Are there strings you actually dislike?

[e-flat]

Hofner Quality
These Hofner Short Scale flats are the only string in recent memory that I didn't like. They're flat, and kind of smooth... and that is all I can think to say that is kind.

They were the sonic equivalent of wet cardboard. Yuck.

 

[BassinCT]

No particular brand, but these traits don't appeal to me:

• Rough feel
• Stiff, non-compliant
• Little color variation, nuance
• Difficult to intonate
• Indistinct pitch, especially in low Range

We all have such varied tolerance for these things, but it is still helpful to read other members' perceptions on all of the string threads.

 

[shoulderpet]

Hofner Quality
These Hofner Short Scale flats are the only string in recent memory that I didn't like. They're flat, and kind of smooth... and that is all I can think to say that is kind.

They were the sonic equivalent of wet cardboard. Yuck.

Oh yeah, those are dreadful, exactly as you described

 

[Zooberwerx]

Re: Chromes. I installed a used set (...gotta love the TB classifieds) on a Fernandes 5 and have been satisfied so far but, then again, I had never used flats before so I can't make a fair comparison. It did motivate me to "bump up the game" so I snagged & installed LaBella Low Tension Flats on a Carvin 5. Think I like the LTF's a bit more.

Think I'll get sick of the Dunlop SuperBrights over time. I ended up with some bad sets (an acknowledged QC issue) and Dunlop fixed me up with a carton each of the SS's and Nickel's. I rarely change my strings so my wife will probably have them displayed on a yard sale folding table after my demise.

Riis

 

[Pimpernel Smith]

Yes, there are stings I dislike: Ones that are not Pyramid Gold flats, or Thomastik-Infeld Jazz flats.

 

[ChrisBowsman]

I've tried a lot of strings in the 6 months since I switched to bass. So far, I've found I don't like Chromes or D'Addario Half Rounds. Used to love SIT Silencers, but now I think they feel like a cheese grater like the Half Rounds.

 

[jeffb28451]

Thomastik Infield...yeah, yeah, I know. Good tone, long life, I hear. Spent over $100 on a set. On and off in 30 minutes. Just too floppy. Maybe just me.

oh, 13 Basses. 52 years experience. Just my humble opinion. I'm just a round wound kind of guy.

 

[ale_vanlager]

Probably an unpopular opinion, but I really dislike EB Slinkys.

 

[Rev12_11]

Roundwound

 

[MrLenny1]

1/2 round wounds.

 

[GTHintz]

2 strings I really didn't like. 1st Ernie Ball slinky. They didn't last long at all and everything else I've played sounded better. 2nd is GHS boomers. They sounded ok at first but died within days and the broken in tone is just deader than a doornail. It sucks the mids and upper frequency right away and leaves nothing but mud.

 

[Bobbadfinger]

I don't like the tactile feel of tapewounds, nor the roughness of roundwounds in general, but specially Addario and Rotosounds.
Didn't care for Chrome's tone, and also don't like stiff strings in general.

So I guess I disliked most of the strings I tried so far...

 

[Pimpernel Smith]

Hofner brand Contemporary Flatwound strings. I found them to be untunable.

 

[Matthew_84]

Half-Rounds: they feel very rough and I question the use of them in the first place.

Black Tapes: I dislike the plastic clacking noise they make on a fretless board (haven't tried them on a fretted)

GHS Pressurewounds: great sound and a grrat choice for a Fretless, but they have a shiny alloy on them that seemed to rub off on my fingers, leaving black smudges on them and duller looking strings where played a lot. Possibly some weird chemical interaction with me specifically (perhaps from something I was eating at the time). Ken Smith Compressors are the same string but without the alloy, so I use them instead

 

[michael_t]

GHS Pressurewounds: great sound and a grrat choice for a Fretless, but they have a shiny alloy on them that seemed to rub off on my fingers, leaving black smudges on them and duller looking strings where played a lot. Possibly some weird chemical interaction with me specifically (perhaps from something I was eating at the time). Ken Smith Compressors are the same string but without the alloy, so I use them instead

The black smudge is definitely your body chemistry reacting to the nickel.

GHS Pressurewounds and Ken Smith Compressors use the same nickel-iron alloy (aka Alloy 52) and are made at the same factory (GHS), so I don't understand why one works better for you than the other. Not trying to dispute your experience, just wondering...

 

[Matthew_84]

The black smudge is definitely your body chemistry reacting to the nickel.

GHS Pressurewounds and Ken Smith Compressors use the same nickel-iron alloy (aka Alloy 52) and are made at the same factory (GHS), so I don't understand why one works better for you than the other. Not trying to dispute your experience, just wondering...

I don't think they use the exact same alloy (unless I had a weird set). The Pressurewounds were shiny - they almost looked like chrome metal. The compressors just looked like normal nickel or whatever.

 

[TomB]

I've never liked any DR string I've tried. It's weird, I don't get it.

 

[Dan_reeves]

Hate Rotosound Swing Bass 66 in long and short scale. Lots of DOA strings.

Hate is a strong word - I strongly dislike DR Pure Blues. They were marketed in a way that I should've loved them. Nope.

Replying to my own post - classic. Just wanted to add - tapewounds. I recently tried Black Beauties and Labella Black Nylons, both on my acoustic bass. Yeah, not for me. One of the Labellas broke at the ball end on one of the strings - I could've sought a replacement but I hated how the others sounded so much I gave up.

 

[LiquidMidnight]

I just could never get along with Rotosounds. I know they're the first roundwound, but there's just something about how they resonate that doesn't appeal to me. The only string I've ever tried that I just absolutely hated, though, were Snarling Dogs.

I like the sound of Ernie Balls and GHS but quit using them because they just don't seem to retain tone for anything, especially Ernie Balls that seem to go dead if you so much as breath on them.

 

[GTHintz]

1 more string to add. Daquisto tapered stainless. There was 1 thing that was kinda cool and that was that the overtones were interesting. The fundimental tone was dull. The tension was ok but not too wonderful. The feel of the outer wrap wasn't very inspiring. These things didn't have anything that would make me want to invest in another set. There's definitely a reason why these guys went out of business. Dull medium high tension strings with tapers on everything but the g string. Maybe a good fit for someone but not me.