• 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.

Giving Pro Steels a try...

BrentSimons

BrentSimons

Mar 4, 2004
5,893
5,488
Vergennes,VT USA
#1
Hey All,
I've got a set of Spector/LaBella Strings on my Spector Euro but I think they are too tame? More in the "balanced and warm" category nickel wound. Sort of middle of the road tension with a decent feel. About as smooth as D'Addario XL's? But much less twang.
I tried a set of Pro Steels years ago and honestly can't remember what they were like? I vaguely recall the feel being somewhat rougher than my favorite Rotosound Swing Bass 66's if you can believe that? :) I found a set for a great price and since I already have Rotos on my X-Mas list I figured why not?
Any Pro Steel users out there?
Happy Holidays,
Brent
 
  • Like
Reactions: Rabidhamster, Spidey2112, Iristone and 4 others
#2
BrentSimons said:
...
...
Any Pro Steel users out there?
...
Click to expand...

Yes. I find them far more expressive and nuanced that RS66, they get better for longer as they age, and they sound more balanced across the set. Of course they can take your face off if you dig in, but even then, for my money, they still have a more 'musical' character that the unruly angst of the RS66.

YMMV
 
  • Like
Reactions: Root 5, jjk2007, Ricky Rioli and 6 others
#3
Brent, best wishes to you and your family this holiday season. I was buying Pro Steels for my youngest daughter on a small scale bass. Thoughts? Great string, not as grindy as Rotos. My daughter was taking this bass to school once a week in a soft cover case which may have affected their brightness longevity - maybe 6-8 weeks. Good luck with your new set.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Spidey2112 and BrentSimons
#4
eriky4003 said:
Brent, best wishes to you and your family this holiday season. I was buying Pro Steels for my youngest daughter on a small scale bass. Thoughts? Great string, not as grindy as Rotos. My daughter was taking this bass to school once a week in a soft cover case which may have affected their brightness longevity - maybe 6-8 weeks. Good luck with your new set.
Click to expand...
Very cool @eriky4003 ! Thank you! Hmmmm not as grindy as Rotos you say?My Spector makes me want to play with a pick so it should be a neat comparison!
I use so many D'Addario/Planet Waves products: polish, cables, string cutters, etc I've always thought how wonderfully convenient it would be to love their strings as well! ;)
Wishing you and yours a Safe, Healthy and Happy Holiday Season!
Take care
Brent
 
  • Like
Reactions: eriky4003
#5
Hey Brent, I think we have a similar taste for what we need in a string. Rotos we're my first point of reference in a quality string. I feel like certain strings will bring out the best in a bass and visa versa. I would point you in the direction of Ken Smith Rockmasters. They Are made by ghs and will be close to pro steel strings but I like them better because they just seem to have something extra going on that I didn't get from pro steels. Also I have a set of Dean Markley blue steel right now and they seem to have the aspects of Rotosound that I love but I like the overtones in blue steel better. If the pro steels don't do it for you hopefully you'll find something that will.
 
  • Like
Reactions: eriky4003 and BrentSimons
#6
GTHintz said:
Hey Brent, I think we have a similar taste for what we need in a string. Rotos we're my first point of reference in a quality string. I feel like certain strings will bring out the best in a bass and visa versa. I would point you in the direction of Ken Smith Rockmasters. They Are made by ghs and will be close to pro steel strings but I like them better because they just seem to have something extra going on that I didn't get from pro steels. Also I have a set of Dean Markley blue steel right now and they seem to have the aspects of Rotosound that I love but I like the overtones in blue steel better. If the pro steels don't do it for you hopefully you'll find something that will.
Click to expand...
Very cool @GTHintz ! I appreciate the tip(s). I've seen Ken Smiths on various sites but never had the gumption to try them? I guess I'll put those on the list!
If you enjoy your Blue Steels, check out Apex Cryos
Apex® Bass Strings - Apex® Strings Employees from Dean Markley founded the company and they are super nice to deal with. I found their Cryos to be very gritty and growly (in a great way! ;))
Honestly I should have just bought another set but wanted to try something different.

Here is a clip of the Cryos. Please excuse the playing!

