Are Ernie Ball strings this bad?

[Hounddog409]

Fair enough, thought that people would get that's it's my opinion since most don't think I'm the string authority or anything, I see where you're coming from though. Thanks.

Ah, no need. All good man.

Just after all the "they are that bad", figured Id try to keep it real.

EB does not make a "bad" string. Faulty strings in a pack are rare, even at the lower end cost. Hell, I've never had a dead string in a new pack, or broke one playing.

But not everyone likes them for tone, feel, etc.

It would be a very boring planet if everyone had the same likes and tastes.

 

[Chickenwheels]

also if the strings weren’t sealed then … no wonder they are already dead

One of the nice things about EB is the sealed package they come in. So if they’ve been out of the packaging, this is a valid point for sure.
In other news: I can’t believe that I’m bored enough to read this incredible thread.

 

[Lenny JG]

Ah, no need. All good man.

Just after all the "they are that bad", figured Id try to keep it real.

EB does not make a "bad" string. Faulty strings in a pack are rare, even at the lower end cost. Hell, I've never had a dead string in a new pack, or broke one playing.

But not everyone likes them for tone, feel, etc.

It would be a very boring planet if everyone had the same likes and tastes.

IME Ernie ball goes dead quicker than any string I've ever used and they eat through my fingers and thumbnail for some reason. Ive broken more Ernie balls than any other string. Wouldn't recommend. And I hate to be that guy, but you should do the same and prob add 'IMO' to your opinions as well. I had to But hey man, whatever floats your goats; that's why there's so many options after all. I will never ever recommend someone use Ernie ball or d'addario though, and will always advise against them. Just dreadful imo.

 

[Dan_reeves]

In other news: I can’t believe that I’m bored enough to read this incredible thread.

Ah, you just described most of my message board time. Truth cuts deep.

 

[Dan_reeves]

IME Ernie ball goes dead quicker than any string I've ever used and they eat through my fingers and thumbnail for some reason. Ive broken more Ernie balls than any other string. Wouldn't recommend. And I hate to be that guy, but you should do the same and prob add 'IMO' to your opinions as well. I had to But hey man, whatever floats your goats; that's why there's so many options after all. I will never ever recommend someone use Ernie ball or d'addario though, and will always advise against them. Just dreadful imo.

Curious - which strings/brands are your preference? I am always on the lookout to try something new.

 

[Lenny JG]

Curious - which strings/brands are your preference? I am always on the lookout to try something new.

As far as rounds go, my favorite would be kalium hybrid, but we all know how that waiting process goes. Newtone is my go to rn because they are spot on with their eta on custom orders, they are super low tension, and they don't tear up my thumbnail and fingers, I'm using the platinum steel/steel strings even. The longevity so far on them is great too, not even a smidge dead and I DEFINITELY would've used 3 sets of EBs by now.

Flats I've been using Labella gold flats, I like em a lot so far no problems.

 

[Staccato]

Extra Slinky 40-95 have been fantastic on my StingRay and Wal fretless. I’d prefer GHS Boomers (too hard to get here now) but have to admit that I’ve had nothing but joy from The Ernies. Maybe I’m just at that point where gear<playing ei. I’m getting older.

Just ordered Boomers 40-95 (L3045) to replace the factory EB strings that were equipped
when the Stingray arrived new in December. This could be interesting!

 

[NoiseNinja]

The experience I got with Ernie Ball strings, more specifically their nickle plated steel roundwound strings is that they sound great to start with, but then pretty quickly go dead.

I switched to them at some point from previously using D'Addario XL nickle plated roundwounds, but stopped because I didn't experience any obvious improvement or difference when new, and when I finally realized that they generally went dead way before the D'Addarios would I stopped using them.

Might be imagining this or remembering wrong, but it also seems like they die less gradually and graceful than the D'Addarios, meaning when they are dead they are completely dead.

The fact that Justin Chancellor from Tool uses Ernie Ball strings contributed to me trying them out, but guess how quickly strings dies is less important if you get them for free and change strings after every single show.

Also, re: panga panga: I have read in other threads on this board that it's not the hardest wood around, as Yahboy mentioned. I suspect you would have seen string markings on that panga panga board regardless of which rounds you chose to use. If they are just superficial string marks then it's not a big deal IMO, but if it bothers you then perhaps flats, pressurewounds, or tapes would be more suitable?

Actually Panga Panga is a bit harder than Hard Rock Maple, but considerably less hard than Rosewood.

Panga Panga : Panga Panga | The Wood Database - Lumber Identification (Hardwood)

Hard Rock Maple : Hard maple | The Wood Database - Lumber Identification (Hardwood)

East Indian Rosewood : East Indian Rosewood | The Wood Database - Lumber Identification (Hardwood)

Brazilian Rosewood is even a bit harder, about as hard as Jatoba, but Ebony is considerably harder than that again.

