Expensive strings are prefereable?

[gigetto]

More expensive strings are prefereable versus less expensive strings but good quality like D'Addario's, Ernie Ball, Rotosound?

What's the remarkable difference in tone, long lasting and....between a standard strings and a 30% more expensive (or more) string?

 

[MrWolf14]

Good question... with no real answer.
In my experience, you need to find the strings that best suit YOU.
And (nothing new here) this is not directly connected to the price tag.
I personally always had bad results with really cheap strings (around 10€ for a 4 strings set) but once you reach the normal price area (~30€ for a set) it is just a matter of taste.

And be prepared to change again over time: my experience, long time rotosound fan, got to try D Addario nickels on a new bass and I fell in love.

and now, after some years of daddario... I just got Bogart's strings on a used bass and I think they may become my new preferred brand.

So.... enjoy your journey to find your ideal strings!

PS: of course being Italian I had to try Galli and Dogal, but I didn't like them. I need to give them a second chance

 

[gigetto]

Good question... with no real answer.
In my experience, you need to find the strings that best suit YOU.
And (nothing new here) this is not directly connected to the price tag.
I personally always had bad results with really cheap strings (around 10€ for a 4 strings set) but once you reach the normal price area (~30€ for a set) it is just a matter of taste.

And be prepared to change again over time: my experience, long time rotosound fan, got to try D Addario nickels on a new bass and I fell in love.

and now, after some years of daddario... I just got Bogart's strings on a used bass and I think they may become my new preferred brand.

So.... enjoy your journey to find your ideal strings!

PS: of course being Italian I had to try Galli and Dogal, but I didn't like them. I need to give them a second chance

It is a practical question. Recently I've bought 4 set replace strings for my basses. 80€. If I didn't opted for a Rotosound, D'Addario, Ernie Ball and a discounted Dogal (that are more expensive than others) I would have spent 50€ more or doubling the bill. Not only a tone or tension preference but a big difference in price that is not unremarkable for those who, like me, use a lot the strings and change regularly.

 

[MrWolf14]

It is a practical question. Recently I've bought 4 set replace strings for my basses.

If you have "many" basses, maybe you should convince yourself to like flats ;-)
That will guarantee a long life to your strings. If you happen to like a "piano like sound" then your only option is to regularly change strings on your basses.
How long a set of strings will last for you is highly subjective. I used to like steels-rotosound, but I had to change them very often (and I was also boiling them before "important" gigs as a cheaper option to get the sound I wanted for few more hours).
Moving to D'Addarios nickels, I can play them for some years and still like the sound.
My experience with Dogals was: wow! But after few weeks (?) the sound was gone.

Again, everything on this subject is highly subjective.

Buona fortuna!

Ciao, Domenico

 

[ctmullins]

Usually, "expensive" equals "better quality". But not always. And the tone is something only your ears can evaluate. An expensive, well made, durable string that doesn't sound good to your ears is no good.

 

[Inara]

My two favorite strings are at opposite ends of the spectrum, but I love both equally. For flats, it's expensive: TI Jazz Flats. However, I've had them on basses for 8+ years before, with them still sounding great. That's incredibly cheap compared to the number of round sets I would have gone through in that time.

For rounds, though, I love Dunlop Super Bright nickels, which are pretty cheap. I play them because they are very flexible and have great mids on fretless, which are the same reasons I love the TI flats.

I'm wanting to try the TI Jazz Rounds though, and if they happen to move me away from the Dunlops, well that will be expensive lol.

 

[Dragan]

More expensive strings are prefereable versus less expensive strings but good quality like D'Addario's, Ernie Ball, Rotosound?

What's the remarkable difference in tone, long lasting and....between a standard strings and a 30% more expensive (or more) string?

If one spend 30% percent more on a mtd/elixir/dr/sansone and then enjoy their tone for at least double time than with d'addario/dunlop/ernie ball/roto, would you consider that a worthwhile?

