Greetings,
I know that everyone prefer their own strings for their own reasons but when it comes to stainless steel (SS) strings I've never used or played on any. I asked the local seller and he said D'Addario Pro Steel, but he only sells D'Addarios and Ernie Ball strings.
I've read elsewhere that the D'Addarios are "softer" to play on than Rotosounds and that the Ernies dies quite fast.
The gauge I currently play on is .045 - .105 and I most usually play on LaBella strings (NP) but I want to try something new. If it matters the only bass I have left is a Jackson JS2 Spectra.
The ones I can't decide between are: D'Addario Pro Steel, MarkBass Energy, Rotosound RS66LF and Warwick 40200 M Black Label.
Have any of you tried any of these strings? Or can you recommend anything else? I'm looking for a colder and snappier sound than what all the NP strings I've tried so far gives me.
Power Steels 50-70-85-105 vs. Super Steels 44-63-84-106.
Here's the comparison in tension figures...
Power Steels 50-70-85-105:
G 050 - 49.0 lbs.
D 070 - 56.1
A 085 - 44.9
E 106 - 37.3 (Total 187.3)
Super Steels 44-63-84-106:
G 044 - 44.3 lbs.
D 063 - 49.8
A 084 - 46.8
E 106 - 43.6 (Total 184.5)
I have played a whole lot of different stainless strings over the years. So, I will add my 2 cents:
The best sounding stainless strings I ever played, were Dean Markley Helix. They had a rich depth and very interesting mid range. But, they haven't been made for like 10 years....
The 3 stainless strings I would generally recommend nowadays, are GHS Super Steels, DR Lo-Riders stainless, and Dunlop Super Bright stainless.
I have used each string multiple times. And on two or three basses. One of which is a 5 string.
GHS super steels:
Nowadays, balanced tension and even tone from string to string, are the most important things to me. So, I generally recommend GHS strings, As most of their sets are balanced tension, by default. You can see above, that their Super Steels have more similar tension between strings, than most others.(Check out GHS tension chart, for yension info on all sets/guage sizes).
GHS does make other stings which are even more closely balanced in tension between strings. But, Super Steels are currently their only Stainless String.
Balanced tension means your bass will setup better, and the way each string feels to fret, will be more similar.
Most GHS strings also have good clarity and even tone, from string to string and as you fret notes up the neck.
And finally, their quality/consistency is one of the best.
For tone: Super Steels are a little airy, have a punchy and crunchy high-mid, have very good articulation. That said, I think they are probably the least interesting tone of the 3
Dunlop Super Bright stainless
These are not advertised as balanced tension. But, they do feel more balanced than some other strings. But, not as balanced as GHS.
Dunlop's B strings for their super brights are my favorite for feel and clarity. They feel relatively "positive" to play. And the notes sound more correct than a lot of other B strings, IMO.
Overall, note clarity for the set is very good, all the way up the neck.
Despite the name, Super Brights emphasize the low mid and lows. With a nice deep growl. They almost sound EQ'd out of the box.
They feel smooth. But because of that, they aren't as crunchy in the high mid, as some other strings. These strings are all about depth, with a deep growl and deep punch.
I stopped using super brights for a few years, because I encountered several packs with quality issues (micro kinks in the D and G strings). But, I recently bought a couple of sets and didn't encounter the issue in either set (one stainless and one nickle plated).
DR Lo-Riders stainless
several caveats for me, with this string. But, they do have some charms!
Of the 3, IMO, Lo-Riders are the least balanced in tension.
Note clarity as you go up the neck, is not great IMO. However, that can work out for some music styles. Think of it as a sort of partially palm muted, thicker sound.
Similar to Super Brights, these are not "bright", grindy strings. They emphasize the low mid and mids. Not quite as deep as Super Brights. A little more mid-rangey and "classic" sounding. A more rounded, thick sound. Has a broad and toothy growl. All of this makes forone of the more interesting stainless tones.
I don't like the B-string. But, I have a 4 string which loves the Lo-Rider tone.
I feel like DR's always have a longer break-in period for tuning stability.
Smooth feel on the fingers. Even a little smoother on the hands, than super brights. Probably the best finger-tip feel of any stainless string on the market, aside from Elixir's coated stainless (which are in a class of their own, for finger-tip feel).
