Opposite Day! Strings you hate.

[bassmeknik]

Flats, just never liked the tone.

 

[MattZilla]

Not a trace of the infamous "piss hands".

wut?

 

[PullThePlug]

GHS Boomers. It's a crime those get sold. Absolute rubbish

 

[PullThePlug]

Is your glass always half empty?

Sounds like your glass has been half empty for quite some time.

 

[non]

it is kind of funny to see all the opposite experiences people are having with strings on opposite day.
i used dean markley blue steels for years because they lasted so long. yes a little bright at first but you just eq that out in the beginning. then elixir nano coated strings came on a new bass i bought.
i loved the feel of the coating and they lasted as long as the blue steels. elixir nano coat is the only string i use now because they feel so good but it could partly be do to some never damage i have in my fretting hand pinky that rougher strings aggravate.

 

[DreadyDiggs]

Not a fan of Chromes. Still got them on a bass cause I'm being too cheap to order another set of strings for it lol.

 

[Gospel Bass Player]

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?

I cast my vote for Ernie Ball Cobalts. They are smooth and have a brilliant sound that really cuts through the mix well.
Invalid Link Removed

 

[Gospel Bass Player]

I tried Marcus Miller Super brights and they seemed to harsh on the fingers. However, I am trying to keep playing them as I would like to "love" them. Very bright sounding. I don't necessarily hate them, but I would not purchase them again. I am sold on my Cobalts (Ernie Ball).

 

[woodyng2]

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.

Yes,Avid,Indeed!
The strings i love for my Ricks are Kalium Balanced Hybrid Roundwounds. They are lower in tension,flexible,very smooth feeling for a rw,sound fantastic,and last a good while. (I do keep strings on for really long periods.the kalium set on my FG Laredo has been on there at least 5 years,and i do play the bass regularly. They don't sound like new,but they do have a great broken-in rw sound.)
I've also got a set of DR Pure Blues on my Yamaha BB 1200,and they sound and feel incredible,too.
For flats,i'm liking the new RB set from Optima,and the Labella LTF set. I like low tension strings sets,but I find the TI flats a bit TOO relaxed feeling.

 

[Basshappi]

Slinkys
Boomers
LaBella Deep Talkin' Flats
GHS Half Rounds and Ground Wounds
Tapes

 

[PSYCHOTIC]

I hate daddario strings! worst ever. dunlop stainless steels were also a huge let down, dead in just a couple of hours.

 

[Worldeeeter]

I found LaBella Hard Rockin' Steels around 1997. I have been playing them ever since, and I LOVE them. I hated ALL the strings I played before them. Here's how it goes:

Started with Rotosounds (Billy Sheehan signature set) with the huge E string - broke them. HATE
Changed to Blue Steels - broke them. HATE
Changed to GHS Bass Boomers - broke them. HATE
Tried SITs - broke them. HATE
Went back to Blue Steels - broke them. HATE AGAIN!
**Started playing LaBellas** - didn't break a string for 15 years. LOVE
Bought a Spector Euro5 Alex Webster sig bass - it came with some nickel-wound strings on it. They turned my hands black. I replaced them with LaBella Steels and gave the nickels to someone. HATE
Bought a Spector NS-4 (custom build) - it came with Spector 603 strings on it - broke the A string (*** - an A STRING?!?!) during a show. Into the trash they went. HATE

Anomaly- the fretless bass:
First fretless was a Pedulla, which came with D'Addario roundwounds. They were fine - didn't bother me. NO HATE
Re-strung it with LaBella Steels - oh, yeah. MORE LOVE
Sold the Pedulla and had a Roscoe SKB fretless built. It came strung with D'Addario nickel RWs. Also fine - no problems. However, the marks on the bare ebony fingerboard caused an OCD flare-up, so I changed to flats. Played D'Addario Chrome Flats on an Ibanez bass at a music expo. BUTTAH. Good lord, those strings are like finger sex! They don't tear up my fingerboard, either. LOVE

Strings I haven't tried:

Slinkys - So many mixed reviews and tales of woe about dead strings after 5 days - that's all I needed to see.
DRs - Hated them in the 80s and 90s when I was broke and they were $10 more than all the other strings at the music store. Never got around to trying them once I found LaBellas.

By the way, thanks for starting a hate thread. It feels good to type all that bile!
Now I can have a cocktail and enjoy my weekend.

 

[Gospel Bass Player]

I found LaBella Hard Rockin' Steels around 1997. I have been playing them ever since, and I LOVE them. I hated ALL the strings I played before them. Here's how it goes:

Started with Rotosounds (Billy Sheehan signature set) with the huge E string - broke them. HATE
Changed to Blue Steels - broke them. HATE
Changed to GHS Bass Boomers - broke them. HATE
Tried SITs - broke them. HATE
Went back to Blue Steels - broke them. HATE AGAIN!
**Started playing LaBellas** - didn't break a string for 15 years. LOVE
Bought a Spector Euro5 Alex Webster sig bass - it came with some nickel-wound strings on it. They turned my hands black. I replaced them with LaBella Steels and gave the nickels to someone. HATE
Bought a Spector NS-4 (custom build) - it came with Spector 603 strings on it - broke the A string (*** - an A STRING?!?!) during a show. Into the trash they went. HATE

Anomaly- the fretless bass:
First fretless was a Pedulla, which came with D'Addario roundwounds. They were fine - didn't bother me. NO HATE
Re-strung it with LaBella Steels - oh, yeah. MORE LOVE
Sold the Pedulla and had a Roscoe SKB fretless built. It came strung with D'Addario nickel RWs. Also fine - no problems. However, the marks on the bare ebony fingerboard caused an OCD flare-up, so I changed to flats. Played D'Addario Chrome Flats on an Ibanez bass at a music expo. BUTTAH. Good lord, those strings are like finger sex! They don't tear up my fingerboard, either. LOVE

Strings I haven't tried:

Slinkys - So many mixed reviews and tales of woe about dead strings after 5 days - that's all I needed to see.
DRs - Hated them in the 80s and 90s when I was broke and they were $10 more than all the other strings at the music store. Never got around to trying them once I found LaBellas.

By the way, thanks for starting a hate thread. It feels good to type all that bile!
Now I can have a cocktail and enjoy my weekend.

Give the Ernie Ball Cobalt's a try and please share your results.

 

[bunkie]

I'm guessing that the people who hate flats don't play hollow bodied basses? Just guessing and nothing implied by it to offend anyone.

 

[Axstar]

Rotosound roundwounds.

What my ears hear:

What my fingers feel:

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[bunkie]

Rotosound roundwounds.

What my ears hear:

What my fingers feel:

Link Removed

A picture is worth a thousand calluses!

 

[spiritbass]

Everly B-52's.

 

[Korladis]

GHS Boomers. It's a crime those get sold. Absolute rubbish

Agreed. So aptly named. "Boomers." Yep. Boom is the only thing that comes out when I've used them. No midrange at all, completely lacking definition. Just mud and a little bit of clack.

 

[michael_t]

Sounds like your glass has been half empty for quite some time.

Only since my hand surgery last week. I just had all the bandage taken off this afternoon, so my glass is half full again.

 

[Axstar]

A picture is worth a thousand calluses!

I just put Rotosounds on a bass I'm planning to sell, as they were the cheapest rounds my local shop had. The tone of them is the classic, albeit inconsistent across strings. I keep getting the fear that I'm going to get metal slivers embedded in my fingertips.