 

[Hundred proof]

I used TI flats on both a vintage P bass and vintage J bass for years, then switched to Dunlop nickel super brights on the Jazz liked the soft feel similar to the TIs, still use them on my EBMM Sterling, sold the P and J. Price was not the issue as the TI flats lasted years.

 

[Lava]

For many years I used Elixir coated strings because I like their tone and more important, to me, their new tone lasted a lot longer than other strings. They are more expensive than a lot oof other strings but I bought them less often. I really like DR strings but they went dead too quickly for my taste, including their coated strings.
Over the last couple of years I've started to experiment with higher end flat wounds (La Bella special edition tape wounds and the sort) and I really like them. I've yet to use them on any of my go-to gigging basses but I may try once things get back to normal here in the US. They aren't cheap, but they sure are fun.

 

[Eddie LeBlanc]

I love these and I'm currently switching my go to basses to them. They are Hex Core. Slick feeling and last.
A little pricey compared to some. But compared to others, not that much, especially compared to TIs.

I had the USA Distributor make me up a set of special sizes for my Ric 4003
They are round cores.

I also have these waiting in the wings to go on something.

 

[EchoEcho]

The last set of strings I bought were for £5.95(for a 6 string set so that i can nab the high C for my 5 string) and £13.99 for flatwounds. Both seem decent enough for me, and do the job.

I don't buy into the more expensive equals better quality philosophy - it's always more nuanced than that. I'm always mindful that often you'll be paying a lot more just for a brand name even though the quality is lower (established brands often get lazy and quite rightly believe that they can sell on brand name alone, and therefore make shortcuts). Newer and lesser known brands often try harder and are less expensive, and therfore give much more bang for your buck.

 

[Leonid Nidis]

I thought most mainstream regular strings are more or less priced the same.
Rotosound are my favorite but they mellow out the fastest and I like the zing so I use elixir.

 

[nilorius]

Right. I found my perfect sound on less expensive D'addarious.

 

[JimmyM]

I don't agree even a little with the premise. I've bought expensive strings that I've hated and cheaper strings that I love. My current faves are Dunlop...Super Bright Nickels for rounds and their flats, and neither are very expensive and both sound great to my ears. OTOH, I've bought expensive strings that I loved, too, but none have ever given me a reason to switch from the D'addarios I used to use till the Dunlops came along.

 

[JeezyMcNuggles]

More expensive strings are prefereable versus less expensive strings but good quality like D'Addario's, Ernie Ball, Rotosound?

What's the remarkable difference in tone, long lasting and....between a standard strings and a 30% more expensive (or more) string?

All depends on the string. And you don't know til you try them.

 

[P A U L]

D'Addario XL strings are D'Addario XL no matter how much they cost.

I tend to prefer them to be cheaper... ...

Some strings do cost more & might be more preferable to you, i.,e., coated strings, etc., but, if you can get a like string for cheaper, then you'll probably get more enjoyment for your money...

 

[Spirit of Ox]

The D'Addario NYCs are more expensive than the XLs and to me, the XLs sound better. On the other hand. DR Fatbeams are a little more than Rotosounds and I like the DRs better. DRs are really well designed strings anyways and they aren't too expensive like Thomastik Infield.
I agree with a few users here that Dunlop Super Brights and D'Addario XL are the best for the money.

 

[DWBass]

D'Addario XL's all day everyday for me. Just so happens that they are affordable.

 

[Bodeeni]

I spend a lot on Flats, but usually have had good or better luck with rounds that are inexpensive. Currently running Dunlop Super Brights mainly because of the price point. They work fine. I would not hesitate switching if I see a better bargain on a decent string.

 

[Killing Floor]

There is no perfect string as far as I can tell.
But I am very willing to try any set from any brand. What's the risk? I have tried many brands, low tension, high tension, flat, round, ground, coated, tape, different gauges.
I've found some that I like and some I do not like.
In rounds I am happy with Dunlop and DR Hi-Beams and Slinkys.
For Flats I play both LaBella DTB (lower tension) and Dad Chromes (higher tension).

Best luck finding something that works for you.