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Opposite Day! Strings you hate.

#123
ValeriusCrow said:
I'm quite surprised by the fact that a lot of bass guru's ala Joe Dart, Geddy Lee and zillion of other great artists play Roto's 66 - that leads us to the obvious fact:
we don't hate strings but the fact that we can't get any decent sound of it.
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One must take into account that those pros are most likely changing strings for ever show. Longevity becomes irrelevant.
 
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#124
woodyng2 said:
Hate is too strong a word. However,i don't care much for Rotosound 66 Swing bass strings,which kind of sucks,because all my bass heroes played them.
Not too crazy about most daddario strings,elixers,or any other coated type strings,either.
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I see that you're an avid Rick player. Which strings do you like? On my 4004's I prefer the stock strings from Rick (not sure who currently makes them) and on my 4003 I really like the TI rounds. I'd probably also put TI flats on if I had another 4000/4001/4003 type hanging around.
 
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#125
Hate?
Hmmm...Not into coated strings like Black Beauties but I can see that they serve a purpose. DR Hi Beams are a bit too floppy for me but other players who use them always sound great.

And BTW I would like to say that I dig the notorious Rotosound 66s. They really bring out those beautiful mids in a P-bass.
 
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#126
Thumb n Fingers said:
^^^ this ^^^ My sentiments exactly.

Honestly, I haven't tried "other brands" for a few years now. I'm pretty sold on GHS Boomers and have been for over 30 years. Familiarity breeds... contentment.

I expect pretty much everyone will disagree with me on this, but I really kind of like the stock Fender mediums that came on a new Am Std P Bass I picked up a month or so ago. I was planning to change the strings right after I bought it, but I delayed a bit and would up buying another set of the Fenders to see if this was a fluke or not. Haven't had to change them yet, so I'm still curious.
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I love the Fender rounds, actually.
 
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#127
Not sure there are strings I "hate" per-say. I was very disappointed with DR Pure Blues strings. They sounded great but died after 1 show to the point they couldn't be brought back. I find the opposite with Ernie Ball Nickel Slinky strings from most people - they last for a long, long time for me. It must just be different body chemistry. Also, I'm fanatical about washing my hands when I play. If I eat between sets I always get whatever grease might be left over off my hands before I go back on.
 
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#130
chilliwilli said:
This sounds crazy to me. I can't comment on Ernie Ball, but D'addarios last forever and a day for me. XLs, Pro Steels I've tried almost all of them. Even Chromes keep their signature high mids for a long time.
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I think some of this comes down to body chemistry. For instance, in 22 years of playing both bass and guitar, I've never broken a single string. Not a trace of the infamous "piss hands".
 
#136
I think the only strings that I didn't get along with out of the package were Blue Steels, but (caveat) we're talking years ago, and on a lower-end Peavey bass. That instrument always sounded nice with some zippy rounds installed, but with the Blue Steels it sounded like beating concrete with a soggy 2x4.

Looking back over the 25+ years since I tried them, I'd be willing to bet they'd sound pretty nice on a hotter instrument that I wanted to mellow the high end on. But awhile back I discovered GHS Pressurewounds and they served that purpose so nicely, I haven't tried anything else. I may revisit the Blue Steels someday and re-evaluate.
 
#137
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 also did not care for the Pressurewounds or Elixirs. Love the Cobalt flats, Chrome flats and my roundwound strings of choice are Super Brights and Dingwalls.
 
#140
Those black tape strings. Really don't hate them but I'd run flats before I use them. I guess if just want to be thumpy they'd be cool. We're actually spoiled these days. There are so many choices today it's absolutely amazing even if most of them are made by the same factories. Just like Indonesian, Korean, and Chinese Import basses. Amazing what comes out of those same factories.
 
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