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Roscoe Club

he thing I've noticed about strings is that they are kind of like beer - different creations can be judged differently by two people that even have similar tastes.

I've tried DRs on 1 Roscoe (and several other basses back in the day), and I never liked the tone, feel (especially harsh feel on the stainless), or life on the sets I've tried. I know they are liked by some Roscoe players, and that's fine.

I found out that I prefer Elixir strings because I have several instruments that I like to keep 'fresh' and available. For me, the Elixirs will last 6-8 months if I'm playing several basses, 3-4 months if I hone in on just one instrument. Some have Elixir nickel, some (most) Elixir stainless. If not Elixir, I have Dunlop Super Bights (nickel) on 2 of my Roscoes right now. I can tell that they age quite a bit faster than the coated Elixir strings, but I am having fun with the mellower timbre compared to stainless.

An aside - I could have sworn that I found several Elixir stainless sets in 2017 in 40-130 gauge, now all I can find is 45-135 for a 5-string set. That seems like more tension than I want for a 35" scale instrument...

Found them - Elixir product #14202 the stainless 45-130 set (a bit hard to find, but sweetwater has them)
 

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I found out that I prefer Elixir strings because I have several instruments that I like to keep 'fresh' and available. For me, the Elixirs will last 6-8 months if I'm playing several basses, 3-4 months if I hone in on just one instrument. Some have Elixir nickel, some (most) Elixir stainless. If not Elixir, I have Dunlop Super Bights (nickel) on 2 of my Roscoes right now. I can tell that they age quite a bit faster than the coated Elixir strings, but I am having fun with the mellower timbre compared to stainless.
How are the mids on the ElixIrs? What surprised me about the Super Bright Nickels was that although they sounded much mellower than the Cobalt rounds solo, in a mix they have a slightly aggressive high mid that gives the notes a lot of definition without too much brightness or harshness.
 
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How are the mids on the ElixIrs

I find the nickel and stainless Elixirs to be balanced through my rig, which is generally run flat. I like the extra high end zing on the stainless, and can tone down the brightness with technique or rolling off the treb eq on the bass. The stainless get me a more modern sound, while the nickel more easily covers anything 50s-80s that I might do. :)
 
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Hi Steve. In the DR lineup, the Hi Beams (or Fat Beams) are most scooped with less mids. Lo Riders, Pure Blues, and Sun Beams tending toward more of that present mids. Especially the nickel Lo Riders. Stainless Lo Riders might be an option.

I really like Pedulla stainless. Excellent string. The B, E, A, and D are all tapered.

Have you tried the standard D'Addario XL's?
I tried the NYXL and they were ok. It’s so hard to remember exactly what I liked or didn’t with different strings.
 
It’s so hard to remember exactly what I liked or didn’t with different strings.

That's kind of where I end up each time Steve. Every 2-3 years I go out on a mission and try a few new (and old) brand/type strings and end up right back using Roscoe D'Addario XL's. They just feel and sound good through my rig and recording software.
And actually, with 5 basses to keep fresh strings on, and at $19 a set (for the Roscoe D'Addario's), it's hard to justify spending more (on another type string) unless I just totally love them.
 
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I had been buying all my strings for years off of Jason at BSO but Talkbass store has been beating his prices by quite a bit. Hey don’t as large a selection but what hey do have they are better on.

I like buying from Jason whenever I can; he's a great guy, and gives a great VIP discount. However, I had to cancel my last order for LaBella steel strings after waiting 4 weeks. Because I use mostly LaBellas, I typically get them from Imperial Soundworks in Newburgh, NY. They're right down the street from LaBella, so they always have inventory. I still get all my Mono items from BSO, though.
 
Keith's faster than that. I ordered them today and got them yesterday!:D

I can believe that, too!! I was just recently exchanging emails with Keith and he answered a question before I had a chance to asked it. I told him that it was scary that he could know what we Roscoeheads were thinking before we had a chance to think it. :laugh:
 
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So, I tried to talk myself out of adding mini switches in my S/C. The cavity area is so small and cramped with wiring all over the place in there, and only the pots immediate areas are routed. And since I don't currently own a router nor a router table that that would be the end of it!
So, what size route would be recommended? :wacky:
 
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So, I tried to talk myself out of adding mini switches in my S/C. The cavity area is so small and cramped with wiring all over the place in there, and only the pots immediate areas are routed. And since I don't currently own a router nor a router table that that would be the end of it!
So, what size route would be recommended? :wacky:

Preferably one that doesn't come through the other side!:D
 

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