Roto 66 - - Undependable?

[Fuzzbass]

I responded to you on the Rickenbacker thread when you asked if getting a bad Rotosound string was "still a thing," but here it is copy/pasted:

Yep, still a thing.

I quit Rotos around 1993 due to always getting a bad string pack after pack.

Around Christmas I bought some Roto RB35 nickels to try along with some new RS66LB stainless roundwounds. I wanted to compare them to some GHS RC-L3045 and DR Pure Blues Victor Wooten 40-95 strings. But wouldn't ya know it? The RS came with a dead E string.

The Roto RB35 strings are ok; the output is quite a bit lower electrically (not acoustically) and they do have that Rotosound zing, even being nickel plated. Quite a bit around 800hz with a nice peak. Still didn't knock me out though.

What did, though? I never would have anticipated, but GHS Round Core Boomers were louder, thumper, and "upper-middier" than the Rotos, which surprised the hell out of me.

I did a test of 4 different strings. I cut a nut for 4 E strings, set up the neck and action, and then compared the aforementioned 4 brand new strings: Roto RS, Roto RB, GHS RC, and DR Blues.

The Roto RS was dead. Roto RB and GHS RC were described as above. The DR Blues were the most polite, with definitely the most fundamental. Not bad at all, but a bit colorless and bland; not much mids, but not exactly scooped. And they feel looser than their 40-95 gauges would indicate; they are almost too loose in that they don't ring substantial enough; the others (of the same gauge) don't have that issue.

I was surprised and blown away that I preferred the GHS Round Core Boomers, especially electrically...they have a big lower mid grunt the others didn't have, waaaaay less finger noise than the Rotos, and just as much upper mid attack while feeling much, much smoother than the Rotos (and on par with the DR).

But I digress. Yes, getting bad Rotos is still a thing.

I respect your great detail here, but unless I'm missing something, your recent sample size is just one set of Rotos. Yeah, the issue happened to Rotos and not the others so I get your concern, but I've encountered the occasional dead string with pretty much every brand that I've used regularly. As previously mentioned I had frequent issues with Rotos in the late 80's which is why I quit them for awhile, but I've recently started using them again and have had no bad strings in three sets, which is promising but far from conclusive. Once I've used a dozen or more sets I'll have a much better idea of their current QC. In the late 80's it seemed that I'd get a dud every 3-4 sets.

 

[DCErik]

Just to add a data point, I've been playing Rotosound Swing Bass strings since 1980 and never had a bad set.

 

[MaxCellExcelWon]

I respect your great detail here, but unless I'm missing something, your recent sample size is just one set of Rotos. Yeah, the issue happened to Rotos and not the others so I get your concern, but I've encountered the occasional dead string with pretty much every brand that I've used regularly. As previously mentioned I had frequent issues with Rotos in the late 80's which is why I quit them for awhile, but I've recently started using them again and have had no bad strings in three sets, which is promising but far from conclusive. Once I've used a dozen or more sets I'll have a much better idea of their current QC. In the late 80's it seemed that I'd get a dud every 3-4 sets.

All I'm saying is that it still happens (however frequent or infrequent), since it just happened to me. That's it.

 

[Swerve]

Never had a bad string in a Roto 66 set. They're the only strings I can say that about.

The one and only time I tried Roto 77's they were hot garbage, but the 66's have always been dependable.

 

[trothwell]

Never had a bad string in a Roto 66 set. They're the only strings I can say that about.

The one and only time I tried Roto 77's they were hot garbage, but the 66's have always been dependable.

What happened with the 77s?

 

[J Wilson]

I used them through the 80's into the early 90's. In those early 90's, they were all over the place. Sam Ash in Nashville usually had tremendous deals on them, and I bought a lot of them.

I have no way how and how long they were warehoused before I got them, or if James Howe were undergoing QC problems. In any event, I walked away, those 20-odd years ago. They may be just wonderful today, but I now prefer nickel-wounds.

However I can say that I've used GHS Boomers off and on since 1976 and they have looked, sounded, and felt identical, and I have zero doubt that if I bought a set today they will still be the strings I used in 1976.

 

[Wood and Wire]

I stumbled across a comment (off TB) that said Rotos were a crapshoot. You may, or may not, get dead strings right out of the package. I researched it further and found more comments that seem to agree with that.

I'm looking for verification one way or another from people that have been using Roto 66 recently.

How are they?

Only time I had a dead Roto (A string, if I recall, from a set of stainless 66's) was in the early 90's, and they replaced it free of charge.

About a year ago, I had a set of D'Addario NYXL's with a dead D string. They replaced it, and also threw in a complete free set too.

These things happen from time to time, but most companies customer service will take care of you.

 

[Dust2Dust]

I can say that I've used GHS Boomers off and on since 1976 and they have looked, sounded, and felt identical, and I have zero doubt that if I bought a set today they will still be the strings I used in 1976.

That's the exact info that I needed at this point Thanks

This is actually a follow up to the thread I made a year or more ago, "What strings were popular in the 70s" (I want to keep the theme of my 70s classic vibe)

I went back through that thread with pencil and paper keeping score and Roto 66 won in a landslide, but this thread (along with other comments I saw which caused me to post this thread in the first place) has me considering the strings that came in second . . . GHS Boomers . . which was way out in front of third place.

