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Growly Strings Suggestions?

#21
Yeah they sure do. I like the sound of dead Rotosound flats.

They're very very bright.

EDIT: When they're new, they're piano like in brilliance, in about two weeks they lose that high end zing. However they become a very mid-rangy string. When I use them on a P-bass people think that I'm playing a fretless.
 
#22
I really love my DR stainless lowriders that I have on my Spector Rebop 4DLX. I play through a gk head but with a little eq'ing I can get something like that low-mid ampeg growl out of it, go figure :smug:. They are a bright string, but you can just cut some treble to compensate if its too bright for you. Also, after playing on them for a week or two it felt like I was playing on nickel's again.

As far as the Ernie ball's go, I played the nickel medium(might have been hybrid) slinky strings before and in comparison they are just way too mellow for me.
 
#23
BellBottomBlues said:
I'd go for the Rotosound Swingbass 66, very growly and midrangey string
Click to expand...

Not to weigh in on this thread again, but I have used the Roto Swingbass 66 strings before. VERY rough on the hands. They sound very good though. But, they chewed my fingers up big time, especially on my right hand. Not worth it to me. I found the DRs to be much better for the hands and they sound better too IMO.
 
#24
DR'S are good strings. i used the high beams for some time until i found elixirs. they are gentle on your fingers because the are coated. i recommend them to everyone. they are a blessing to your fingers. and the growl lasts and lasts and lasts. the only way to greatly reduce life is by using a pick. that will rip the coating off. but truly they last 10 times longer than any dr extra long life string. and although they are more pricey they are clearly the better chooice. just got nanoweb for a thin coating. or polyweb for a thick feel. both sound amazing.
 
#25
The good thing about the DR Lo-Riders is that they keep the growl after losing some of the highs they have when new. Try a set and play them in; or just roll the top off at the ampm as someone said. You'll still get the beef, the growl, and the definition in spades.

That said, I use Roto Swingbass myself for our punk/pop cover band, as they have that particular metallic clank that no other string has, and that just is the sound of so many recordings we cover. Unfortunately they lose that top quicker than DRs lose theirs, that's either a good or bad thing, depending on what you're looking for.

Sadowsky flats growl real well as long as the mids are clear at the amp- similar to Roto flats, but the voicing is a bit different. They never fail to surprise me, really versatile strings that sound incredible on every bass I've tried them on. Chromes are bright but not as growly, FWIW.

Taste, try, but you have to buy.
 
#26
It was interesting at our weekly jam session tonight. I played the Spector with La Bella flats and messed around with the settings on my Eden CXC-210 (w/ D-115 cab). I turned the Enhance off, backed off the Bass a couple of notches from flat, boosted the Midrange to about 2 o'clock and boosted the Treble to 1 o'clock. On the bass, the pickup volume pots were equal, Treble to 1/2 way and Bass to 1/3 (TonePump pre-amp, boost only). Hey! There was the growl! Okay, not as growly as what rounds would produce, but it was sounding good. Maybe I'll hold off a bit before trying the DR lo-riders. We'll see how it goes at next week's jam session.
 
#27
PaulMacCnj said:
It was interesting at our weekly jam session tonight. I played the Spector with La Bella flats and messed around with the settings on my Eden CXC-210 (w/ D-115 cab). I turned the Enhance off, backed off the Bass a couple of notches from flat, boosted the Midrange to about 2 o'clock and boosted the Treble to 1 o'clock. On the bass, the pickup volume pots were equal, Treble to 1/2 way and Bass to 1/3 (TonePump pre-amp, boost only). Hey! There was the growl! Okay, not as growly as what rounds would produce, but it was sounding good. Maybe I'll hold off a bit before trying the DR lo-riders. We'll see how it goes at next week's jam session.
Click to expand...

Man, by your description the Sadowsky flats seem more and more like the ticket for you.

They are made by LaBella to Roger's specs, and they share the same basic tonal balance as the Labellas 760FLs, but are a bit more forward sounding (a little less thump) and a lot growlier. They sound like Labellas with attitude to me, and actually sound a little too aggressive to me for reggae.
 
#32
I did some more experimenting with the controls on the Spector Euro 5 LX bass tonight. The bridge pickup was cranked up about 3/4 and the neck pickup at a little less than 1/4. I wouldn't say it was as much of a growl as it was a grindy sound. I really liked it for the songs calling for a more tight bass response. The attack was quick and the "grind" was in the midrange. For other songs where I wanted the massive bass heavy sound, the neck pickup was favored and that gave a more growly sound.

I looks like I'll be sticking with the flatwound strings since I took the time to play around with the bass / amp controls to get the growl/grind that I like.

Paul Mac
 
#35
Rough on your hands?! Pffffffft! What wimps! Playing bass is meant to be painful! I've used rough roundwounds from day one and now I don't feel rotosounds AT ALL. Pfffffft, you guys just need more practice. Remember the harder the skin is on your fingers, the more texture you're going to get out of the sound anyway ;P
 
#36
One Drop said:
Man, by your description the Sadowsky flats seem more and more like the ticket for you.

They are made by LaBella to Roger's specs, and they share the same basic tonal balance as the Labellas 760FLs, but are a bit more forward sounding (a little less thump) and a lot growlier. They sound like Labellas with attitude to me, and actually sound a little too aggressive to me for reggae.
Click to expand...


Right now my fretted is strung with the 760FL's and the fretless is strung with the Sadowsky flats. I agree with your comparison of the two. I especially like your "Labellas with attitude" comment.
 
#38
I took me awhile to check out the DR Lo-Riders. Here's what happened...

The first set I bought was the stainless steel Lo-Riders. I've come to realize that stainless steel roundwounds are not for me. I didn't like the coarse feel or the clangy metallic sound at all. I tried to get used to the strings for a few days, but I found that I was liking them less and less. Yes, there was growl, but the extreme treble shrill over-powered it.

Still determined to find another set of strings in the DR line, I put on a set of the Nickel Plated Lo-Riders. What a difference! Great feel and sound. The feel is smoother and there's a nice bend-ability. These won't chew up my fingers or frets. The sound is just what I wanted; Growly yet very articulate notes. This even applies to the .125" B string which is hands down the best B I've played. It's tight and all the notes are clear, not muddy at all. The string to string sound is very smooth and the intonation is excellent.

Thanks to all for the suggestions and pointing me towards DR strings.
 

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