Popular Strings You’ve Never Tried

[FirewalZ]

After trying a set of D’Adderio XL’s for the first time in well over a decade and seeing another thread on Roto’s, got me thinking. What common stalwart brand of strings have you never tried? For me it’s rotosound, I’ve never bought a set and to my knowledge, never played a bass with a set on them. I’ve always wanted to try them, but fear they maybe overly stiff.

 

[michael_t]

What common stalwart brand of strings have you never tried?

Rotosound, Ernie Ball and TI.

 

[FirewalZ]

Rotosound, Ernie Ball and TI.

Same for me with TI’s….recently had put a set of Slinky’s on my Stingray. Once they wore out I switched back to Sunbeams, they were more aggressive and lacked the fullness of the Sunbeams.

 

[michael_t]

Rotosound, Ernie Ball and TI.

One correction...

I did try the EB stainless steel Slinky once. (They were so unimpressive I almost forgot. )

 

[JACKSON JS1XM]

I've only used D'Addario myself, so all the other brands. Since mine's a 28.6 short scale, maybe Ernie Ball would be one that I'd really give a look at. When the D'Addario went on sale, it was a no brainer really for standard short scale round wounds. $ 15.99 vs $ 19.99 (Ernie Ball), And when 4 strings get enough pricing to be over $ 20, those other brands pretty much have told me to buy D'Addario & Ernie Ball. I can't imagine the same 4 string gauges being appreciably better than D'Addario/Ernie Ball. If Musician's Gear made a set of 4 for a sub 30 scale, I'd buy their strings or even Alice strings, just to see if they were comparably better or worse.

 

[Arthur U. Poon]

Thinking about it, quite a few.
Elixir
Dunlop
SIT
Cleartone
Sfarzo
Optima
DR (other than Pure Blues)
TI (other than Infeld Superalloys)

And I’m sure there’s more, I just can’t come up with the other brands at the moment.

 

[FirewalZ]

Thinking about it, quite a few.
Elixir
Dunlop
Cleartone
Sfarzo
Optima
DR (other than Pure Blues)
TI (other than Infeld Superalloys)

And I’m sure there’s more, I just can’t come up with the other brands at the moment.

Thats quite a few.....I haven't heard of Cleartone or Sfarzo? I was thinking more mainline brands like GHS, EB, DR, D'Addario, etc that have been mainstream brands for years

 

[ctmullins]

Ernie Ball. Not sure why; I just have this perception in my head that garden variety Slinkys must be on par with garden variety D’Addario XLs, and D’Addario XLs I consider minimally acceptable. So why would I go out of my way to try Slinkys?

I should probably stop being so closed minded….

 

[Riff Ranger]

I've only used D'Addario myself, so all the other brands. Since mine's a 28.6 short scale, maybe Ernie Ball would be one that I'd really give a look at. When the D'Addario went on sale, it was a no brainer really for standard short scale round wounds. $ 15.99 vs $ 19.99 (Ernie Ball), And when 4 strings get enough pricing to be over $ 20, those other brands pretty much have told me to buy D'Addario & Ernie Ball. I can't imagine the same 4 string gauges being appreciably better than D'Addario/Ernie Ball. If Musician's Gear made a set of 4 for a sub 30 scale, I'd buy their strings or even Alice strings, just to see if they were comparably better or worse.

Dunlop short scale strings fit 28.6” and while their flatwounds can get somewhat pricey their roundwounds are generally inexpensive, though that may vary around the world.

 

[Riff Ranger]

I’ve tried most but somehow have never gotten around to SIT. I have deliberately stayed away from Elixir because that word feels disgusting in my mouth. Oh, the joys of the neurodivergent mind

 

[FirewalZ]

Ernie Ball. Not sure why; I just have this perception in my head that garden variety Slinkys must be on par with garden variety D’Addario XLs, and D’Addario XLs I consider minimally acceptable. So why would I go out of my way to try Slinkys?

I should probably stop being so closed minded….

