• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join free Log in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

Coated or Non-Coated

Coated or Non-Coated Strings?

  • Coated

    Votes: 24 38.7%

  • Non-Coated

    Votes: 38 61.3%
  • Total voters
    62
  • Poll closed .
#21
Gio S said:
I always try the Elixirs first on any new bass - they are so awesome. The coating keeps them new and keeps down the finger noise.
Click to expand...

This is for a fretless. Does it seem like they would help prevent fingerboard gouging if you play lightly)?

Can anyone tell me how much which coated strings, say Elixirs, keep the finger [slide, szhhhzip] noise down?

Is the tone still a roundwound tone? How does it differ from a ground roundwound?

How about the feel? can you slide on them nicely? I love TI Flats, but looking for a little variety. Are coated strings a good compromise? Which brand offers the smoothest feel? (I guess the thickest coating?)

Thanks
 
#22
Elixirs came with my Ibanez ATK305 when I brought it and I've been using them ever since. They outlast any other brand of string I've ever used and give me great tone for months.
They're hell expensive here in OZ (About $99 AU for a 5 string set), but you still save as they will last me 3 times longer than a set of D'addario XL's which I used to use.

I have been buying them online from the USA which reduces the price down to about $70 inclusive of shipping with the current exchange rate. Back when the exchange was good, they were costing me about $50 per 5 sting set.
Should've stocked up!
 
#23
I know I previous said I didn't like coated strings but I played an Ibanez SR 705
the other day that was equipped with these, and I must say I liked them on this particular bass! They seem to be more suited for an active bass than a passive.
The qualities I liked about them were the feel, the midrange, percussion, the mellow highs, and the tight lows. The combonation of the coating and slight stiffness makes them almost rattle proof. When you do a slide on these strings
they feel nice and slick, and make no finger noise. They are probably the quietest roundwound on the market. The cons of them however are the price, and the treble if you are a slap & popper.
 
#27
I'll buck the trend here and say I like coated better. Coated strings like EXPs, DR Extra Life and Elixir Nanos have gotten really good as far as not altering the tone, they're easier on frets and fingers, and they last longer. That's not quite as big a deal on bass as g****r (I have a few skinny-stringers, and before I discovered DR Extra Life, my Strat's strings put me in danger of tetanus after the first week), however if you like the sound of newer strings (a pretty common addiction IME), you're either restringing just as often as you would a g****r or you're playing a coated set. I find that the EXPs I have on my main bass don't hinder the high end at all, so anyone who says you can't slap coated strings, at least on an active, is flat wrong. There may be a noticeable difference on a passive like a Jazz; I've never put a coated set on my Mexi so I wouldn't know.
 
#28
I'm in the "I like Elixir very much" camp. I've used the polyweb for years on P-basses, Fender Jazz's, and Sadowsky jazz's with great results. Polyweb are no longer made, but I was able to buy several sets about a year ago, so I think I'm set.

We recorded some loud rock at an outdoor venue this summer, I was using a Sadowsky swamp ash w/maple FB jazz through a 70's SVT. Hoo boy did that sound great. Plenty of fat mids, brightness enough for me, and man are they fun to move around on. And they stay that way for a very long time. On my P-basses, Elixir give me the bite of nickle rounds without the newness, and obviously no squeak so my bad technique isn't apparent to all!

I haven't tried the Nano sets but I'm told they are just slightly brighter.
 

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back