Jatoba : Jatoba | The Wood Database - Lumber Identification (Hardwood)

Macassar Ebony : Macassar Ebony | The Wood Database - Lumber Identification (Hardwood)

Pau Ferro, which has become very popular to use as fretboard wood, is about as much harder than Panga Panga as Panga Panga is harder than Hard Rock Maple (which is to say not by much), but still not quite as hard as any of the other wood types mentioned : Pau Ferro | The Wood Database - Lumber Identification (Hardwood)

Worth noticing in this context is also the Elastic Modulus of the different types of wood, the higher the number the stiffer/harder to bend/more resistant to bending the wood is (here Jatoba is the clear winner, closely followed by Ebony, and Pau Ferro is the clear loser, closely followed by East Indian Rosewood).

 

[HaphAsSard]

Of all the topics that get discussed here that exhibit the greatest disparity between people, it's gotta be people's experience with strings. This thread is only the latest examples.

Ah, finally: the voice of reason. Thank you. That's the takeaway from a thread like this:
body chemistries and ears are like...uhm, since there's more than one of those we could say "b*tt hair"?


(Analogy kindly provided by a friend of mine.)

 

[Samatza]

Many years ago when I used EB Slinky 45-100 they used to last about a week. Two decades or so later my sweat chemistry must have changed because I get about 3 months from a set if I'm doing around 4-5 shows a month.

I suppose it may also depend on how much you play, 3 months for me is about 48-60 hours of play time.

For me they don't go dead, they kind of lose punch but are still relatively bright. I use them on both my StingRay basses and have not noticed any wear on the frets or fingerboard.

 

[NoiseNinja]

I had a set of 45-65-80-100 EB round wounds that was laying around, I think they came gratis with something else, and put them on my Ibanez SRF700. At first I'm getting a fabulous growl from the E and A strings, but within a week the low E sounds like it is muted, even when played open.

Also they are scratching the (panga panga) fingerboard pretty badly, but it is just looks at this point. I never used to worry about this as it did not affect the sound at all, but the scratching from just a few weeks of playing is worse than 10 years of playing on my Peavey T20/rosewood fretless with rotosounds. I thought Panga Panga was supposed to be very hard ... this has nothing to do with the "muted" sound of the new strings BTW I'm just mentioning it.

I am only familiar with EB flat .

But, panga panga fretboard are absolutely soft, something like rosewood finger board on low quality bass get too much moisture after few months sat in a high humid store room.

Try give it a moderate press with you finger nail or guitar pick to see how ......

Not really, not according to actual facts and real scientific measurements :

Actually Panga Panga is a bit harder than Hard Rock Maple, but considerably less hard than Rosewood.

Panga Panga : Panga Panga | The Wood Database - Lumber Identification (Hardwood)

Hard Rock Maple : Hard maple | The Wood Database - Lumber Identification (Hardwood)

East Indian Rosewood : East Indian Rosewood | The Wood Database - Lumber Identification (Hardwood)

Brazilian Rosewood is even a bit harder, about as hard as Jatoba, but Ebony is considerably harder than that again.

Jatoba : Jatoba | The Wood Database - Lumber Identification (Hardwood)

Macassar Ebony : Macassar Ebony | The Wood Database - Lumber Identification (Hardwood)

Pau Ferro, which has become very popular to use as fretboard wood, is about as much harder than Panga Panga as Panga Panga is harder than Hard Rock Maple (which is to say not by much), but still not quite as hard as any of the other wood types mentioned : Pau Ferro | The Wood Database - Lumber Identification (Hardwood)

Worth noticing in this context is also the Elastic Modulus of the different types of wood, the higher the number the stiffer/harder to bend/more resistant to bending the wood is (here Jatoba is the clear winner, closely followed by Ebony, and Pau Ferro is the clear loser, closely followed by East Indian Rosewood).

 

[timothy1207]

Also, re: panga panga: I have read in other threads on this board that it's not the hardest wood around, as Yahboy mentioned. I suspect you would have seen string markings on that panga panga board regardless of which rounds you chose to use. If they are just superficial string marks then it's not a big deal IMO, but if it bothers you then perhaps flats, pressurewounds, or tapes would be more suitable?

Yeah, no the scratches don't bother me at all. I figure if it is ever truly damaged such that it affects the sound, (which I've never seen) I can always have a new fingerboard put on. Not THAT big of a deal, certainly not giving up on my favorite strings for it!

 

[Arthur U. Poon]

I thought I’d resurrect this thread, because I just put a set of Ernie Ball Hybrid Slinkys on my Fender MIA Precision Bass.

For the past few years I’ve been stringing it with Rotosound stainless steel Swing Bass 66’s, which IMHO sound awesome on it.

