HELP! Roto 66 roundwounds? Crappy!?

[Spinal Tapper]

I bought some Roto 77 flats for my Geddy a few months back and I love the feel of them. They were like $45. which seems like a lot for strings.

I just acquired a used 62 RI P bass and it desperately needed new strings. I wanted some standard roundwounds to determine a more "standard" sound for my bass thus keeping my variables down to see if I liked the actual sound of the bass or not.
I was at GC, and I figured - why not? The Roto 77's are nice, might as well get the Roto 66's (roundwounds). They were like $20.99 - good price, but strangely $20 cheaper than the flats.

I hafta say, these strings feel CHEAP. Reeeeal gritty feeling. Now, they're new, but they're so textured that it's slowing down my playing. Even the old dirty strings that were on the bass felt a heck of a lot better than these. Do I need to just keep playing on them to smooth them out, or are they just garbage strings?

btw, here's a shot of my "new" baby w/ the 66's.

 

[thobbinghotrod]

I bought a set for sixteen bucks at a local store. Incredible sounding on their own, couldn't hear them at all with the band playing. I took them off after 1 practice and threw them away. Yes they are very rough and raspy feeling. I bet they are the best recording strings you could ever ask for. YMMV

 

[Spinal Tapper]

Hmmm, yeah, I was having some problems cutting through live w/ my guitarist and drummer...so any recommendations for rounds that are smoother to the touch and cut through a little better? Or should I just switch the flat 77's on my Geddy w/ the round 66's on my P bass?

 

[DavePlaysBass]

Rounds on a P would be Fender 7250s IMO.

 

[alexgeddy]

Hi,

I use DR lo riders on my geddy, 40 to 95 an fhave no problem cuttin through...If you are having lot's of issuses cutting through, maybe check the pickup height...I tried roto roundwound and took them off... so for what rotosound is offering Me thinks i wouldn;t pay that kind of mony again... A set of DRs in the states is about 23 dollars!!

Good luck

Bill

 

[BillyRay]

Roto's do feel rough, but they are not garbage by any means. I strung my basses with them for years: bright, piano tone. Never had a problem cutting through... Flats are also usually more expensive than rounds due to the nature of their construction.

 

[JTE]

I wouldn't say "garbage" either, but I don't like them. The wrap wire is more coarse than most brands, and I think it's also a different and more abrasive alloy than most stainless steel rounds. That contributes to the reputation they have for destroying frets quickly. But they're not a crappy string, just not right for you (and a lot of others).

jte

 

[zultimatez]

Never played them, but from what i've heard (and read) roto's QC is really lacking. The 66's are either hit or miss.

 

[Parabolic Box]

RS66's are like razor wire. They take some getting used to.

 

[Spinal Tapper]

Well, it's been a few days and I'm not really getting used to them (playing everyday). I may just throw some OLD strings on the P bass now...not really feeling' the 66's. I'll probably throw the 66's on my acoustic bass