The TalkBass String Comparison Sound Clip Thread!
Happy Holidays!
Brent
 
  • Like
Reactions: PeaveyPlayer, eriky4003, Hot Rats and 1 other person
#8
BrentSimons said:
Hey All,
I've got a set of Spector/LaBella Strings on my Spector Euro but I think they are too tame? More in the "balanced and warm" category nickel wound. Sort of middle of the road tension with a decent feel. About as smooth as D'Addario XL's? But much less twang.
I tried a set of Pro Steels years ago and honestly can't remember what they were like? I vaguely recall the feel being somewhat rougher than my favorite Rotosound Swing Bass 66's if you can believe that? :) I found a set for a great price and since I already have Rotos on my X-Mas list I figured why not?
Any Pro Steel users out there?
Happy Holidays,
Brent
Click to expand...
Strange, I always found them a bit smoother than Roto's, Prosteels are good strings, last a relatively long time, bright tone, only thing potentially wrong with them is that you have to expect to lose a chunk of your midrange as they are bright but they have a hefty scoop on the midrange so if you like a lot of mids they won't be for you
 
  • Like
Reactions: BrentSimons, tindrum, trothwell and 1 other person
#11
dbsfgyd1 said:
+ 1 on DR-Lo Riders. I’ve been using them for almost 15 years now. Might be a little too refined for some however.
Click to expand...
To be honest I thought they were a little polite and It's not that they lack grit or attack but for some reason they are so smooth that you almost think they are too smooth sounding. If you can picture what I'm saying. Still they are really nice and I'll play them over lots of things. Funny thing is if you have a fender jazz or p bass I feel like it's well suited to that. For like a Spector or Warwick I feel like they are so clean sounding that it's almost too much. I noticed that with my Warwick bass. Double humbuckers. I found that it likes to have some extra flavor due to how thick but clear the mec pickups are. Emg isn't as clear in my opinion so I feel like you can run cleaner strings and it'll work. I tried hi beams and I like everything about them on the Warwick but there was just a little something missing. Just minor overtones that the right string will bring out.
 
  • Like
Reactions: sludgetail, BrentSimons and dbsfgyd1
#13
I echo the above: bright, bright, bright!!! Not grindy, and they will eventually go clunk. But if you want clarity with brightness over clank and grind, they are the string. Personally, when I play a stainless steel round, I prefer GHS SuperSteels as to me they are a slightly tamer than Roto Swingbass, but that is the exactly the opposite and is what the OP is trying to get away from.
 
  • Like
Reactions: GTHintz, BrentSimons and LeFunk Machine
#15
GTHintz said:
To be honest I thought they were a little polite and It's not that they lack grit or attack but for some reason they are so smooth that you almost think they are too smooth sounding. If you can picture what I'm saying. Still they are really nice and I'll play them over lots of things. Funny thing is if you have a fender jazz or p bass I feel like it's well suited to that. For like a Spector or Warwick I feel like they are so clean sounding that it's almost too much. I noticed that with my Warwick bass. Double humbuckers. I found that it likes to have some extra flavor due to how thick but clear the mec pickups are. Emg isn't as clear in my opinion so I feel like you can run cleaner strings and it'll work. I tried hi beams and I like everything about them on the Warwick but there was just a little something missing. Just minor overtones that the right string will bring out.
Click to expand...

I think we agree on these. You call them polite, I call them refined. I do have. Fender as well as a Warwick. Trust me. I get what your are saying and agree 100%.

good post.
 
  • Like
Reactions: BrentSimons and GTHintz
#16
I put prosteels on all my basses except for my fanned fret which needs a different set. I think I may have just got used to them so anything else I tried just doesn’t do it for me. What I like about them is equally sound and feel. I’ll agree with what others have said about their sound. Nice and bright but also deep and solid fundamental. Lacking in mids perhaps but it depends how you play too. I tend to play aggressively and I love how these strings react to that. The highs and lows keep up with that without letting too much nasily rubber bandyness take over. This may seem like a weird comment but they are reactive to how hard you play. It’s a tension thing obviously but they just don’t seem as spongy with the recoil as a lot of strings.
 
  • Like
Reactions: BrentSimons and GTHintz
#18
BrentSimons said:
Any Pro Steel users out there?
Click to expand...
To me, they are the best strings I've used along with the Sadowsky SBS Black Label.
They are perfect for my needs. Warm, very bright, last super long, the B string is tapered so its presence is second to none....
The slap tone is fantastic, and playing with a pick sounds naturally awesome.
I might switch to the Sadowsky black label because of their layer of protection to protect the keys. My two Sadowsky basses have black hardware, and those D'addario strings tend to scratch them a little. Also, both the SBS and the EPS sound exactly the same.
I have tried other sets like those mentioned in this thread, and always came back to my favorite EPS300-5 strings.

For those willing to try those strings, beware. They are very very bright. You guys might not enjoy it. I do.
 
  • Like
Reactions: BrentSimons
#19
I’ve been a nickel rounds guy for a very long time, thinking that stainless strings were bright and harsh. But I finally gave the Pro Steels that Lull sends their basses out a try, even replacing them 4 days later with the usual EXLs, only to immediately put another set of Pro Steels back on that new bass. I’m getting used to the feel of the stainless strings and they sound really, really good.
 
  • Like
Reactions: BrentSimons, GTHintz and baxter_x

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back