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Giving Pro Steels a try...

#81
Okay, the set of EPS160-5s came today. I ordered three sets, maybe a little optimistic about being able to use them, but what the hey...

While I've noticed the strings being heavier-gauged, I don't notice the difference being as drastic (relatively speaking) between the 160-5s and the 170-5s (what is with these designations???:D) and the difference I noticed between the EXL160s and the EXL170s. A tension thing? No idea.

I put the 160-5s on my Mike Lull P5, set up the action for those strings, knowing I might need to tweak it a bit tomorrow, and spent a little over an hour playing them. I can tell my hands have had a little workout, but I really like the way the 160-5s feel and I'm fairly certain that I can get used to them. And gosh, do they sound good! Again, not what I expected from stainless steel strings based on my experience with other brands. Bright, but with mid-range character. I guess....:D
 
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#82
Geri O said:
Okay, the set of EPS160-5s came today. I ordered three sets, maybe a little optimistic about being able to use them, but what the hey...

While I've noticed the strings being heavier-gauged, I don't notice the difference being as drastic (relatively speaking) between the 160-5s and the 170-5s (what is with these designations???:D) and the difference I noticed between the EXL160s and the EXL170s. A tension thing? No idea.

I put the 160-5s on my Mike Lull P5, set up the action for those strings, knowing I might need to tweak it a bit tomorrow, and spent a little over an hour playing them. I can tell my hands have had a little workout, but I really like the way the 160-5s feel and I'm fairly certain that I can get used to them. And gosh, do they sound good! Again, not what I expected from stainless steel strings based on my experience with other brands. Bright, but with mid-range character. I guess....:D
Click to expand...

To reply to my own comment, I did this work last night, when I tend to practice, make adjustments, change strings, setups, etc. Nine pm to midnight is (usually) my bass hour. One thing I learned is that if I make fairly big changes to a bass (different strings and making adjustments for those differences, among other things), I'm sure to check my work early the next morning when I'm rested and (maybe) a little sharper (if that's possible at my age.

The P5 with the heavier-gauge Pro Steels still feels and sounds really good. I can still tell the strings are heavier and after 20 minutes or so, my hands can feel the workout (not quite a "burn", if you will). I believe more than ever that I'll get used to these strings and be happy with them.
 
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#83
More pleasant surprises from the 50-135 gauge Pro Steels.

I put them on my M5V (Jazz-style Mike Lull) and my Stingray SR5.

I really like the way they feel on both basses as well as the P5 I put them on a few nights ago. Set up all the basses for the heavier strings. I did note that will all three, the action played better when I set the neck relief damn near straight while leaving the action height as is (pretty much), which is barely enough to tell there’s any relief at all. I’ve always set the relief by feel and sighting down the neck, but tonight, I’m gonna make sure they are all still set this way (undergoing some wide extremes in weather this week), then I’m gonna actually make measurements with a set of feeler gauges so I’ll have a repeatable measurement instead of the guesswork I’ve been doing all these years.

I’m really liking the feel and sound of the bigger strings. My hands have gotten used to them over the last few nights and I think it’s easier to play lighter as I’ve been trying to make myself do.

The only thing I’ve found that’s bugging me a bit on my Stingray is that there’s a really high edge to the tone. This is the first time I e had Pro Steels of any kind on the Stingray and it’s kinda gnarly anyway. I think I can get used to that because it feels and plays really well.

I won’t declare the 50/135 Pro Steels as my new go-to just yet, but it’s looking positive. I’m going through several weeks of gigs, so I’m anxious to see how they sound in a month or so.
 
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#84
Geri O said:
More pleasant surprises from the 50-135 gauge Pro Steels.

I put them on my M5V (Jazz-style Mike Lull) and my Stingray SR5.

I really like the way they feel on both basses as well as the P5 I put them on a few nights ago. Set up all the basses for the heavier strings. I did note that will all three, the action played better when I set the neck relief damn near straight while leaving the action height as is (pretty much), which is barely enough to tell there’s any relief at all. I’ve always set the relief by feel and sighting down the neck, but tonight, I’m gonna make sure they are all still set this way (undergoing some wide extremes in weather this week), then I’m gonna actually make measurements with a set of feeler gauges so I’ll have a repeatable measurement instead of the guesswork I’ve been doing all these years.

I’m really liking the feel and sound of the bigger strings. My hands have gotten used to them over the last few nights and I think it’s easier to play lighter as I’ve been trying to make myself do.

The only thing I’ve found that’s bugging me a bit on my Stingray is that there’s a really high edge to the tone. This is the first time I e had Pro Steels of any kind on the Stingray and it’s kinda gnarly anyway. I think I can get used to that because it feels and plays really well.

I won’t declare the 50/135 Pro Steels as my new go-to just yet, but it’s looking positive. I’m going through several weeks of gigs, so I’m anxious to see how they sound in a month or so.
Click to expand...
"The only thing I’ve found that’s bugging me a bit on my Stingray is that there’s a really high edge to the tone".

Yep, you'll get an exaggerated sound/tone for sure with steel strings on Rays. Not that it's a bad thing. If you want to tame down the edginess, just roll back the tone knob on your ray.
 
