Rotos are nice. Have you tried LaBella DTB? They are rich sounding and feel more like what you are describing. Chromes are good too but they may be stiffer than you want.
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Another flatwound thread: Dunlop flats or Rotosound 77's
- Thread starter MojaveVox
- Start date
Have you tried fender 45-100 9050L? They’re pretty punchy with a good even tension that’s not too floppy. Also, EB group 3 flats are pretty mid-tension.
My experience with Roto 77s is that they are stiff and rough, feeling closer to rounds than flats. They are bright out of the package, but that fades fairly quickly (in the course of a single concert if you're Steve Harris). They are their own unique beast, and I didn't really get along with them.
It looks like this thread has some traction. I don't wish to hijack it but, as an aside, I'm interested if any of you flat-wound users have any suggestions for short scale flatwounds that are in the TI vein of strings with feel, tension and sound?
If you are concerned about flexibility, Dunlop is your choice (it's what I use as well). I tried Roto's once... they are dead after a short amount of time playing and they feel like bridge cables. Ouch! They stayed on my bass for less than a week.
Those are the two sets that I like most best. I'd characterize them as saying they're midrange focused rather than thumps or dead. They're not bright like the cobalt flats.
My first preference is for the Dunlops, but they've gotten expensive in recent months. The Roto Monel flats are I think a good alternative, as they're more midrangey than dead or crazy bright.
You might also consider the EB Group flats. IMO a very solid flatwound choice, nice clear tone, strong fundamental, not thuddy. Gets compared to chromes. Not as flabby as slinky flats.
D
The problem with Roto 77s isn't that they go dead fast but that only half the strings go dead fast. The D+G won't last more than a couple of weeks before they're all dark and semi-thumpy (not quite as thumpy as say LaBellas) but the E+A will stay bright considerably longer. In fact, I don't think I've ever used a set of Roto 77s long enough to mellow out the E-string. It stays bright longer than ANY strings I've tried (including roundwounds). Roto 77s just become so insanely unbalanced sounding that I've finally decided I can't use them. They sound incredible during the short window when they start to mellow out slightly and still sound reasonably balanced though. They may possibly have the most beautiful mids in ANY strings I've tried but it will only last 2-3 weeks (or depending on how much you play of course) before they get too unbalanced. The sad thing is that I like both their fresh out-of-the-box tone and their broken-in tone but I can never get a full set of either. They always end up with bright E+A and mellow D+G far too soon.
The SM77 set (40-100) is the one to get unless you like VERY stiff feeling strings. These will feel more like what you'd expect from 45-105. The RS77LD set (45-105) is extremely stiff and fatiguing.
But I have a feeling you may be happier with the Dunlops.
The SM77 set (40-100) is the one to get unless you like VERY stiff feeling strings. These will feel more like what you'd expect from 45-105. The RS77LD set (45-105) is extremely stiff and fatiguing.
But I have a feeling you may be happier with the Dunlops.
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Just out of curiosity, what kind of music are you playing?
I love Dunlop flats. No experience with the 77's.
I love Dunlop flats. No experience with the 77's.
I recently put a custom balanced tension set of the Cobalt flats 45-60-80-105 on a Jazz and I really like everything about them...and they do not feel floppy at all...then again I don't think T.I.'s are floppy either but the cobalts have more tension and are stiffer then the T.I.'s.
I use the Rotosound SH77. They are extremely bright compared to a few other brands that I have used in the past. They are not cheap in price, I do admit that after a few months, the brightness goes away rapidly. BUT.... I have been wiping down my strings after each session lately with the past 2 sets and they have extended the life of the brightness remarkably. For me, I play a lot of metal ie. Iron Maiden ect. I have managed to get about 6 months out of them at the most with wiping them down after every session. They are very high tension strings but I really love the sound and I don't think I can ever go back to any other string manufacturer. I love using flats and the very bright tone, IMO that cuts through. I have the SH-77's on my Fender fretless Jbass & Pbass and my fretted Fender SH signature Pbass w/maple body. I have been using them for years and I don't see myself ever switching again, Rotosound makes some solid strings. The best deals I got were on amazon but you have to search and be patient. I usually buy them in bulk, 6 packs or more.
The RS77LE set has been my go-to for over 30 years. They last forever.
Only band I'm in at the moment is a sort of R&B jam band outfit, my sound tends to be fairly subdued, I play a Stingray most of the time.
I've tried all the gauge sets of the Cobalts of which I am comfortable with. Heavy gauge strings, regardless of tension, have never been my thing so they're out of the question for me. For the record this is entirely speculative, I'm perfectly happy to continue using the 45-105/45-100 Cobalt flats if the Dunlops or Rotos don't fit what I'm looking for.
45-105 and 45-100. I generally prefer medium/light strings. Never been a fan of heavy gauge.
I respect that. I like medium to heavy gauge strings. nothing above 110, I have really no use for such a thick gauge string, I know others do, but not for me.
That's what i have started using (9050) does the job for me. Especially good on a hot pup bass like my Cort P.
D
Very interesting! In my experience the D+G mellow out really fast and the E+A stay bright for a very long time. Especially the E. Have you never experienced this unbalanced tone across the strings with Roto 77s? I'm not talking about subtle differences here, it sounds pretty much like using flats for D+G and rounds for E+A.
I'm starting to wonder if they have changed the design. I tested Roto 77s around 25 years ago and I can't remember having this problem. Flats weren't really my thing back then so I moved away from them but over the last decade or so I've tested them again and always experienced the same problem.
I've tried both the 40-100 and 45-105 sets with the exact same results: Extremely unbalanced tone across the strings when the D+G start to mellow out after 2-3 weeks but the E+A stay bright forever. It's really annoying because I love the tone I get from these strings but I can't live with the extreme difference between strings.
Nope, never had that issue. I generally change the strings every 5 or 6 years (give or take) and/or when I snap one.
