Giving Pro Steels a try...

[Tubehed]

In my experience, the Pro Steels lose their rough, somewhat sticky feel pretty quickly. Broken in, they are smoother feeling and easier on the finger tips. They retain their bright character but don't sound too clanky (to me) after they have some hours on them. Maybe scooped in the lower mids somewhat. Upper mids are more prominent to my ears. I really like them.

 

[Vinny_G]

Bright, aggressive, always reliable, very durable and less rough than other stainless steel strings: this has been my experience with the D'Addario Pro Steels. They are in my top 5 round wound hex core stainless steel strings.

 

[BrentSimons]

I'll have to check it out too. I only have my old worn in set for emergencies. I could use a fresh pack of strings. What's nice is since they aren't as well known on the string market they can go online for real cheap. The first set I got was like 10$ for a set of 4string on ebay.

juststrings.com

 

[Phaidrus]

Had them on for a while. Interesting tone, kinda scooped, if memory serves me.
They're definitely rough, even downright fret eaters. That was the reason I took them off my bass.
Other than that, they're low tension and flexible.

 

[Ricky Rioli]

Idle observation

Daddario's ESP165 (45–65–85–105) set of Pro Steels has an overall tension of 160 lbs

Their NPS equivalent, the EXL165 (45–65–85–105 again) has an overall tension of 174 lbs

Can anyone recall if there's any perceptible difference in how stiff they feel to the fingers?

I really liked the lovely tight feel of the EXL165 set, and would be pleased to hear that the ESP165 set feels much the same, despite the slightly lower actual tension.

 

[baxter_x]

Can anyone recall if there's any perceptible difference in how stiff they feel to the fingers?

I haven't used the EXL since a very long time. But to me they feel exactly the same as the EPS

 

[Vinny_G]

Idle observation

Daddario's ESP165 (45–65–85–105) set of Pro Steels has an overall tension of 160 lbs

Their NPS equivalent, the EXL165 (45–65–85–105 again) has an overall tension of 174 lbs

Can anyone recall if there's any perceptible difference in how stiff they feel to the fingers?

I really liked the lovely tight feel of the EXL165 set, and would be pleased to hear that the ESP165 set feels much the same, despite the slightly lower actual tension.

I've always found stainless steel strings less stiff than their NPS equivalents, in all the brands I've tried. I'm not a physicist and I don't know the reason, but it's an observation that I've made for a long time.

 

[Geri O]

I really liked the lovely tight feel of the EXL165 set, and would be pleased to hear that the ESP165 set feels much the same, despite the slightly lower actual tension.

I tend to be a very un-scientific bass player. I don’t measure neck relief, action height, or pickup height. I’ve always set it to just “feel right”. No claims about either method bring right or wrong. And I don’t think I’ve ever looked at string tension numbers.

So I can say that when I recently changed from the EXLs to the Pro Steels (45 to 130), I didn’t notice any difference in the stiffness of the 2 sets of strings. What I did notice is the rougher, slightly stickier feel of the Pro Steels. It took just a couple of days of my usual practice routine to get used to them.

 

[Phaidrus]

Idle observation

Daddario's ESP165 (45–65–85–105) set of Pro Steels has an overall tension of 160 lbs

Their NPS equivalent, the EXL165 (45–65–85–105 again) has an overall tension of 174 lbs

Can anyone recall if there's any perceptible difference in how stiff they feel to the fingers?

I really liked the lovely tight feel of the EXL165 set, and would be pleased to hear that the ESP165 set feels much the same, despite the slightly lower actual tension.

They feel more elastic and bouncy, if I remember correctly. Comfortable to play in that respect but they do have a rougher surface.

 

[Ricky Rioli]

They feel more elastic and bouncy, if I remember correctly. Comfortable to play in that respect but they do have a rougher surface.

It just occurred to me to look up the tension for the 40-100 XL Nickels — only 148. So the 45-105 Steels are halfway between the 40-100 and 45-105 XL Nickels. That'll do me.

I've had 45-105 Rotosounds in the past, so the Pro Steels' roughness won't be anything to bother me

Right, next string change.....

 

[Phaidrus]

It just occurred to me to look up the tension for the 40-100 XL Nickels — only 148. So the 45-105 Steels are halfway between the 40-100 and 45-105 XL Nickels. That'll do me.

I've had 45-105 Rotosounds in the past, so the Pro Steels' roughness won't be anything to bother me

Right, next string change.....

The 45-105 ProSteels are low tension indeed (160lbs) for the gauge, which also seems to contribute to their pleasant bouncy feel.
Interesting sounding strings. Price wise they are a bargain, so bring them on! Looking forward to your review!

