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Quickest 'dying' strings?

DownUnder_Funk

DownUnder_Funk

Feb 16, 2011
477
725
Sydney, Australia
#1
I recently did a DIY restoration on my P copy and am in the market for some rounds that will die the quickest. Why, you might ask? Before I underwent the project I had a 2 year old set of EB super slinkies on it and I loved the tone of the strings. The only problem was that the strings suffered from uneven tension which placed some serious strain on the neck.

I had a spare set of new elixir coated rounds but they just sound too 'metally' for my taste.

So, what are your recommendations? Should I just go another set of the EB (perhaps I got a dud set?) or are there better strings out there?

If it helps, I ran the tone knob 75-100% on with the dead EBs, now it's all the way off.

Thanks! :bassist:
 
#2
aussiebasshero said:
It sounds to me like you may be ready to move up to a set of flats. Chromes are a good way to start. They will settle in after a couple of months of daily use and will loose much of the irritating twang and brightness they have when new. But there will still be a hint of that banjo-like metallic zing when you turn the tone knob up all the way. So you can still dial in some twang when you're going through the transition phase, known as "roundwound withdrawal". Some guys can't give up that trebly guitar sound cold turkey, and that's what the tone knob is for. Don't be afraid to turn it up with your new flats. And then work it slowly down as you get accustomed to what a P-bass is really supposed to sound like. Who knows, you may even want to move on to LaBella Flats. Or even all the way to the ultimate in flatness, Pyramid Gold Flats. Although I have to admit, the Pyramids were just a little bit too thumpy for me and I went back to the LaBellas. But for starts try the Chromes, you may never go back.:);):smug:
Click to expand...
 
#5
Rotosound RS66. Hands down the biggest reputation for dieing quickly. Entwistle (who helped design them) changed 'em every gig. Chris Squire changes his every gig. Anthony Jackson used to change them every TAKE in the studio.

I used a set and after three songs the guitar player asked why my sound changed each song.

John
 
#6
@I<34080 and JTE, what's the string tension like on the Rotos? I'm just really paranoid that my neck will start to warp with strings that don't have uniform tension (it's a very cheap Ashton AB2). :bassist:

EDIT: JB696, I don't think I'm quite ready to let the rounds go just yet, mostly because the tone from the dead EBs were awesome, and that flats are almost twice as expensive ;)
 
#8
If you want a dead sounding string, then Roto Swing bass 66 are not it. They do lose their intial shimmer pretty fast, but they still sparkle pretty good for awhile and even when completely "dead" are still pretty lively as mentioned.


If you want a warmer sounding string, maybe try SIT. Most of their strings seems to deliver straight up mids more than some other brands that I've tried. I particularly like their "Silencers".

I also recommend Webstrings. They are cheap and good. I'm not at all saying they go dead fast. But if you want to just throw around a few different strings for some test runs, you may as well try them. You might like 'em. They have some really nice, smooth flatwounds, too. Some of the smoothest I've seen.
 
#11
I don't personally find Rotosounds go dead any quicker than any other roundwounds - that's to say, all the steel rounds I have tried sound pretty zingy when first put on, and then very quickly (i.e. a few hours of playing) lose some of that and settle into a stable condition where they're still sort of bright but without the real top end. They then take quite a lot of playing before they go completely dead. I tried some Hi Beams because I was told they'd keep the initial zing longer than Rotosounds, but honestly couldn't tell much difference. After one gig the real zing was gone, although they still seemed okay to use to me for maybe two or three months - about the same as I get with Rotosounds.

Nickel rounds don't go change quite so fast, but then they're not as bright to start with.

OP - If you have your tone rolled all the way off with new roundwounds, then I'd recommend you just buy flats and have done with it. Ignore the cost, as if that's the tone you want, a set will last you pretty much forever, unless you break one. And if a particular brand of strings is causing problems with the neck, then you could very probably have some other issues with the neck that need sorting out. A set of Super Slinkys should not cause any problems at al due to variation in string tension.
 
#13
JTE said:
Rotosound RS66. Hands down the biggest reputation for dieing quickly. Entwistle (who helped design them) changed 'em every gig. Chris Squire changes his every gig. Anthony Jackson used to change them every TAKE in the studio.

I used a set and after three songs the guitar player asked why my sound changed each song.

John
Click to expand...

These strings suck!!!!
 
#14
Ernie Ball. As soon as they touch air they die. Rotosounds die pretty quickly too. Which isn't that bad of a thing cause they're super zingy right out of the package. Once they settle in they're still my fav string.
 
#20
Update: my Chromes came today :hyper: I put them on and wow! I thought my compressed-roundwound Fodera Diamond Nickels were smooth! These are like running your finger through warm butter! :smug:

There is that tell-tale 'metallic' zing though which isn't quite my cup of tea - what's the break in period for these strings? I want 'em thumpy! :bassist:
 

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