Opposite Day! Strings you hate.

[jwilson67]

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).

+1 on the Cobalt Rounds. I love those strings. They effectively ended my search for the perfect string. The only thing is they just start to look kind of a grimy gray color after a while but it doesn't affect the tone. In fact the overall tone seems to get better with age. Also, mine start to smell like garlic?? LOL

 

[RyanKW]

wut?

Some people break more strings than others, and some say it's body chemistry.

 

[Adhesive_X]

DR DDT - way too dark..
the .145 sounded dead from the get go. Sounded like it didn't belong in the set like it was a different brand or something.

Plus, I don't buy a into the Down tuning capability, just branding

 

[jalapejoe]

DR DDT - way too dark..
the .145 sounded dead from the get go. Sounded like it didn't belong in the set like it was a different brand or something.

Plus, I don't buy a into the Down tuning capability, just branding

These are the worse strings I ever used besides GHS Boomers, worse then those. Ick!

 

[ValeriusCrow]

One must take into account that those pros are most likely changing strings for ever show. Longevity becomes irrelevant.

According to info given in several interviews and his band's members Joe Dart plays some pretty old Roto's, while David LaBruyere - awesome bass player who worked with John Mayer some time ago - didn't change Roto's on his main bass since 1995! So I wouldn't say that "nice tone = new rounds". Correct me if I'm wrong.

 

[DreadyDiggs]

So I wouldn't say that "nice tone = new rounds". Correct me if I'm wrong.

Tone is subjective. You're not right or wrong. It's all a matter of personal taste. Sometimes folks share our tastes, sometimes they don't. The world keeps on spinnin'. That's the beauty of it. We are not all destined to sound the same, for the Lordt giveth us knobs.

 

[75kva]

Another Rotsound swing 66 dis-liker here ! Have used EB super slinkys for some time now and for me , They stay bright for quite a while where the Roto's sounded dead out of the package .

 

[ValeriusCrow]

Another Rotsound swing 66 dis-liker here ! Have used EB super slinkys for some time now and for me , They stay bright for quite a while where the Roto's sounded dead out of the package .

Sooner or later this thread will change it's name to "Roto's 66 and other strings you hate", lol

 

[Microbass]

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?

Funny about the Slowounds. I found a few sets online recently I feel like I'm in strong heaven again - these were my go to years ago.

Dean Markley and Rotos I always found awful and would break, followed by Slinkys, i like the sound but they die too quickly to be of any use

 

[Evil Undead]

Rotosound steels - hate them. But I like rotosound nickels very much. Weird, huh?

 

[Ironbar]

DR Nickel Lo-riders. Just not my thing.

I was using NYXL's in the same gauges, put lo riders on and they're terrible. A lot of factors though, just because they're bad on one bass doesn't mean they are on every bass.

LOL! And the DR Nickel Lo-Riders are my favorite string of course!

 

[Ironbar]

Rotosound 77 "flats" -- yeah, right. They felt more like rat tail files than strings; I've honestly played rounds that felt smoother. And they died so fast, and not in the good way that most flats do.

Second that in a big way!

 

[laslen]

LOL! And the DR Nickel Lo-Riders are my favorite string of course!

Out of curiosity, what bass do you use them on? Is it a 34" scale?

I have them on a Fodera Emperor 5-string. I like the high tension of the B string, but everything else about them I don't particularly like -- at least for my sound. They sound alright with slap, but that's about it... and I don't slap.

 

[Arthur U. Poon]

Honestly, I can't think of a brand of strings that I've tried that I've hated. I experiment with various brands and I'll restring my basses with each brand that sounds the best to my ears.

It's interesting to read how many players dislike GHS Boomers and Pressurewounds; which are my absolute favorites, and players that dislike Rotosound Swing Bass. The Swing Bass 66's were my favorite when I liked stainless steel roundwounds.

For my tone goals, there's not better sounding strings than Boomers and Pressurewounds. Big, solid low end, boosted mids, and slightly rolled off highs. Of course, the Boomers give me the most bite of the two.

And Swing Bass 66's had a raw, full bodied tone that I never found from any other brand. Yes, their "zing" wore off somewhat quickly, but they kept an incredible tone for a long time after that, for me at least.

 

[Ironbar]

Out of curiosity, what bass do you use them on? Is it a 34" scale?

I have them on a Fodera Emperor 5-string. I like the high tension of the B string, but everything else about them I don't particularly like -- at least for my sound. They sound alright with slap, but that's about it... and I don't slap.

I have them on my Sire V7 Jazz bass. I also have them on my Washburn Force 5 ABT, and my daughters' Squier Precision and SUB basses.

 

[Korladis]

Honestly, I can't think of a brand of strings that I've tried that I've hated. I experiment with various brands and I'll restring my basses with each brand that sounds the best to my ears.

It's interesting to read how many players dislike GHS Boomers and Pressurewounds; which are my absolute favorites, and players that dislike Rotosound Swing Bass. The Swing Bass 66's were my favorite when I liked stainless steel roundwounds.

For my tone goals, there's not better sounding strings than Boomers and Pressurewounds. Big, solid low end, boosted mids, and slightly rolled off highs. Of course, the Boomers give me the most bite of the two.

And Swing Bass 66's had a raw, full bodied tone that I never found from any other brand. Yes, their "zing" wore off somewhat quickly, but they kept an incredible tone for a long time after that, for me at least.

I found boomers to have no bite or mids at all. Just rumble and clack.

 

[Arthur U. Poon]

I found boomers to have no bite or mids at all. Just rumble and clack.

Were you playing a Rickenbacker at that time? If so, that blows my mind. I use Boomers on my Alembic, Spector, and Jazz Bass, which are my brightest sounding basses. Boomers warm up their sound (IMO), and I get lots of mids from each bass. I usually put EB Hybrid Slinkies on my MM Sterling, but I recently restrung it with Boomers and I think it sounds great.

Boomers, to my ears have the least amount high end of the different brands of nickel roundwounds that I use, but I hear a lot more mids, especially low mids from them.

I wonder if it's because I really push the mids on my amp's eq. I'm puzzled.

Sartori, what are your favorite brand of strings? Do you use a pick or do you play fingerstyle?

 

[Betrayer_Bass]

I gave the Dunlop Trujillo strings a whirl a few years ago. They were absolutely not to my taste at all and went dead quite quickly. That has been my experience with Ernie Ball strings as well, literally have about fifteen minutes of useable brghtness before it flies away into the sunset, waving its middle fingers at you forever and leaving you with only the notion of what great tones could have been....

 

[Korladis]

Were you playing a Rickenbacker at that time? If so, that blows my mind. I use Boomers on my Alembic, Spector, and Jazz Bass, which are my brightest sounding basses. Boomers warm up their sound (IMO), and I get lots of mids from each bass. I usually put EB Hybrid Slinkies on my MM Sterling, but I recently restrung it with Boomers and I think it sounds great.

Boomers, to my ears have the least amount high end of the different brands of nickel roundwounds that I use, but I hear a lot more mids, especially low mids from them.

I wonder if it's because I really push the mids on my amp's eq. I'm puzzled.

Sartori, what are your favorite brand of strings? Do you use a pick or do you play fingerstyle?

I was.

I normally use D'Addario XLs.

I boost my mids a lot, actually, with my metal bands. I play both finger style and with a pick, though at the time I was mainly using a pick.

When I tried boomers, it was like there was a wet blanket over my tone.

 

[el_Bajo_Verde]

Rotosound 66s. They die immediately and feel like razor blades.