Multiple questions about ROTO 66 In The 70s

[Dust2Dust]

I'm doing a little more research here. (Sticking with the theme . . Putting 70s strings on my 70s Classic Vibe)

ROTO 66 seems to have a lot of choices these days . . was it like that in the 70s?

If not, what was the available gauges? (was 45-65-80-105 the standard?) - (If it was the standard then, is it still the standard now?)

If you are using ROTO 66 these days, what gauges are you using?

Can any of you say "I was using ROTO 66 back then and still do." . . "Always have - Always will."

Were any of you using ROTO 66 on Jazz basses back then? . . or was it mostly P-Basses back then? (If yes to J-Bass then the above questions apply - Thanks )

 

[Bodeeni]

Rotosound were the go-to roundwound strings in the early 70s. I switched to bass in 73 and those where the only rounds I really knew for quite a long time. I thought they only came in one gauge, but I was pretty clueless then.
I have used them recently although I would not say they are any extraordinary today. For a long time I bought strings by the price deal and changed them a lot. Currently I have a few sets of Super Brights in the string drawer,

 

[FyllingenOy]

The gauge for the long and extra long scale Rotosound Swing Bass strings until 1980 were 46-63-80-102. It was changed to 45-65-80-105 in 1980. However, a talkbass user on a post a decade ago used a digital caliper to measure the strings and found that the actual gauges are closer to the original gauges than what it actually says on the pack:

Post in thread 'Real Gauge of Bass Strings - real gauge vs advertised gauge'

Oct 30, 2014

I have taken the precise measures with a digital caliber:

Rotosound RS66LD 45-65-80-105, two sets:

one set has a .048 G string, a .063 D string, a .082 A string and a .103 E string

the second set has a .046 G string, a .064 D string, a .082 A string and a .102.5 E string

the DR Hi Beam 45-65-85-105 set has: .045 G string, a .063 D string, a .084 A string and a .103 E string

I've measured a Thomastik JF344 and an Elixir 45-105 set:

Thomastik JF344 43-56-70-100: .043 G string, .056 D string, .070 A string and .100 E string (awsome! perfect gauge!)

Elixir...

• Pier_

• 

 

[KevInDaBassment]

They could have changed manufacturing facilities, processes, QC, raw materials, etc over the years....so thematically, I wouldn't worry too much outside of it being Rotos. If you're trying to get the exact sound of an original set, that is likely a fool's errand at this point

Kills me that I can't even get the same Fender strings they made in Mexico until circa ~2009. FAR from "original", but still discontinued...

 

[Pdaddy1978]

I discovered Rotos around 1974. I had been toiling on a mudbucker equipped short scale Epiphone (see:Gibson) with flats for a few years at the time.
I was complaining to a friend who owned a music store, and he asked if I had tried
"Round wound " strings. First I'd even heard of them. The Rotos were the only brand he had.
As a mostly clueless 15 year old, I couldn't even tell you what gauge they were.
All I knew was how much brighter and more articulate my mud machine became.
Game changer.

 

[jim nolte]

I'm doing a little more research here. (Sticking with the theme . . Putting 70s strings on my 70s Classic Vibe)

ROTO 66 seems to have a lot of choices these days . . was it like that in the 70s?

If not, what was the available gauges? (was 45-65-80-105 the standard?) - (If it was the standard then, is it still the standard now?)

If you are using ROTO 66 these days, what gauges are you using?

Can any of you say "I was using ROTO 66 back then and still do." . . "Always have - Always will."

Were any of you using ROTO 66 on Jazz basses back then? . . or was it mostly P-Basses back then? (If yes to J-Bass then the above questions apply - Thanks )

I started using Rotosounds 66, Swing Bass, back in 1973 on my ‘65 Jazz, not a lot of choices for roundwounds back then, the gauges were as you stated but they also made a lighter gauge which I didn’t like, they went dead very quickly and totally screwed up my frets, like having a metal file raking across each fret, used them for about 12 years then switched to nickel wound and never went back, not a big fan of them but they were better than the Fender equivalent which were my first set of roundwounds and were about the same size as the cables holding up the Golden Gate Bridge

 

[aprod]

Back then there were not many string choices. Rotos were terrible quality strings. Under a microscope they are jagged. Fret eaters for sure.

 

[Bass4ThePublic]

Wasn’t alive in the 70’s however I’ve played on original rotosounds from the 70’s, and well, they suck compared to new roto 66’s. The new rotosounds are some of the best bang for your buck bass strings today, and they sound like rock n roll from a classic era, that’s for sure.

 

[bassbrad]

I used Roto Swing 66 string on basses that I was using for recording as the engineer/producer insisted on them 1978-1980 and hated them. they were rough on my hands as well as on the frets. I had P, J and fretless J basses used for recording. After that I mostly used GHS Boomers and Bassics for ages, I much prefer the feel and sound of a nickel plated string but likely tried them all over the years as I worked in various music stores and had access to free or very discounted strings.

 

[Dust2Dust]

They could have changed manufacturing facilities, processes, QC, raw materials, etc over the years....so thematically, I wouldn't worry too much outside of it being Rotos. If you're trying to get the exact sound

Actually, I'm aiming for "exact stats on paper".



