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Prosteels Initial Impressions

Tunaman

Tunaman

Dec 26, 2004
6,812
775
46
Boston
#1
Great strings, bring a ton of life to my Bongo 5HH.

I was using some Elixir Nanoweb Nickels... and for the price I paid felt obligated to keep them on longer. Not sure how long they were on, maybe 9 months.

Prosteels have brought back the zing, aggression, clarity. Even out of the package the Elixirs were a tad scooped & not that aggressive at the high end as you would expect for nickels. If these things have a good amount of life I may stick with them. Not as grabby as the Rotosounds. I like Dean Markley Helix SS but they dont fit that well on the B string on a 34" scale non-body thru. Cobalts are great but twice the price as the Prosteels. My next strings to try are Elixir Nanoweb SS. It will be interesting to see life vs these

Also have DR highbeams on the docket

Prosteels have a big edge to start !

:bassist:
 
#4
Toptube said:
As someone who loves SS strings, but also really likes nickel Elixirs: don't waste your time/money with Elixir's SS strings.
Click to expand...

I have one set I'm about to try sitting at home.

Thanks for the heads up

These strings can also get warm on a warm bass which is cool as well. Really diversifies a warmer wood like basswood or mahogany to bring the zing but retain the warmth
 
#5
I gave pro-steels a try instead of DR Hi-Beams, thought they sounded ok for soloing and slapping but I found that they didn't cut thru fingerstyle with a full band playing.
I'll stick to DR's.. YMMV of course.
 
#9
I've been using Prosteels exclusively for years now on my Ibanez SRs. They have the nicest piano tones there are, and I love the lower tension plus the price is right.

Elixirs' are too high tension & spendy, and Rotos' are a bit too rough, but Prosteels are just right. :thumbsup:

One thing I've noticed is when they go dead after about 3 weeks to a month - not only do they lose their top end brightness, but they also lose their deep tight lows as well.
 
#10
I have pretty dry hands, so strings usually keep their tone for a while, and I use Dunlop string cleaner often. But YES!

I freaking love the sound of these suckers. Much better than my previous strings, the Lo-Riders. Actually, I liked the sound of Roto SS 66's a lot, but baby my bass...err actually I hit the strings pretty hard so I wanted a little less fretwear, and perhaps longer life.

If these don't work out, I'll try Nickel 66's....but these hold their tone even for half as long as the DR's, and I'll happily stay with Prosteels. My Ric is ringing out on the E finally.
 
#11
I've used pro steels for a long time. They are very bright and last me at least a month, but they are rough and do eat your frets pretty bad. I'm looking for a smoother string that's just as bright. Trying the new Dunlop Super Bright Steels next.
 
#12
Maiden Bass said:
I've used pro steels for a long time. They are very bright and last me at least a month, but they are rough and do eat your frets pretty bad. I'm looking for a smoother string that's just as bright. Trying the new Dunlop Super Bright Steels next.
Click to expand...

My fingers are a lot less sore after using these than Rotos. Honestly, I'm not sure they are any worse than the DR Lo-Riders. Maybe it's from using Dunlop string conditioner, but I haven't noticed any wear with SS strings yet.(I didn't have the Roto SS on long though). Bass Guitar mag actually called them "Medium" in feel vs the Lo-Rider's "Medium/Course".

This guy had fretwear with both Lo-Riders and Prosteels and I know for a fact Lo-Riders don't wear my frets, so maybe some people have softer frets?
http://www.talkbass.com/threads/bright-strings-that-dont-eat-frets.492919/

And this guy played them for years with no problem, so i think it may be the bass?
http://www.talkbass.com/threads/how-bad-is-fret-wear-with-stainless-strings.899304/#post-12904719

Let me know how aggressive the Dunlops are, though:)
 
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#13
I put a set of short scale prosteels on my Dano 63 short scale, a couple of months ago.

They really aren't that rough. Actually one of the smoother steel strings I've played. The short scale set feels pretty balanced in tension.

I can't comment on the longevity, because I don't play that bass very much. It's been about two months, but I haven't played enough to really stress the strings. They still sound a week old, so to speak.

Their tone on this bass is fine. Not as interesting as the long scale Dean Markley Blue Steels I'd had on there even though they are too big. The tone of the prosteels is clear and even, a bit sterile. I don't doubt they might sound better on a different bass. Not bad, just not the best match, here.
 
#14
Toptube said:
I put a set of short scale prosteels on my Dano 63 short scale, a couple of months ago.

They really aren't that rough. Actually one of the smoother steel strings I've played.
Their tone on this bass is fine. Not as interesting as the long scale Dean Markley Blue Steels I'd had on there even though they are too big. The tone of the prosteels is clear and even, a bit sterile. I don't doubt they might sound better on a different bass. Not bad, just not the best match, here.
Click to expand...

That's good to know:)
 
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#16
I've seen that video before. I'd have to hear them picked on my bass to tell, but I'm pretty happy with the Prosteels right now.

Even though they are hex core, I heard some compare the Dunlops to hi-beams in tone/feel.

If I try another string after the Prosteels, I'll definitely order a set:)
 
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#18
I've been using medium scale Pro-steels on my short scale bass for about a year now and love the sound of them. It's given my bass a crisper, sweeter tone without losing the warm bottom end that the bass had with the previous strings.
Not sure why but the long scale strings I have put on my 5 string bass recently were quite rough to the touch, not as bad as R.Cocco's but still too rough to play a gig with them until they wear in a bit. But sound wise I love them and they aren't too expensive £21.00 a set compared to the R.Cocco which were about £38 a set and stay bright for a good while. They have been on the bass for about 6 months now.
 

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