My take on Stainless Steel Strings

[MartinSwe]

Well I have a set of these Energy series on my Warwick Streamer right now. I've tried them on a couple basses and my personal take away is that they are a bit stiffer than say Dunlop, Dean Markley, Labella, even Dunlop but not as stiff as Pro Steels. They seem to respond more to low mids and highs than high mids but you're trading a little bit of grindy growl for more pronounced bite followed by the thicker sounds of the lower frequencies. Probably not going to be everyone's taste on every bass and tone sculpting wishes but like always you have EQ and I can see it sounding great for many types of playing. Also these have held up pretty well. They are on their second bass and getting played once a week and not loosing tone as fast as others. I'd say they are longer lasting than Rotos and just about tied with Labella or Dunlop Stainless steel.

I would revisit Blue Steel especially if you happen to find a deal on them. I like both those and the SR2000. They really have a nice musical tone that really gets aggressive sounding moreso than most other strings I've tried. Also they do hold up for me very well. I prefer how these play to Rotos so I haven't really used Rotos in a while. I'll try a set of I feel like they might be the trick for a particular bass but Blue Steel seem to be the go to. Those and Dunlop are always consistent and deliver a good tone on everything I've used them on.

I’m glad the Mark strings works for you! Maybe I got an old or bad set? I don’t know - could be the climate differences and a lot of factors playing in frankly. Thank you for your feedback!

 

[Smallmouth_Bass]

Looking forward to the DM Blue Steels review. One of my favourite strings. Haven't tried them since Dean Markley shut down, however.

Dean Markley shut down?

 

[GTHintz]

Dean Markley shut down?

Well they moved their production to a new facility. The old facility is now owned by some ex Dean Markley employees under the same Apex.

 

[GTHintz]

I'm glad the Mark strings works for you! Maybe I got an old or bad set? I don't know - could be the climate differences and a lot of factors playing in frankly. Thank you for your feedback!

Well certain basses they work for me but honestly I'm not impressed enough to keep using these. It's harder to get these to sound aggressive than the strings I use most often.

 

[ajkula66]

The old facility is now owned by some ex Dean Markley employees under the same Apex.

Which are very interesting strings in their own right, as long as one can tolerate their stiffness and tension which are both on the high end of the spectrum. Great sounding strings APEX nevertheless are IMO/IME.

My current SS favourites ? GHS Contact Core Super Steels on my fiver.

 

[thrashingbass]

String longevity is honestly subjective-truly "dead" strings cannot be tuned well/have strange "warbly" sounds/and are near impossible to intonate. But if one's tolerance for lack of initial brightness is low, of course it's OK to change them-I just do not pronounce them "dead" as fast as many do (each to their own.)

For instance, one of my Roto BS66 (they are Swing Bass) sets is going strong on a well used bass for several months, the mids are still gorgeous and the tone defined. Obviously not as bright as out of the pack, but it does not matter to me in this bass and for what I do. In theory, I should switch them out already, but they are holding on strong for my needs, so *I* deem it unnecessary.

But again, it's a personal choice, and it's ideal to play on strings that make you feel confident in whatever you are doing-if only bright will suffice, change as often as you need.

 

[GTHintz]

String longevity is honestly subjective-truly "dead" strings cannot be tuned well/have strange "warbly" sounds/and are near impossible to intonate. But if one's tolerance for lack of initial brightness is low, of course it's OK to change them-I just do not pronounce them "dead" as fast as many do (each to their own.)

For instance, one of my Roto BS66 (they are Swing Bass) sets is going strong on a well used bass for several months, the mids are still gorgeous and the tone defined. Obviously not as bright as out of the pack, but it does not matter to me in this bass and for what I do. In theory, I should switch them out already, but they are holding on strong for my needs, so *I* deem it unnecessary.

But again, it's a personal choice, and it's ideal to play on strings that make you feel confident in whatever you are doing-if only bright will suffice, change as often as you need.

Something I would add to that is that I've noticed that different strings dull out in different ways. Some seem to loose sparkly highs while others loose the tightness on the mids. Each one breaks in a little bit differently.

 

[Vinny_G]

Look forward to the review of the Blue Steels. I used to use those back in the 90's and like them about as much as Rotos but I have heard people say they are not the same anymore so I have been hesitant to try them again.

I was about to switch entirely to Blue Steels after my never-ending quest for the perfect strings. That's when DM changed their manufacturing method. I tried the new formula and I didn't like the feel or sound, but it's entirely possible that they'll be a perfect fit for you.

 

[Jason Hollar]

I had a set of the DR HiBeams 45-125 on my main rock gig bass for two years - probably around 100+ gigs and countless practice hours. They stayed loud and clear and really cut through the band mix in basically any context. But they were definitely rough on the fingers.

Last year I switched over the DR Pure Blues to go for a slightly softer sound and feel. I just put a fresh pack of these on after a setup and will see how I like them again this year.

As for steel flats I’ve loving the GHS Precisions on my Precision. Went through a couple sets due to setups and stuff. Hopefully this new set will stay on for several years!

 

[Iristone]

The Rotosound longevity issue is what led to my trying DR, La Bella etc. I've settled on La Bella Super Steps as of now: the exposed cores give a bright, consistent response with long life.
The Rotosounds have a growl and sheen when new, but on my Thunderbird it wears away in one week. DR (even coated) is better but not entirely a game-changer. La Bella is a bit inconsistent on the lower strings, and the mid-range is a bit more contained.

The Super Steps seem to become a bit more consistent as time goes by. It's a bit less focussed on attack, though, and the price will likely grow due to tariff. Next thing I'll try is Rotosound 55, and a local brand called Winner.

 

[iiipopes]

Looking forward to a review of GHS SuperSteels. Like those above, I also changed to these strings on one of my basses many years ago after also encountering Rotosound longevity issues. I will hold the rest of my comments until the OP posts about these strings.

 

[bassist4dalord]

I can’t provide a super scientific description but I just put some DR Fat Beams 45-105 on my Peavey Fury IV. First thing I noticed is that they are grabby and rough but I can already feel them smoothing out. I haven’t played them through the PA at church yet but I will next week. I’m looking forward to spending more time with these strings.

In the past I’ve enjoyed Rotosound RS66LD and BS66 (Billy Sheehan set). I used to use ProSteels but I recall that they’re a little more scooped than I like.

Someday I want to try GHS Contact Core Steels. Maybe I’ll try those next.

 

[Iristone]

Went back with Rotos. The Super Steps are very stiff esp. the low E string. Which might explain their flatwound-like "thump", especially relative to the top strings. I put them on a fretless bass, and they don't even mwah much.
The Roto OTOH is very supple and easy to play. The low tension and stiffness also let it breathe, resulting in a very open, lively midrange and more pronounced attack. It also seems more responsive to different strokes, which explain why John Entwistle developed so many techniques with these strings.

 

[GTHintz]

Went back with Rotos. The Super Steps are very stiff esp. the low E string. Which might explain their flatwound-like "thump", especially relative to the top strings. I put them on a fretless bass, and they don't even mwah much.
The Roto OTOH is very supple and easy to play. The low tension and stiffness also let it breathe, resulting in a very open, lively midrange and more pronounced attack. It also seems more responsive to different strokes, which explain why John Entwistle developed so many techniques with these strings.

Rotos definitely have attitude and for certain basses they are great. I found a couple strings I prefer on my basses with my preamp setup but I'd never not recommend someone try them.

 

[Cadillac_Mike]

On my EMG bass I might as well take a ice-pick and jam it straight into my ear!