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Opposite Day! Strings you hate.

#66
If the glass is half full, I wonder why I only received half a glass? But if it is half empty, I've enjoyed half of my drink so far.

Not that I've tried a ton of strings. But the strings I really didn't like were the GHS Boomers standard gauge. Way too bright and clangy. But that was a long time ago, and recently I put a set of light gauge Boomers on the same bass and it sounds decent.
 
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#68
RyanKW said:
Okay, not "hate", necessarily...every string thread I see is mostly people praising this brand or that. Personally, I can find things to like about most strings. I used almost exclusively GHS Boomers for years. Now my rounds are DR Lowriders or D'Addario NYXLs. I love anything Rotosound makes...MOST rounds I can find something I like about.

I'm newer to the flats game. Tried and liked Sadowskis, and liked them. Just finally tried EB Slinky Cobalt Flats, and I'm hooked. Going to put them on another bass too. Also just put some LaBella white/gold tapes on one and they are super versatile.

The only strings I've tried that I can say certainly I don't or didn't like were Elixers (didn't sound good and gave my bass dandruff), Slow Wounds (don't exist anymore), Pressurewounds (liked at first but love affair ended quickly) and I remember not digging TI jazz a long time ago, but I may give those another shot.

So, what strings do you dislike, and why?
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I was horribly disappointed in DR black beauties. I used their coated strings exclusively until about 10 years ago when I stopped playing bass guitar live as much (still use lo-riders and just tried pure blues, very nice). I've mostly been living in the studio but I got a regular live gig and wanted coated strings again since they tended to start even and stay that way for a long time even with a lot of sweat involved. Well, the new black coating is an insulator, and the ground buzz was unacceptable. Yes my bass is completely shielded, and my pickups are ultra jazz, which are humbuckers, and it's completely silent with metal strings. So now I hate DR coated strings, but still like their other stuff ;)
 
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#69
Bodeanly said:
I hate all strings. I just play my stringless bass and go "duh duh dum bah bah dum" while my buddy plays air guitar.
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My neighbor had given me a small mouth, last summer. He didn't want anything in return. I said: Are you sure? He: Yeah, yeah. We ate it before it I had a chance to play it.

Rotosounds died faster than a bad echo.
 
#72
The Low B String! That is until I took a chance and bought a Dingwall.... Every 5 or 6 string I've played had a weak, flabby low B - the Ding's low B is massive! Just as much power and punch as the E or A....

Ok, I know, we're talking brands here - just couldn't resist. So. Rotosound. DOA! Best strings for me... Curt Mangan all the way. Also had good results from DR Marcus Miller and really really like the proprietary Dingwall strings on my AB2. Hate = 1. Love = 3. Love wins... Actually, I don't care about all the others... so I don't care = 20+? I don't care wins!
 
#74
wolfkeller said:
Any string in a light gauge. 95 for an E? Really? Get outa here. Weak as newborns
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I've used .095 E string on short scale basses and they sound fine, nothing weak about them. There was a guy here who used .080 as an E string, even on short scale basses. All it does is take a lot of the brighter overtones away. Nothing wrong with that for most types of music.
 
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#76
matante said:
Two that I didn't care for were Ernie Ball nickels because they died in a couple of hours and that felt like a ripoff, and Dean Markley Blue Steels because they were very twangy and died quickly. I'd be willing to give the Ernie Balls another shot since my tastes have changed and I'd actually prefer my strings to die quickly now.
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You know I left Ernie Ball Slinky's years ago and went to SS but I just bought a Ernie Ball Stingray that came with Ernie Ball Regular Slinkys on it and it sounds amazing, not too bright, nice and punchy and easy to play. So now I re love EB Slinky's again. When they lose life I just soak them in Denatured Alcohol for a day or 2 boom back to life.
 
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#77
when i started playing bass i bought Rotosound 66 Swing strings because my buddy the bass player used them. they feel like bridge cables to me, and the sound is okay. also dislike the rough feeling of slinky bass strings, although the guitar versions are okay.

shawshank72 said:
I will play along.
My most hated string are TI's, they sound so good but feel like wet noodles.
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i want low tension on one of my basses, so that sounds good to me!
 
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#78
matante said:
The whole point of those LaBellas is that one trick. If you want to sound like a bass from the '60s, those strings are the best there is. If that's not what you want/need, no reason to hate them.
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I was playing 60s-70s jazz. I thought that was what I needed, but they sounded hollow to me. Had the holy TB trinity, even; Fender Precision Bass, LaBella flats and tort. Just couldn't love those strings. They make someone's heart skip -- and I'm glad -- but not mine.
 

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