I've heard nothing but praise for Boomers

 

[Wood and Wire]

That's the exact info that I needed at this point Thanks

This is actually a follow up to the thread I made a year or more ago, "What strings were popular in the 70s" (I want to keep the theme of my 70s classic vibe)

I went back through that thread with pencil and paper keeping score and Roto 66 won in a landslide, but this thread (along with other comments I saw which caused me to post this thread in the first place) has me considering the strings that came in second . . . GHS Boomers . . which was way out in front of third place.

I've heard nothing but praise for Boomers

Get both.

It's not an expensive gamble, and customer service will take care of any defects.

 

[Swerve]

What happened with the 77s?

They went in the trash. I remember at the time thinking they were the worst strings I'd ever tried. At least one string was dead and the sound and output of each varied wildly. I'm open to the fact that I got a bad set, but I'm not willing to spend money on them again to find out.

 

[trothwell]

That's the exact info that I needed at this point Thanks

This is actually a follow up to the thread I made a year or more ago, "What strings were popular in the 70s" (I want to keep the theme of my 70s classic vibe)

I went back through that thread with pencil and paper keeping score and Roto 66 won in a landslide, but this thread (along with other comments I saw which caused me to post this thread in the first place) has me considering the strings that came in second . . . GHS Boomers . . which was way out in front of third place.

I've heard nothing but praise for Boomers

Not as popular, not as likely to win polls, but if you're after a 1970s tone and you're on the fence about Rotosounds, GHS Super Steels would be worth considering as well.

 

[buldog5151bass]

I think the closest thing in sound and feel to these strings are Lo Riders.

 

[Dust2Dust]

Not as popular, not as likely to win polls, but if you're after a 1970s tone and you're on the fence about Rotosounds, GHS Super Steels would be worth considering as well.

michael_t gave me that same advice in the original thread I posted hmmm

 

[J Wilson]

That's the exact info that I needed at this point Thanks

This is actually a follow up to the thread I made a year or more ago, "What strings were popular in the 70s" (I want to keep the theme of my 70s classic vibe)

I went back through that thread with pencil and paper keeping score and Roto 66 won in a landslide, but this thread (along with other comments I saw which caused me to post this thread in the first place) has me considering the strings that came in second . . . GHS Boomers . . which was way out in front of third place.

I've heard nothing but praise for Boomers

And again, let me e clear: I last used Rotos in the mid 90's. I have no experience with them today, but they did drive me away at that time.

 

[Dust2Dust]

And again, let me e clear: I last used Rotos in the mid 90's. I have no experience with them today, but they did drive me away at that time.

Got it

I just can't help noticing that in 50 plus yrs Rotosound wasn't able to get a solid grip on themselves . . . like Squier, for instance.
People are (somewhat) blown away at how good they've gotten over the years, and that's even with them changing things up somewhat regularly for variety sake.

But Roto hasn't figured out how to achieve rock solid QC having manufactured the same damn product for five decades?
I'll pass on the gamble.

 

[DaveParker39]

I gave up on them. They would die rather quickly, some seemed dead out of the package.
I switched to DR Lo Riders and am pleased.
I still like the Rotosound Monel Flats.

 

[Dincrest]

When it comes to string reliability, everyone has a different story. I've had more dead/defective strings from brand new D'Addario packages than other brands I've tried, but someone else would say that had 100% success with using D'Addarios. Still, D'Addario's customer service was great and they sent replacements pretty promptly.

As for the Rotosound RS66 steels themselves... a recent bass I bought (a Fender Aerodyne from a TBer) had a new-ish set on them and I absolutely loathe these strings. They are stiff, rough, sound harsh when new, dull out quickly, and sound unpleasant when dull. They are also extremely unforgiving of bad technique. If your playing isn't perfect, these strings will buzz and clank all over the place. These are among my least favorite strings. They truly are a love/hate string with no middle ground. I'll probably try a set of DR Hi-Beams next on that bass.

 

[Domboy]

I stumbled across a comment (off TB) that said Rotos were a crapshoot. You may, or may not, get dead strings right out of the package. I researched it further and found more comments that seem to agree with that.

I'm looking for verification one way or another from people that have been using Roto 66 recently.

How are they?

I have been using them for 20+ years. I had one dodgy string out of the packet a few years ago. I email rotosound directly and the sent a replacement straight away. Can't say fairer than that.

 

[luckydawgg169]

I stumbled across a comment (off TB) that said Rotos were a crapshoot. You may, or may not, get dead strings right out of the package. I researched it further and found more comments that seem to agree with that.

I'm looking for verification one way or another from people that have been using Roto 66 recently.

How are they?

That’s why I stopped using them…. I thought they sounded great, but were inconsistent package to package.

It’s crazy to me that every time somebody posts something negative about a brand, people come to the brands rescue and swear that in decades they’ve used that brand exclusively and never had an issue .

Capitalistic loyalty to a brand that doesn’t endorse you or has ever given you an actual dime to defend them blows my mind.

And I have my favourite brands of strings, but I’m not gonna be delusional and say that I haven’t gotten a dud pack here and there…

 

[Gizmot]

I used to use Rotos on my Ric bass for years. The only problem I ever had was that I’ve never seen any other brand and model of string go dead as fast as Rotos. When I say they went dead, it happened fast, not a gradual degradation.