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#85
Kipp Harrington said:
"The only thing I’ve found that’s bugging me a bit on my Stingray is that there’s a really high edge to the tone".

Yep, you'll get an exaggerated sound/tone for sure with steel strings on Rays. Not that it's a bad thing. If you want to tame down the edginess, just roll back the tone knob on your ray.
Click to expand...

That’s right!

I did that and yes, the tone smoothed out nicely.
This is a 2011 SR5 after they changed from the ceramic pups to the Alnico pups in 2008.
I always liked the ceramic models and I thought the 2011 was rather polite-sounding, which I grew to like.

Woooo, I’m having a hard time imagining the tone with ceramics and the Pro Steels!…:woot: :D
 
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#86
A couple of days on, and I still can't get over what the change from Fender 7250s to Pro Steels has done for the sound of my Dimarzio-ed P: the character is still just the same, just with extra clarity.

And because I've now got strings with the right degree of colour, I'm able to play with my usual lightness of touch, instead of being constantly at the heavier end of my range, and sound I've being reaching for is just there.

As well as changing the strings, I had the tone cap reduced from .047 to .022, which is also doing what I hoped: the tone knob now just gently rounds off the top, so I can control the amount of bite without losing the main part of the sound.

Even with the choice of pickup and strings, the bass still has a proper P character, just at the vibrant end of the spectrum.
 
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#87
I've had the Pro Steels for three weeks, and the strings are noticeably smoother on the fingers. At least, they are up to the 12th fret. Still box fresh around the 16th.... :whistle:

Whether there has been any evolution of the tone going hand in hand with this physical change.... erm, dunno.
 
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#88
Seems like stainless steel strings are hard to find at the moment. Both of my string vendors tell me that Pro Steels have been unavailable for awhile. D’addario and Ernie Ball. I have a few sets on hand, so hopefully I’ll get through the shortage…
 
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#90
I always like to use strings that, fresh out of the pack, are a bit brighter than I want them to be. I won't gig with brand new strings - need to get a week; sometimes more on them before I gig them. Doing that, when they do settle in, they'll be in a "happy place" for me for a good long while. If I start with strings that aren't too bright out of the pack, they'll drop out of my happy place much quicker.
 
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#91
Ricky Rioli said:
I've had the Pro Steels for three weeks, and the strings are noticeably smoother on the fingers. At least, they are up to the 12th fret. Still box fresh around the 16th.... :whistle:

Whether there has been any evolution of the tone going hand in hand with this physical change.... erm, dunno.
Click to expand...
Another 10 days - this set on this bass is pretty much the only thing I've been playing the last month - and now I'm beginning to hear a mellowing out of the top, without losing any weight of tone. I would say the sound is probably the better for it, the different elements more nicely knit together. They feel evermore comfortable too. I'm not sure if they've lost some stiffness, or if my fingers have been getting used to the 50-65-85-110 gauges :eyebrow: But anyway, still really pleased with them :)
 
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#93
I’ve just ordered a set of EPS170 45-100 ProSteels in addition to a 135T ProSteel B-string for my SBMM Ray5. D’Addario has a Players Points deal going right now and I only had enough points for a 4-string set.

I’m excited to see how the 135T sounds and feels. I like the idea of a tapered string for ease of setup.

I have a set of ProSteels on my Schecter Raiden Special-4 at the moment. They’re pretty led, and I’m not certain which gauge they are, but I’m really enjoying them. They have plenty of snap still and they have a really nice feel.

I’ll be sure to report back once they’re on my Ray!
 
#94
My Pro Steels are getting on for three months old now, and I've played this bass almost exclusively in that time. The strings are very definitely not dead, but I'm pretty sure the tone has mellowed out now. It's been so gradual.....

As a way of calibrating how much I've used them, it would be around now that I would find the E string of a set of Boomers sounding too weary to put up with.

So I'm pleased with the consistency and longevity, and I can't see anything about them that might make me go off later on.

Having said that, in the long run I'll only have them on the one bass. They're good for half the stuff I play, and not really right for the other half.
 
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#95
Ricky Rioli said:
My Pro Steels are getting on for three months old now, and I've played this bass almost exclusively in that time. The strings are very definitely not dead, but I'm pretty sure the tone has mellowed out now. It's been so gradual.....

As a way of calibrating how much I've used them, it would be around now that I would find the E string of a set of Boomers sounding too weary to put up with.

So I'm pleased with the consistency and longevity, and I can't see anything about them that might make me go off later on.

Having said that, in the long run I'll only have them on the one bass. They're good for half the stuff I play, and not really right for the other half.
Click to expand...
Prosteels are good strings, my only complaint about them is the mid scoop, if they had stronger mids they would be pretty much perfect
 
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#99
In fact, I was pleasantly surprised at how much less mid scoop I hear from the Pro Steels than other stainless steel strings.

I use them on all my basses these days. If they are too bright for a given moment, I can play softer or roll the treble control a bit.
 
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#100
I’m just shy of a month into this set of ProSteels. They feel really good now that they’ve smoothed out a bit. I’m generally happy with the tone though I think my next set of strings will be a set of D’Addario XL Nickels. I might like to have some more mids.

I’ll probably run these ProSteels through July or so. We’ll see; I’m not in a rush to get rid of them.
 

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