Back with Rotosound Swing Bass 66 and I can't remember why I ever left

OK. My quest for the perfect roundwound strings for me has now led me right back to where I started - Rotosound Swing Bass 66.

My first bass, purchased in 1976, was an Ibanez copy of a Rickenbacker 4001. It had dead flats on it, so I took it to the music store to get it re-strung. The guy behind the counter suggested Rotos and I just went with it - not really knowing much about strings at the time.

WOW. That bass was suddenly loud and full of sizzle. I bought a YES album and began playing "Roundabout" because that was the tone of my bass. My playing was a little sloppy and I had to learn to control the string noise. But, I loved them.

Bands came and went and I got a few hundred gigs under my belt. I bought the obligatory Precision and Jazz basses to round out the arsenal. Then came the boutique basses - BC Rich, Alembic, Tobias, Warwick, Sadowsky. With each new bass came a quest for the perfect string. Dean Markley Blue Steel, Cryogenic, SR2000, taperwound, Elixirs, DR High Beam, Sunbeam, Marcus Miller, D'Addario XL-170 (My favorites for a long time) GHS Boomers, Thomastik, etc.

Hundreds more gigs and I came to settle on D'Addario XL-170. They were my roundwound strings of choice and I played them for more than a decade. Then I heard a lot of chatter on Talkbass about the Dunlop Super Brights. So, I bought them. I really did not like them right out of the package. For me, the D'Addario set had a much better fundamental on the low E. But, over time, the Dunlops really grew on me. They broke in really nicely and I liked the lower tension for bends.

Recently, I got a call to reunite with some old friends for a gig and the set list was like my IPod playlist - full of classic rock tunes. Rehearsals brought a smile to my face from ear to ear. But, something was missing. I tweaked my amp knobs and pedals looking for "that" sound. The sound I remembered. And it was close but somehow just not there. I was about to order my usual XL-170's to replace the Dunlops (from Jason of course) and, for some reason, I decided to go retro and ordered a set of Rotosound Swing Bass 66's instead. I am so glad I did.

They came and I strung them on my favorite P Bass. And my sound came back to me. The sound I was looking for. Ballsy, deep and cutting at the same time. It was not just a "new" roundwound sound. I've played lots of new roundwounds. It was really a different sound and it took me back in time. These strings are definitely staying on this bass.

Now - the 100% honest truth. The Rotos do NOT slap as well as many other rounds out there. And, I much prefer my XL's for fingerfunk and R&B. The Rotos' tension is a little stiff compared to my XL's (and especially compared to the Dunlops). But, for Hard Rock and Classic Rock, I have never played a better sounding string. Rotosound 66 for the classic rock win.

 

Steel for me. Still loving these strings. I think I've decided that my #1 Precision will be wearing Rotos from this day forward.