I tried Slinky’s not too long ago, I was underwhelmed. I had an EB Stingray, so I thought why not try the strings they probably designed it with They were fine, just nothing special and not a full or warm as the Sunbeams that came off.

 

[FirewalZ]

I’ve tried most but somehow have never gotten around to SIT. I have deliberately stayed away from Elixir because that word feels disgusting in my mouth. Oh, the joys of the neurodivergent mind

I’ve never tried a coated string, not sure why…maybe I just thought it was a gimmick when they first came out?

 

[Riff Ranger]

Ernie Ball. Not sure why; I just have this perception in my head that garden variety Slinkys must be on par with garden variety D’Addario XLs, and D’Addario XLs I consider minimally acceptable. So why would I go out of my way to try Slinkys?

I should probably stop being so closed minded….

TalkBass seems to loathe Slinkies and love DRs, and I feel precisely the opposite. Slinkies are my “default” strings, and while I usually have something else on at least a few instruments at any time, I generally end up going back to Slinkies. @michael_t I didn’t care for the stainless steel Slinkies either, but I think that just comes down to my strong distaste for the feel of steel roundwounds generally (again, quite possibly a neurodivergent thing).

 

[HardNHeavy]

i have yet to try flats...... i know, i know!......But i love my rotosound66

 

[mikewalker]

Started out with the venerable RS66 and I have tried many variants of all the various "stalwarts". Just last month I have finally locked in to Thomastik Jazz Rounds. Tried the flats years ago and hated them! But the jazz rounds... they really are smoother feeling than every other roundwound! (Including the other Thomastik rounds)

 

[GwenOnBass]

TI. They don't fit a single bass I own. Never tried Fender strings, either.

 

[dbsfgyd1]

After trying a set of D’Adderio XL’s for the first time in well over a decade and seeing another thread on Roto’s, got me thinking. What common stalwart brand of strings have you never tried? For me it’s rotosound, I’ve never bought a set and to my knowledge, never played a bass with a set on them. I’ve always wanted to try them, but fear they maybe overly stiff.

TI flats.

 

[Arthur U. Poon]

Thats quite a few.....I haven't heard of Cleartone or Sfarzo? I was thinking more mainline brands like GHS, EB, DR, D'Addario, etc that have been mainstream brands for years

Of your list of mainstream brands, I have the least experience with DR’s catalog.

I started playing electric bass in 1976. And my home area was very “small town” in those days. I had two Mom and Pop music stores to choose from, and both carried the most common brands: D’Addario, Ernie Ball, GHS, Rotosound, and a couple of other brands I don’t think exist anymore.

You mentioned Gibson strings. IIRC, Gibson guitar strings were fairly popular at my local stores, but I don’t remember seeing their bass strings on the shelves. I’m talking about 1978 or ‘79.

In that time frame, I “discovered” Rotosound Swing Bass 66’s. Pretty much every electric bassist that I admired was on their roster. It was SB66’s or nothing for me in those days.

In the mid 80’s, I switched to nickel plated roundwounds. I used nothing but D’Addario XLs for many years. Then came GHS Bass Boomers, which I used on my brightest sounding basses. Then came Ernie Ball Slinkys, which I used interchangeably with D’Addario XLs.

I use GHS bass strings almost exclusively these days, but two of my basses are currently strung with Rotosound Swing Bass 66’s, just to give me access to a different sound.

 

[Aloe]

DR
GHS
TI

if including the brands I did try on a guitar someday, but didn't on bass that would add:
SIT
Elixir
Fender

 

[Arthur U. Poon]

Same for me with TI’s….recently had put a set of Slinky’s on my Stingray. Once they wore out I switched back to Sunbeams, they were more aggressive and lacked the fullness of the Sunbeams.

I had never tried Ernie Bass bass strings until I bought my first MusicMan bass in the late 90’s.

I’ve tried different brands on my MusicMan, and all of them have sounded excellent, but Slinkys have some kind of juju that gives my MusicMan a tone that I haven’t found in any other brand. And I only notice this juju with my MusicMan. EB Slinkys on my other basses are “interchangeable” with D’Addario XLs.