge I wanted, as didn't Warwick strings (they also didn't age so well). In fact, the only mass-production companies that DO make my exact gauges are Dunlop, Rotosound, and DR.
 
#31
Roto 66 nickels are classic for anything short of 90's zingy scooped rock tones. too bad they put lots of wear on the frets in a short time.
I tried DR Nickel Lo-Riders, supposedly similar (rounds, nickel, hex core) - they were nice and lasted a bit longer but they didn't have the punch the Rotos have. for now I have DR Sunbeams on all my basses but may give stainless steels another go in the future.
 
#32
I'm a fan of the stainless Swing 66s - they *are* a tad bright when new, but nothing a bit of EQ can't handle. Only thing I don't particularly like about them is that the brightness means they're a bit noisy and extremely unforgiving of any technique problems. I haven't had any issues with them chewing up my frets, so I guess I'm lucky in that regard.
 
#33
For me its like this:

Dean Markley Blue Steels,
New: Thank god, tons of bottom, not too much low mids, tons of bright high mid and crisp Highs
Old: Not enough high end anymore, little too smooth, not getting that deep bottom and bright high mids, time to change was yesterday.

New Flats: ughh, sounds and feels like nails on a chalk board- no definition, no highs, no high mids, no thanks
Old flats - slightly worse than new flats

any other strings, new or old - too much mid, not enough highs and they sound old as soon as they stretch.
 
#35
10cc said:
DR Fatbeams. No break in period. Big,warm & punchy. Yes they growl. They also last long.
Click to expand...
Put a set on my MIM P yesterday morning and did a setup. Agree with your opinion. First time, but I think they are going to be excellent. Thinking about putting a set on my American J. I have D 'Addarios Chrome flats on my Squire VM J V that have been on for about 6 months and they still sound like you would want them to. They have that flat thump, but there is enough on top to keep definition.
 
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#40
on both of my ESP's I use D'Addario medium gauge EXL160-5. I used to have to search for a pack of EXL170-5SL for my old ESP with string thru body bridge and 35" scale, but I like the simple bridges on these.

I love the super clean tone when the strings are new, so crisp and definitive. When they break in, the low end response loses it's insane boom and sits so perfectly in balance with the other strings. As they age further, I find they get a very agreeable growl to them. The EMG 40DC's on the F415 and the EMG HZ's on the F-205 kind of help with that growl tho. Glad I found an active and a passive bass that don't argue with each other's tone.
 

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