I was getting ready to leave town, and my SB66’s sounded pretty dull, so I stopped by my local GC to buy another set of Rotosounds. They were out. No problem, I’ll buy a new set GHS Bass Boomers, -which are my favorite set of roundwounds…….They were out of those too…..,

EB Hybrid Slinkys were priced under $20. I’ve used them before many times. I’ve always liked them, especially on my EBMM USA Sterling. They sound excellent on that bass.

Well…..I’m not so impressed with how they sound on my P-Bass. They sound new. They still have that “Zing”. They sound very balanced to my ears. They feel great. But they just seem to lack character.

Maybe they just don’t mate up with my P-Bass. I don’t know.

But one thing that I do know is I’m really getting tired of this “supply chain issue” nonsense. When I’m in a pinch, and I don’t have time to order a set of my favorite brands of strings from Fret Nation, you’d think that two of the most widely used brands of roundwounds would be available….

Sorry for the rant.

 

[trothwell]

I'm a big fan of Rotosound 66, and also the hit-by-supply-chain-issue GHS Progressives.

I recently heard someone playing one of the same kind of basses I have, and asked him what strings he was using, as I thought it sounded really good. He said Ernie Ball Slinky's. So I trundled over to my local Guitar Center, which also was curiously out of Rotosound 66 but had an enormous selection of Ernie Ball strings, and picked up a 40-100 set.

I've got to say... wow! I did not expect this. I don't remember the last time I used Ernie Ball strings (circa 20-25 years ago? And only because it was the only option in the store?), but these sound very good. Doing some A/B recordings, they sound slightly more polite than Rotosound 66 on the same bass, but maintain the same basic EQ spectrum. Good, rich sound, with adequately strong mids.

So far, they do not seem to be dying any faster than any other strings I've used. Really trying to put them through the paces, too, with slapping and popping (which I don't usually play in "real life"), strum rolls, heavy pick playing, etc. Based on my demo recording snippets, they seem to be retaining a reasonably bright tone quite well.

They also feel quite nice. Good, smooth-for-roundwounds feel, maybe just slightly rougher feeling than GHS Balanced Nickels.

At this point, I feel like I stumbled upon some remarkable high-end string that should cost 75% more than it does.

But I also feel cautiously optimistic, given that Ernie Ball Slinky's apparently die pretty fast for a lot of people. But they're already doing better for me personally than DR Lo Riders (steel or nickel), or Rotosound nickels. GHS strings have a wonderfully long lifespan, and I'm perfectly happy with Rotosound steel strings for several months at least. So will be interesting to see just how well these do for me.

 

[68Goldfish]

The slinkies in the green pack are my go to string. Sound great on everything and cheap enough not to care that they only last for a handful of gigs.

 

[Arthur U. Poon]

The Hybrid Slinkys sound fantastic on US EBMM. I don’t know why I’m not equally impressed with them on my MIA Standard P-Bass.

Perhaps I should experiment a bit more with my amp’s eq. I’ll definitely try that when I come off off of the road. I will say this: I’m really liking how they feel tension wise, and also how nice their outer surface feels.

And for under $20.00 a set I won’t complain about their price either.

 

[PBandJazzBass]

Recently put a set of Hybrid Slinky’s on my Fender Jazz and really like them. I would describe them as a versatile workhorse string.

The sound hasn’t changed after the initial break in period.

 

[Chickenwheels]

Lol. EB strings KA.

 

[Pier_]

I've spread love over the EBs many years ago after a long period of pure hate

when I tried them few times between 2009 and 2010 I found that they used to suddenly die in a bad way after a couple of weeks; they sounded pretty good (bright, snappy) for two weeks, and then the next day they sounded like plastic wires.

I had the same experience buying them because I needed new strings for a gig and the shop didn't have anything I liked, so I bought a set of 40-95 (blue pack), it was during september 2012, and they didn't want to die I kept them for months, then switched to the pink 45-100.

they are still my go-to strings when I want nickels, like on my Yamaha TRB6p, strung with the red set 32-130.

what I like about them is that, compared to other nickels, they are:

1) softer and with less overall tension

2) snappier and with more hi-mids

3) they remain clear on the lows, avoiding the "mud"

however they don't have a particular character, unlike Rotosound Swing66 or GHS Boomers, but still more characterizing than D'Addario EXL or Fender 7250.

in particular I like them on dark sounding instruments, like the Gibson Thunderbird, where I really loved them in the 45-100 gauge, tightening the thunderous low end of that bass.

 

[PBandJazzBass]

Recently put a set of Hybrid Slinky’s on my Fender Jazz and really like them. I would describe them as a versatile workhorse string.

The sound hasn’t changed after the initial break in period.

Actually, scratch that. After a couple gigs and rehearsal where I couldn’t seem to EQ out the highs, I’m back to GHS Boomers. Oh well.