I finally bit the bullet and paid out for a set. Wow! They are maybe my favourite string ever. The feel is smooth, the tension even, and the tone is somewhere between nickel and stainless steel. For me it’s the best string!
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I’m loving Rotosound Ultramag!
- Thread starter kyral210
- Start date
Never heard of them before. Now I have and I'll check them out, thanks!
My Yamaha TRBX505 is currently wearing the Ultramag 40-100 set along with the GHS Progressive 130B (exposed core). A great match!
So these are full on round wounds yes? Unlike the GHS Pressurewounds made from A52. I notice Rotosound uses terminology 'Type 52'. I assume for trademark purposes I spose. That be right?
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I've been curious about these strings for a long time but I've never gotten around to testing them. For some reason the 45-105 sets have never been in stock anywhere whenever I needed a new set of strings. I should probably just buy a set and stick it in a drawer until I need it.
Roto 66 steels are my "go to" roundwounds (after they've mellowed out a bit, I like the tone of OLD Roto 66s).
But I suspect these Ultramags are quite different. These are a type of superalloy/alloy52 strings, aren't they? I suspect they have a very strong (and probably long lasting) upper mid presence, as well as a very hot output?
I have a feeling they won't mellow out the way I need strings to do on my main bass. But I always have brighter strings installed on at least one of my basses. Currently that means TI Superalloys. They have a very strong upper mid presence without being too harsh or zingy. But I would love to test these Roto Ultramags at some point.
Roto 66 steels are my "go to" roundwounds (after they've mellowed out a bit, I like the tone of OLD Roto 66s).
But I suspect these Ultramags are quite different. These are a type of superalloy/alloy52 strings, aren't they? I suspect they have a very strong (and probably long lasting) upper mid presence, as well as a very hot output?
I have a feeling they won't mellow out the way I need strings to do on my main bass. But I always have brighter strings installed on at least one of my basses. Currently that means TI Superalloys. They have a very strong upper mid presence without being too harsh or zingy. But I would love to test these Roto Ultramags at some point.
Alloy 52 = Type 52... Different terminology for basically the same thing. And yes, the Ultramags are roundwound. When GHS discontinued the Progressives back in 2019, the Ultramags were the closest thing I could find as an alternative. They do match quite well with the Progressive 130B I'm using on my Yamaha.
I wouldn't describe their tonal character as "very strong" or "very hot" as such (not as hot as the Cobalt alloy used by Ernie Ball), but they do have a healthy output with extra punch and crunch in the mids. Not overly zingy bright up top, though.
I can't get 45s here in Christchurch at the moment. So I put a set of 40s on. Bad move! Completely messed up my action and intonation!
I replaced some standard rotosound strings on my active bass and WOW! The volume increase was noticeable.
