Anyone still playing Ernie Ball Cobalt roundwounds?

[steamthief]

After 10+ years of sitting on the shelf, I am finally using the 45-105 Cobalts I was saving for a rainy day - it poured yesterday! The Fender 7150s I had on my Fender P/J were beyond dead, with the E string sounding flabby and not staying in tune, so it was time to finally give them a go.

Compared to the old pure nickel strings, these Cobalts are loud! It's like switching from a passive to active bass, the new strings have a ton of hi-fi clarity and volume. The open E went from flabby to authoritative, deep and precise. The high end has me turning the tone knob down quite a bit, as the brightness is a bit much compared to what I'm used to; I'm hoping it mellows a bit as they get some hours of play.

The Cobalts feel a bit rougher than the old 7150s, but not uncomfortably so. The tension is slightly stiffer, yet the D string played open is creating a little fret buzz, which i hope goes away as the new strings settle in. Overall, I'm liking them so far.

Anybody else out there playing these regularly?

 

[AK Bass Guy]

Rotos use to be my favorite round but EB Cobalt is now my preferred round wound.

 

[AncientNoob]

Yup, regularly. They are my rounds of choice. Love the sound and "oomph" I get from them. The only down side, in my experience, is that when they die, they fall off a cliff. Also a big fan of the flats, though I recently got my first ever exposure to TI flats. I may be a convert there.

 

[definenredefine]

Interesting. I just put stainless steel rounds on my J (usually would use hybrid slinkies which I think are nickel wound?) and they sound brighter, which is...okay. But I could use some extra loudness since the SCN pickups on my J are pretty low output...maybe I'll give cobalts a go...

 

[five7]

I have a set on my Sire V3P 5 string, they sound great. Really work on this bass.

 

[tindrum]

Incredible strings! They are my go to on most of my basses. TONS of punch, very even toned, growly and never ever harsh. Just kinda perfect really.

 

[Thundar]

I'm curious, are they hex core or round? I have an EBMM Stingray Classic 5 that I'm having trouble finding the "right" strings for...so since its a Fiver, I would prefer a stiffer hex core string...so I was thinking about trying some Ernie Balls strings on it but I definitely prefer a gritty, ballsy, punchy string
@AK Bass Guy Rotos are some of my favorites as well.

 

[Saetia]

Yup, regularly. They are my rounds of choice. Love the sound and "oomph" I get from them. The only down side, in my experience, is that when they die, they fall off a cliff. Also a big fan of the flats, though I recently got my first ever exposure to TI flats. I may be a convert there.

I wasn’t a huge fan of the Cobalt flats, they always seemed sticky to me. About 20 years ago here a member gifted me a whole bag of used flats. The TI’s and the Fenders were my favorite. I still own those strings. Wow. I haven’t through about that in awhile.

 

[jVilla76]

Yep. Got them on my PRS Kingfisher. So far really liking them. Seems like they keep their brightness longer then the regular EB rounds. Really noticed the difference in feel the first couple days playing them( definitely a bit tougher on the fingers) but got used to them quickly. Overall quite happy with them.

 

[sloppy_phil]

Sonically, they are some of my favourite strings. But they chew through my frets like nobody’s business, and died really really fast. Shame, since I love their sound!

 

[ItsmeSantiago]

Love Cobalts. They are nice and bright at the beginning but once they settle in to their sweet spot they are amazing for most genres. I have them on my P bass and my friends think the idea is weird until they play it. I have them on my two J basses and always used them on my Bongos they’re a fantastic string.

 

[tindrum]

I'm curious, are they hex core or round? I have an EBMM Stingray Classic 5 that I'm having trouble finding the "right" strings for...so since its a Fiver, I would prefer a stiffer hex core string...so I was thinking about trying some Ernie Balls strings on it but I definitely prefer a gritty, ballsy, punchy string
@AK Bass Guy Rotos are some of my favorites as well.

Hex core. Another plus is the longevity. They stay good for a ridiculous amount of time. Nothing at all like EB Slinky nickels. They sound fantastic on a Stingray. Last set on mine lasted 3 months of daily playing, which is crazy. They cost a few more bucks but are well worth it. Best price I’ve found, by far, is on Amazon.

 

[Thundar]

Hex core. Another plus is the longevity. They stay good for a ridiculous amount of time. Nothing at all like EB Slinky nickels. They sound fantastic on a Stingray. Last set on mine lasted 3 months of daily playing, which is crazy. They cost a few more bucks but are well worth it. Best price I’ve found, by far, is on Amazon.

Thank you! Sounds like they would be right up my alley then...cause I have never been a fan of Slinky Nickels either

 

[tindrum]

Thank you! Sounds like they would be right up my alley then...cause I have never been a fan of Slinky Nickels either

Yeah they aren’t similar at all.

 

[Swerve]

Great strings. I had a set a few years ago. Reminded me a bit of Rotos but the Cobalts are still completely unique.