Ernie Ball Strings

[Lowner]

I use D'addario strings and was thinking of switching to Ernie Ball strings for my 5 string because my friend uses them on his 5 string and says that he likes the 110 guage string for the B string because its not as floppy as other brands B strings. But I have never used Ernie Balls before only GHS and D'Addario before settling on D'addarios.

Do Ernie Balls last a long time or good dead soon after putting them on? Do they have a good sound? What is you over all opinion of Ernie Ball strings?

 

[vindy500]

i like my slinkys, its basically all ive ever used, powers hybrids regulars the flats type 2, i like em.

 

[DavePlaysBass]

Slinkies come have one five string set I am aware of that are 45-65-80-100-130 just like D'Addario XL170-5.

They are similiar to DA XL nickels in feel, sound, and price.

Dave

 

[hyp.spec]

Slinky's are great.

I just tossed on a set of Regular Slinky's for my fiver, and I think they completely blow DR Hi-Beams and Lo-Riders away.

YMMV

 

[Oldboy]

I've just put a set of SLINKYS on my 5 string Squier P bass special.What a difference on the B!!!!!!!.Taut and clear as opposed to the Elites that were on before.

I like Slinkys,me,tho I've nearly always used Rotosound.(The Elites were on the Bass when I bought it,Slinkys were from Santa)

 

[Barisaxman]

I put a set of Slinky's on my 5 string and absolutely hated them. They were horribly bright...I tweaked my EQ for several rehearsals and then tossed the strings in the garbage. I put DR Lowriders on and have exactly the sound I want. On the other hand when i had my 4 string bass I had but Ernie Ball flats on it and loved the sound. Just my experience.

 

[Matthew Bryson]

I like Ernie Ball strings. I use regular slinkies on my Fender four strings. They're all I use. They just feel and sound right to me. I find that they are bright when you first put them on, but not too bright. That initial brightness mellows out pretty quickly and then they just sound nice, and they seem to last a fairly long time before really going dead.

I've tried the light gauge set and liked them a lot for certain styles. I tried the heavy gauge set and did NOT like them at all. The standard set is the one that's really "me".

With that said, check with your friend again on what gauge he's using. Ernie Ball doesn't make a set with 110 gauge B string. If they did, I would think that a 110 tuned to B would be SUPER floppy if it was playable at all. They do make a set with 110 gauge E. The light, medium, heavy gauge sets have B strings that are 125, 130, and 135.

When I did play a five string, I found that Ernie balls didn't fit in the bridge very well. They are fairly thick at the ball end and the B had to be wedged in there to make it fit, but it sounded better than any taper wound set I ever found.

 

[Ampeg SVT]

I like them when I pla with a pick because they are suitable for rock but they dont last long for me and I like the gritty feel of SS better

 

[JimmyM]

D'addarios and Ernie Balls are about identical.

 

[matito]

D'addarios and Ernie Balls are about identical.

i think there is a bit of difference between them.
with both bass and guitar, ernies seem to feel and sound better to methen d'addarios. i've never found d'addario's to feel right to me, somthing about them.

 

[dragoon419]

Ernie Ball 5 sets kick ass. They've got a very punchy and growly tone that I've only been able to find on stainless steels, but without the missing beefy mid-bottom that so many stainless steels are missing. The B string is also nice and tight They also last a good long while, I've had my set on for about a year and the B string only recently died down.

EBs are the only strings that I use on my fiver!

 

[jsbass]

D'Addarios for me.

 

[ScubaSteve]

Ernie Ball Regulars for me.

 

[Jeralya]

EB hybrid slinkies ALL THE WAY. I keep rotos on my slapper bass, but for my fretted and fret less P basses the Ernie balls have all the crunch and sizzle I love. If I had it my way I would change strings every two days because I love the brightness at first, but they still are more usable than most after breaking in.

 

[fishtx]

Just and FYI - If you have been using standard 5-string gauge sets and decide to go with a lighter guage set (you mentioned a 110 guage "B" string), make sure you readjust the intonation...;-)

 

[musicmedic]

I used to use Ernie Ball 5s and I hated them. My sweat ate through them and made them dead. DRs for me.

 

[SGT. Pepper]

EB's are brighter than D'Addario's out of the box. Both seem to mellow out after about two weeks. D'Addario XL's are nicer feeling. Slinkys are zingier and rougher. They have a thinner nickel coating on them than XL's. I myself prefer the D'Addario's. The 130 B on my Nickel XL's is very tight and the 135 from the set of ProSteels is very tight. Both are on 34 inch scale basses.

 

[whamonkey]

EB Slinky 5's are all my baby ever wore. Love em.

 

[markjazzbassist]

i love my slinkies. i used to use DR and D'addario, but the EB's are my current string of choice. They sound very very similar to DR's but they are half the cost and sold everywhere.

 

[Jayhawk]

When I did play a five string, I found that Ernie balls didn't fit in the bridge very well. They are fairly thick at the ball end and the B had to be wedged in there to make it fit, but it sounded better than any taper wound set I ever found.

I had this problem too ... I actually had to unwind some of the strings outer winding to fit the last 1/2" through the hole in the bridge of my Schecter Stilleto 5 .

Does anyone know if this will hurt the string in any way? I tuned up fine and seems to sound all right, but I didn't see any other way of fitting this string through.