Anyone have any experience with D'addario EXP reds?

[djbass28]

They seem interesting but I haven't found much info on them.

 

[Gorn]

They're awesome. They're warm for rounds, though not overly warm since they're stainless steel under the copper coating. Somewhat acoustic sounding with lots of punch. A unique string.

 

[iiipopes]

I played the original non-coated version in the early 80's. Great tone. The current Reds have too much tension in the D string to balance for me. If they would lower the D string to 60, it would be a very balanced set that has the nice woody warmth while retaining definition for jazz. In the meantime, to compete with the new coated reds, LaBella now has a set of copper tapes that have good reviews, and which I'm considering if I take one of my spare basses and convert it to fretless.

 

[Doghouse_Oli]

Do someone had tried the EXP reds on a ABG? How they compare in sound with the traditionnal phosphor Bronze?

Thanks!!!

 

[JustForSport]

I played the original non-coated version in the early 80's. Great tone. The current Reds have too much tension in the D string to balance for me. If they would lower the D string to 60, it would be a very balanced set that has the nice woody warmth while retaining definition for jazz. In the meantime, to compete with the new coated reds, LaBella now has a set of copper tapes that have good reviews, and which I'm considering if I take one of my spare basses and convert it to fretless.

The Labella copper-plated White Tapes are very even sounding and playing across the strings (6 string set).
Haven't tried them on fretless, yet- seems they're a little 'clacky' on some fretted basses, tho not on all:
how would that 'clacky' translate to fretless?-
I mostly stay around the low notes, anyway, even on fretless-
an octave up is for a diff instrument...
It's beyond me why any string maker would stick to such un-balanced sets as they choose with the tight D string:
why don't they just drop the gauge a bit to balance out the set? Too many used to playing unbalanced sets and they can't change them?

 

[DaveAceofBass]

The Labella copper-plated White Tapes are very even sounding and playing across the strings (6 string set).
It's beyond me why any string maker would stick to such un-balanced sets as they choose with the tight D string:
why don't they just drop the gauge a bit to balance out the set? Too many used to playing unbalanced sets and they can't change them?

What gauge did you try? I have lights on order.

 

[JustForSport]

.043- .135... only set I've tried so far.
Oh, both lights and standard start and end those gauges...
I've got the standards, but the lights may be next...

 

[iiipopes]

It's beyond me why any string maker would stick to such un-balanced sets as they choose with the tight D string:
why don't they just drop the gauge a bit to balance out the set? Too many used to playing unbalanced sets and they can't change them?

The reason is flat pole pieces on a bass pickup with a crowned radius fingerboard. Signal varies as the square of the distance from the pole piece. Since on a fingerboard with an arc, the D string will be farther away from the flat top of the pole pieces of Jazz bass pickups and the earliest single coil Precision pickups, it was made with more mass to generate more signal to even out string-to-string response. The A string, already having more mass, didn't necessarily need to be even larger, and Fender obviated the issue with the E string being the closest with the highest mass with the "high A" polepiece Precision pickups. Now, there are more pickups made with either crowned or adjustible poles, so having the tighter D-string is not necessarily required anymore.

 

[DiabolusInMusic]

I got a set of reds and I loved them. Probably D'addario's finest moment in my experience. I would get them again but the balanced sets are so darn cheap and pretty darn good I have been stockpiling them... which reminds me, I need new strings.

 

[TrevorOfDoom]

I have a set that I cut for a Lakland Decade, but should fit just about any through-body Fender-type 4 string.

i'll give 'em up for the cost of shipping.

my review: very cool sounding string, definitely nails the ABG sound well. Punchy and warm.
However, I've not got much use for that sound currently.
Worth a try if you can, though.

 

[JustForSport]

The reason is flat pole pieces on a bass pickup with a crowned radius fingerboard. Signal varies as the square of the distance from the pole piece. Since on a fingerboard with an arc, the D string will be farther away from the flat top of the pole pieces of Jazz bass pickups and the earliest single coil Precision pickups, it was made with more mass to generate more signal to even out string-to-string response. The A string, already having more mass, didn't necessarily need to be even larger, and Fender obviated the issue with the E string being the closest with the highest mass with the "high A" polepiece Precision pickups. Now, there are more pickups made with either crowned or adjustible poles, so having the tighter D-string is not necessarily required anymore.

Thanks for that- great explanation. I know 6-strings commonly have diff pole heights, and many are adjustable, but their strings don't have much mass either.
I guess there's a lot more fingerboards with less arc/ higher radius than there used to be also, so set up, they're more uniform in height across.