It never occurred to me that some folks were playing ROTO66 due to lack of choices though

 

[Pings Bass]

When I was a kid starting out in the eighties it was just 'rotosounds'. I never knew or cared what gauge they were I was even a little concerned when I got my first pack and they said 'long scale.' I was pretty sure my p bass was just regular scale

 

[Dbassmon]

Lots of zing, very stiff, very hard on the fingers and frets. They really have not changed all that much.

Roto Swing 66 has a unique sound. Entwistle, Chris Squire, Greg Lake, Jaco, John Paul Jones, Phil Lynott, David Pegg, John Wetton, Mark King... many players used these strings.

 

[pbass2]

I got my first good bass, a 4001 in '76 and of course immediately put Roto Swing Bass 66s on it ('cause, y'know, Squire and The Ox). I recall them being 45-105, pretty sure they were steel, but were they nickel? I don't remember the spec details...they were the only ones available. I put them on every bass since well into the 80's--P's, Jazzes, Ibbys...everything. Switched to Boomers at some point in the 80s 'cause they were cheap.

 

[HaphAsSard]

they were better than the Fender equivalent which were my first set of roundwounds and were about the same size as the cables holding up the Golden Gate Bridge

No surprise there: the Fender No. 90 set went .053" - .065" - .085" - .115"

 

[J Wilson]

I start d in the 70's when there were not as many string choices, and we often fought a fatter flat wound tone looking for something brighter.

Rotosounds got 'made' by Squire's tone with Yes, particularly the hot single 'Roundabout' and their records that followed after, with Entwistle and Geddy Lee very close behind, and it was a revelation, so we all HAD to have them.

But they weren't magic bullets. The could go dead often seemingly to quick, and they indeed could be hard on softer or older frets.

For me, a far more useful substitute were GHS Boomers. They had a similar tone, were better made, and lasted longer. Plus GHS made a wide range of single Boomers to where you could make as crazy a set as you wanted gage-wise, and they were easy to get.

All these years later, here's what I can tell you.

Me and a lot of other guys will tell you Roto's QC isn't all that. By the early 90's I got real tired of good set-bad set- what THIS time? I walked away to never come back.

On the other hand, I could buy a set of Boomers today and they will sound, tune up, and last EXACTLY as those sets I bought in 1977. Every set I've bought over the last 40-odd years has been totally consistent, it's almost unnerving.

A shame most things in life aren't that way.

 

[dune]

Me and a lot of other guys will tell you Roto's QC isn't all that. By the early 90's I got real tired of good set-bad set- what THIS time? I walked away to never come back.

Exactly. Back in the day, Rotos (RS66) were all I ever wanted to play. Not only did they sound great, but they also felt way better than anything else to me. A good set of Rotos was just the best. Now, I haven’t had my hands on a good set for going on 30 years. As you say, it was in the early 90’s - my experience was that more and more were dead right out of the envelope. I switched to DR’s (mainly Hi-Beams) and haven’t looked back. After reading a fairly recent thread here about how RS got their their quality issues under control, I thought maybe I’d give them another try and maybe relive the magic. Then I read a lot of recent online reviews that indicated it was the same thing that began for me in the early 90’s - too many dead strings.

 

[Michael4bass]

The original RS66 in the 60s and 70s were .046, .063, 080, .102. The now standard guages happened in 1980. There were some guages avaiable, but not as many as there are today.

Bassically, Michael

 

[DJ Bebop]

I've used them since the 70s.
Now I use a lot of different strings on a lot of different basses. But I still use them on at least one fretted and one fretless Jazz, and one P bass

 

[s van order]

I start d in the 70's when there were not as many string choices, and we often fought a fatter flat wound tone looking for something brighter.

Rotosounds got 'made' by Squire's tone with Yes, particularly the hot single 'Roundabout' and their records that followed after, with Entwistle and Geddy Lee very close behind, and it was a revelation, so we all HAD to have them.

But they weren't magic bullets. The could go dead often seemingly to quick, and they indeed could be hard on softer or older frets.

For me, a far more useful substitute were GHS Boomers. They had a similar tone, were better made, and lasted longer. Plus GHS made a wide range of single Boomers to where you could make as crazy a set as you wanted gage-wise, and they were easy to get.

All these years later, here's what I can tell you.

Me and a lot of other guys will tell you Roto's QC isn't all that. By the early 90's I got real tired of good set-bad set- what THIS time? I walked away to never come back.

On the other hand, I could buy a set of Boomers today and they will sound, tune up, and last EXACTLY as those sets I bought in 1977. Every set I've bought over the last 40-odd years has been totally consistent, it's almost unnerving.

A shame most things in life aren't that way.

Agreed. Roto 66 were really expensive, hit and miss quality and the zing could go quickly. A boil would revive them briefly. I was in a band playing six days a week and went through strings. When I discovered GHS Boomers I stuck with them, a lot cheaper and got the growly punch needed.

 

[dune]

Agreed. Roto 66 were really expensive, hit and miss quality and the zing could go quickly. A boil would revive them briefly. I was in a band playing six days a week and went through strings. When I discovered GHS Boomers I stuck with them, a lot cheaper and got the growly punch needed.

Weren’t they considerably more expensive back then than they are now?