 

[Ricky Rioli]

Price wise they are a bargain

Unfortunately that's not the case here in the UK, but as long as they age at a more gentle pace than Rotosound 66s, they should work out cheaper over time.

 

[Vinny_G]

Pro Steels are among the best strings if you want a bright, growling sound. I don't find them particularly rough and in my experience they last a long time.

 

[Phaidrus]

 

[Stan_da_man]

Unfortunately that's not the case here in the UK, but as long as they age at a more gentle pace than Rotosound 66s, they should work out cheaper over time.

What are you on about?

https://www.amazon.co.uk/DAddario-E...x=prosteels+daddario,aps,87&sr=8-3&th=1&psc=1

 

[BrentSimons]

The 45-105 ProSteels are low tension indeed (160lbs) for the gauge, which also seems to contribute to their pleasant bouncy feel.
Interesting sounding strings. Price wise they are a bargain, so bring them on! Looking forward to your review!

Hi there,
So I installed the Pro Steels on my Peacock Blue Peavey Cirrus 4. I had originally planned to put them on my Spector Euro but I'm still on the fence regarding that bass. I'm not sure if I'm going to keep it. But that's a story for another time.
I bought the EPS 170 set 45-100 gauge as I have found the 45-105 XL set from Daddario to be too tight for my taste. I was even more concerned with the Cirrus 35" scale.
The strings are tight but bendable. They are rougher to the touch than the Apex stainless Cryos I had on previous. If you guys like the Dean Markley Blue Steels I highly recommend Apex strings. A very nice company to deal with!
The Pro Steels for lack of a better term really sound piano like? Not a grindy,angry piano like Rotosounds but less mid content and polite. Yet still very present. Very crisp but not harsj.A bouncy feel as another poster had said. Ill need to experiment a bit more but ill post a clip when I get a chance. Not bar so far though.
Happy New Year,
Brent

 

[GTHintz]

Hi there,
So I installed the Pro Steels on my Peacock Blue Peavey Cirrus 4. I had originally planned to put them on my Spector Euro but I'm still on the fence regarding that bass. I'm not sure if I'm going to keep it. But that's a story for another time.
I bought the EPS 170 set 45-100 gauge as I have found the 45-105 XL set from Daddario to be too tight for my taste. I was even more concerned with the Cirrus 35" scale.
The strings are tight but bendable. They are rougher to the touch than the Apex stainless Cryos I had on previous. If you guys like the Dean Markley Blue Steels I highly recommend Apex strings. A very nice company to deal with!
The Pro Steels for lack of a better term really sound piano like? Not a grindy,angry piano like Rotosounds but less mid content and polite. Yet still very present. Very crisp but not harsj.A bouncy feel as another poster had said. Ill need to experiment a bit more but ill post a clip when I get a chance. Not bar so far though.
Happy New Year,
Brent

Awesome review! It's interesting that these were bouncy for you but they managed to stay really mellow. Maybe certain eq can bring out some punch but I definitely understand what you mean by sterile and polite. Some strings just don't have as much going on. So clear and clean it's too clean. I for one love having a little extra growl and snarl going on.

 

[Geri O]

Awesome review! It's interesting that these were bouncy for you but they managed to stay really mellow. Maybe certain eq can bring out some punch but I definitely understand what you mean by sterile and polite. Some strings just don't have as much going on. So clear and clean it's too clean. I for one love having a little extra growl and snarl going on.

Yes, no doubt a good and accurate review.

I recently moved to the 45-105 (and 130) Pro Steels, mainly because they came on a new bass. I usually remove the factory-supplied strings and put on the EXL Nickels, but I left the Pro Steels on to try. I wound up liking them just fine and I’ve put them on my other two basses. Very clean and bright, yes, but not harsh. I usually equate stainless steel strings with less midrange, but the Pro Steels aren’t like that at all to my ears. And the price is right as well.

They’ve become my new go-to strings.

 

[Tubehed]

I haven't looked up tension figures. But, IME, the Pro Steels feel a little more flexible compared to the XL Nickel's of the same gauge (45-100). Pro Steels are fantastic strings once they break in a bit and lose the initial sticky/grabby feel. I also like DR strings. But I honestly feel like I would be fine only using Pro Steels and XL Nickel's on any bass, depending on if I wanted SS or nickel.

 

[Tubehed]

Pro Steels are among the best strings if you want a bright, growling sound. I don't find them particularly rough and in my experience they last a long time.

This is the video that really sold me on Pro Steels.