Blue Steel love?

[Bruiser Stone]

I have a whole passel of these, 50-105 and 45-105, bought from a fellow TB’er several months ago. Took a gamble when I bought them. They sound GREAT on my main P bass. No silks…the previous owner broke the packaging to look for the silks without success. But I don’t think I’ve been cheated no matter the absence of silks. The older this medium set gets, the better they sound and feel. Who else loves these things, especially on a P bass?

***Maybe I’ve posted a similar thread before, but so be it.***

 

[michael_t]

No silks…the previous owner broke the packaging to look for the silks without success. But I don’t think I’ve been cheated no matter the absence of silks.

When Dean Markley used to make their own strings, the Blue Steels had silk on them. Since they closed down their factory and the production was handed over to a third party, that's when the silk disappeared. At least that's my understanding based on what I've read.

 

[Bruiser Stone]

When Dean Markley used to make their own strings, the Blue Steels had silk on them. Since they closed down their factory and the production was handed over to a third party, that's when the silk disappeared. At least that's my understanding based on what I've read.

Perhaps the quality slipped with the 3rd party (?), but it must have been a high mark from which to fall. I like ‘em. I’ve put on half a dozen other rounds/flats and I return to a well-used set of these each time. For steels, they are not too clanky, but it’s there if needed. String through folks could find the G a bit short.

 

[michael_t]

Perhaps the quality slipped with the 3rd party (?)

That appears to be the case based on a few recent threads I've seen regarding the DM QC issues.

A few have recommended the Apex bass strings as a viable alternative as that company was started up by people who used to work for Dean Markley.

 

[BrentSimons]

Dean Markley Quality Improvement?

 

[ugly_bassplayer]

 

[GTHintz]

Just wanted to give this a bump and share what I noticed from a set of blue steel stainless strings I'm playing. Unfortunately no silk ends which kind of sucks but where it makes up for it is in the tone. I'm pleasantly surprised and my expectations have been exceeded. They feel like they have flexibility but not too much. I dig that. They don't feel too rough and they haven't been bothering my fingers. They feel really good honestly. They have nice bite and it's giving me a great attack to go with the heavy hitting fundimental. I wanted strings that are nice and fat sounding but had more bite and these check the boxes. If the cryo treated steel makes them last a while I'll be very happy. Overall I'm impressed and I recommend these strings for anyone. If you want more flexible than say Pro steels or lo riders but don't want too floppy like Labella Rx or High Beams then you might like these. The bite on these remind me of fresh Rotosound strings but I'd say it's less scooped and more even tonally which is great when you want the versatility to do your own thing. You're going to be getting a unique tone and it's got some similarities of other brands but not a direct knock off. I'd rank these my second favorite strings right there with Ken Smith Rockmasters that I really have a soft spot for. I've been trying so many brands but these definitely grabbed my attention. Great strings and not too expensive.

 

[hamertek98]

Just put a set of Stainless BS on. The taper past the nut is too long on the E. I put them on a bass with a jazz type headstock.
Never had that problem in the past.

 

[GTHintz]

Just put a set of Stainless BS on. The taper past the nut is too long on the E. I put them on a bass with a jazz type headstock.
Never had that problem in the past.

Interesting. As long as it tunes to pitch you should be ok. I've had a b string do that before and it didn't cause any issues for me. It was a Warwick by the way. It shouldn't be going too far past. Good news is that your tuning posts should be a bit wider than mine which means as it bends around past the taper it's not as steep of a bend as a thinner post.

 

[hamertek98]

Interesting. As long as it tunes to pitch you should be ok. I've had a b string do that before and it didn't cause any issues for me. It was a Warwick by the way. It shouldn't be going too far past. Good news is that your tuning posts should be a bit wider than mine which means as it bends around past the taper it's not as steep of a bend as a thinner post.

The tuners are Gotoh. A little smaller. It tunes to pitch, just feels a lot tighter getting there! lol

 

[GTHintz]

Unless the outer winding comes loose you should be ok. I've had a run in with a couple b strings that came undone but it's from the first time I go to tune it so you'll know right off the bat. I hope you are happy with the tone and feel.

 

[two fingers]

They sound great. They do NOT work with my body chemistry. They stick to my fingers. Wish I could play them.

 

[GTHintz]

It's interesting how that works. Most people seem to think that Rotosound feels too rough and blue steels but to me it feels nicer than most strings I've tried. To me blue steels feel and sound close to rotos which is why I compare those. Blue steel seems to last longer though. Interesting enough Hi beams that seems to get lots of praise actually were the hardest on my fingers because they are smoother but for some reason made my plucking fingertips pretty raw.

 

[BrentSimons]

They sound great. They do NOT work with my body chemistry. They stick to my fingers. Wish I could play them.

I had that same issue back in the day. Early 90s? Loved the tone but it felt like they were sticking to my fingers. I will report that the Cryos from Apex did not stick to my fingers and felt very close to my beloved Rotos in the roughness department.
Brent

 

[hamertek98]

Interesting. As long as it tunes to pitch you should be ok. I've had a b string do that before and it didn't cause any issues for me. It was a Warwick by the way. It shouldn't be going too far past. Good news is that your tuning posts should be a bit wider than mine which means as it bends around past the taper it's not as steep of a bend as a thinner post.

 

[GTHintz]

It's definitely a little long on there. How is the tone on that string? Does it sound odd compared to the others?