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New Strings Day - Rotosound Solo Bass 55

#41
michael_t said:
Sting using SB55? I didn't even know that. I've always known him as a regular user of DR Nickel Lo-Riders in the past.

https://www.drstrings.com/product-page/sting

My order is going through Canada Customs in Mississauga right now. Should be here next week.
Click to expand...

I think Sting used Rotosound Swing Bass 66s and Jazz 77s on his fretless back in the day? I don't remember the 55s being mentioned? Certainly possible though . I think he was in several Roto ads.
Sting has be using nickel Lo Riders on his vintage Ps for sometime now.

Brent[/QUOTE]
 
#42
Wonderful strings if you like the Roto tone/feel. They're not smooth like GHS pressurewounds. Roto55s feel more or less like roundwounds. Very similar tone to Roto66s, although perhaps slightly clearer and "cleaner" in the mids, slightly less of the unique "dirty" Roto mids to my ears. They still sound very much like Rotos though. Also, maybe a slightly stiffer feel than the 66s (when comparing the same gauges). The 55s also seem to stay bright a bit longer than the 66s. I don't think I've ever actually compared them on the same bass so I might be wrong about some of these details but they're certainly close enough for me to use 66s on the basses I use more regularly even though I slightly prefer the 55s. Why? Because the 66s are half the price and sound almost the same.

As for the "teal" colored silk in an earlier post, that's not how they look in real life. At least not any of the sets I've used over the last 10-15 years or so. They've all been much brighter green (which I personally think looks nice) but to be honest the color or even existence of silk is way to the bottom of my list of priorities when choosing strings.
 
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#43
So my conclusion. The Rotosound 55 were not too bad. Yes, they feel more like a normal nickel round wound, so that is ok. They have a nice tone, definitely a bit brighter than the GHS Pressure Wound strings. But they are stiffer, higher tension then the GHS, which I don’t like.

So as mentioned I tried the SIT Silencers which are nickel plated steel pressure wound. I only got up to the D string! Put on the G string. Definitely smoother feeling than the Rotosound, but it had a very sticky feeling to it. So put on the D string, completely dead out of the box! Didn’t even bother putting on the rest!

So looks like I am sticking with the GHS PW. Over all the best feel and no complaints about the tone. I only wish they were available with a tad heavier gauge.
 
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#45
ClassicJazz said:
So as mentioned I tried the SIT Silencers which are nickel plated steel pressure wound. I only got up to the D string! Put on the G string. Definitely smoother feeling than the Rotosound, but it had a very sticky feeling to it. So put on the D string, completely dead out of the box! Didn’t even bother putting on the rest!
Click to expand...

One positive thing about SIT is their customer service is excellent. When I sent them an email sharing my disappointment with the Silencers, they offered to send me another set of my choice at no charge. So, I asked for a set of Foundations Stainless Steel 45-125 for my son to try on his Ibanez, and they did show up in my mailbox a couple of weeks later.
 
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#47
michael_t said:
One positive thing about SIT is their customer service is excellent. When I sent them an email sharing my disappointment with the Silencers, they offered to send me another set of my choice at no charge. So, I asked for a set of Foundations Stainless Steel 45-125 for my son to try on his Ibanez, and they did show up in my mailbox a couple of weeks later.
Click to expand...
I’ve used SIT strings in the past for many years and always liked them.
 
#48
ClassicJazz said:
I don’t like that 44 G string. I do like the 102 E string though. For the G D and A strings I prefer 45-65-85
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I think the PW 44G goes better with 62-84-106 (M7200) than with 58-80-102 (ML7200). I have a set of Ken Smith Compressors 40-58-80-102-125T to try on one of my Yamahas later on. I also have a set of GHS Bassics (40-58-80-102) and a set of GHS Super Steels (40-58-80-102) on order as well.
 
#50
michael_t said:
I think the PW 44G goes better with 62-84-106 (M7200) than with 58-80-102 (ML7200). I have a set of Ken Smith Compressors 40-58-80-102-125T to try on one of my Yamahas later on. I also have a set of GHS Bassics (40-58-80-102) and a set of GHS Super Steels (40-58-80-102) on order as well.
Click to expand...

I have the ML7200 GHS actually on three of my basses. My ‘72 Jazz, a custom P-Bass and my Moon fretless. Rotosound Jazz 77 flats on my semi-hollow and Dunlop Nickel Super Brights on the rest of my basses.
 
#51
ClassicJazz said:
Dunlop Nickel Super Brights on the rest of my basses.
Click to expand...

SIT Foundations follow the same formula as the Super Brights - a thinner hex core for flexibility and responsiveness. Have you ever tried the Foundations Nickels to compare with the Super Bright Nickels?

I asked for the Foundations Stainless Steels for my son because he's a fan of the Super Bright Stainless Steels. It'll be an interesting comparison.
 
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#52
michael_t said:
Here's the comparison in tension between SB55 45-65-85-105 and PW M7200 44-62-84-106...

PW M7200:

G 044 - 43.3 (lbs.)
D 062 - 48.6
A 084 - 47.2
E 106 - 48.0

Total 187.1 lbs.

SB55 45-105:

G 045 47.40 (lbs.)
D 065 48.76
A 085 45.02
E 105 35.80

Total 176.98 lbs.
Click to expand...
Interesting. I assume the GHS has a more flexible feel due to the hex core they use.
 
#53
michael_t said:
SIT Foundations follow the same formula as the Super Brights - a thinner hex core for flexibility and responsiveness. Have you ever tried the Foundations Nickels to compare with the Super Bright Nickels?

I asked for the Foundations Stainless Steels for my son because he's a fan of the Super Bright Stainless Steels. It'll be an interesting comparison.
Click to expand...

Yes I tried those Foundations on my Fodera. Didn’t like them as much as the Dunlop. To me the Dunlop had a better feel. Tone wise they are pretty close.
 
#54
ClassicJazz said:
Interesting. I assume the GHS has a more flexible feel due to the hex core they use.
Click to expand...

Actually it's the other way around. PWs use thicker-than-average hex core, making them stiffer than typical rounds of similar gauges.

I've ordered the 40-100 set of SB55 to see how they would compare to PW ML7200 (44-102) and PW L7200 (40-96). In terms of the tension numbers, SB55 40-100 are closer to PW L7200.

PW L7200 40-54-76-96:

G 040 - 37.2 (lbs.)
D 054 - 36.5
A 076 - 39.3
E 096 - 34.2

Total 147.2 lbs.

SB55 40-60-80-100:

G 040 38.79 (lbs.)
D 060 36.76
A 080 41.90
E 100 30.98

Total 148.43 lbs.
 
#55
michael_t said:
Actually it's the other way around. PWs use thicker-than-average hex core, making them stiffer than typical rounds of similar gauges.

I've ordered the 40-100 set of SB55 to see how they would compare to PW ML7200 (44-102) and PW L7200 (40-96). In terms of the tension numbers, SB55 40-100 are closer to PW L7200.

PW L7200 40-54-76-96:

G 040 - 37.2 (lbs.)
D 054 - 36.5
A 076 - 39.3
E 096 - 34.2

Total 147.2 lbs.

SB55 40-60-80-100:

G 040 38.79 (lbs.)
D 060 36.76
A 080 41.90
E 100 30.98

Total 148.43 lbs.
Click to expand...
That is true. Although the 55’s 45-105 were quite noticeably stiffer compared to the ML7200 which is why I took them off. I probably will try the 55’s on my P-Bass.
 
#58
Look what showed up in my mailbox today...

I'll be installing the SB55 on my BB435 first thing next week.

20230405_220740.jpg
 
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