Bummed About My Sadowsky Blue Labels Dying

[P Cheen]

The Sadowsky Blue Label SS strings have been my go-to for almost a year now, usurping my long-time favorites the DR Hi and Fat Beams. To me the Blue Labels physically felt smoother and sounded like DRs but with a compressor on.

Unfortunately the A string on my set died 2 nights ago, reasons unknown. I just picked up the bass, started playing, and [since I'm primarily a fingerstyle player] felt the A string's vibrations decay a lot faster. Playing pickstyle felt like I was plucking a flatwound string. I've had the set installed on my Jazz since the last week of March, never once detuned a single string. No gigs, nothing.

I immediately emailed Framus-Warwick USA and they told me they couldn't outright replace my A string because it had been past 60 days. Bummer.

Now I'm awaiting a set of GHS Boomers because A.) I haven't tried those before, and B.) Amazon can have them shipped to me in under 24 hours. I'll probably end up trying the DR Pure Blues and Sunbeams in the process.

 

[michael_t]

The Sadowsky Blue Label SS strings have been my go-to for almost a year now, usurping my long-time favorites the DR Hi and Fat Beams. To me the Blue Labels physically felt smoother and sounded like DRs but with a compressor on.

Now I'm awaiting a set of GHS Boomers because A.) I haven't tried those before, and B.) Amazon can have them shipped to me in under 24 hours. I'll probably end up trying the DR Pure Blues and Sunbeams in the process.

Going from Sad Blue SS, DR HB and FB to GHS Boomers, don't expect anything even close in tone or feel. Just sayin'...

 

[P Cheen]

Going from Sad Blue SS, DR HB and FB to GHS Boomers, don't expect anything even close in tone or feel. Just sayin'...

Good advice! I was pleasantly surprised with the Bass Boomers. I'd rank them higher than your run-of-the-mill EB Slinky and D'Addario XL. The low mid centric sound is perfect for my snappy alder/pau ferro Jazz. I'm definitely putting this on my must-have list along with my usual DR Hi-Beam, Fat-Beam, and Sadowsky Blue.

Now to try the Pure Blues and Sunbeams…

 

[michael_t]

Good advice! I was pleasantly surprised with the Bass Boomers. I'd rank them higher than your run-of-the-mill EB Slinky and D'Addario XL. The low mid centric sound is perfect for my snappy alder/pau ferro Jazz. I'm definitely putting this on my must-have list along with my usual DR Hi-Beam, Fat-Beam, and Sadowsky Blue.

View attachment 4296876

Now to try the Pure Blues and Sunbeams…

Those Boomers of yours look just as good as mine.

Assuming those are the regular Boomers (hex core) you got, you might also want to try the Round Core Boomers when you get a chance. The same low-mid centric sound Boomers are known for, but with slightly smoother mids. The same gorgeous red silk, too. (The ones in my pic are RCBs.)

 

[P Cheen]

Those Boomers of yours look just as good as mine.

View attachment 4296903

Assuming those are the regular Boomers (hex core) you got, you might also want to try the Round Core Boomers when you get a chance. The same low-mid centric sound Boomers are known for, but with slightly smoother mids. The same gorgeous red silk, too. (The ones in my pic are RCBs.)

Hmm… i'm noticing your E string tapers off sooner. Is this because yours is the round core?

 

[Jon Moody]

Hmm… i'm noticing your E string tapers off sooner. Is this because yours is the round core?

Probably a couple of things.

Both hex and round Bass Boomers have a 37.25" winding length, but since the silking is done by hand, there can be variance.

Second, it can vary from bass to bass, even with Fender Jazz and Precisions. I've had four P Basses (all Fender) at one point, and the silk hit the headstock differently on every single one. It's not as "uniform" as you'd think.

 

[michael_t]

Hmm… i'm noticing your E string tapers off sooner. Is this because yours is the round core?

Mine are thru-body on my 2014 Am Std P.