Since these were being discontinued, I decided to purchase the set before they became rare and expensive. They, along with the Fender Black Nylon sets are the most affordable you can find, and as of the posting of this video, can still be found on various websites like bassstringsonline.com, juststrings.com, elderly.com, and even on e-bay and Amazon (both .com and .ca)
They are very smooth to the touch, quite slinky, or flexible, they're pretty to look at, look great as a contrast to a maple fretboard, and they sound pretty swell, at least with the first impression IMHO. Available only in long (34") scale, the silks are nice and solid, and will mostly conform to top-loading type basses (especially Fender derivatives).
In summary, I do like these strings, they provide a useful alternative to flatwound strings (my usual bass string type), and they also provide a fair amount of top-end and dynamic sounding accents when needed. Even though they reportedly are supposed to make an electric bass sound closer to a double bass, I have yet to develop the technique to take advantage of that.
Keep in mind, if you're coming from flatwound strings (especially steel, but nickel-wrapped also applies) the far more flexible strings will require you to re-adjust your truss rod. As a result, my usually low action I've gotten by using GHS Precision flats had to be raised to accommodate the wider amplitude these strings vibrate at, that can cause rattling, clanginess and fret buzz in the upper frets.
I do recommend these strings for the following reasons to any bassist, newbie or pro:
1) Inexpensive (for the time being)
2) The are versatile, easy to play with their flexibility and easily modified sound. They aren't quite as deep sounding as flatwounds, but they have a lot more upper-register presence without sounding overdriven and springy, as is usually the case with roundwound strings.
3) Pretty to look at
4) No finger-noise, can be made to sound very mellow
5) Easy to install, smooth, and unlike many other nylon-wound strings, aren't overly thick, so very little to no nut filing is involved in installing them (they are 50 to 105s, much like most bass string sets) If your bass previously had those gauges, chances are very good you won't need to re-intonate the bridge.
There are some cons to these strings, mainly that their flexibility does hamper the low-end somewhat (they are not terribly thumpy) and that it does require you to raise the action to accommodate for the decreased tension. These strings might also be difficult to see over an ebony or dark rosewood fretboard, but that's certainly not a deal-breaker.
These strings also require you to play differently and perhaps even use a different amplification setup. Since these are nylon covered, there might be some audible hum from the lack of grounding from you, the player. There are some ways around that, of course.
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. I have these on a Squier Jazz and I was actually thinking getting more to put on other basses.
