Rotosound 77 serious QC issues or changed the design???

[Deleted member 271037]

Some background:

I love the tone of Roto 77s but I've always had problems with the D+G mellowing out really fast while the E+A stay bright forever. The tone gets too unbalanced across the strings for me.

I recently mentioned this in another thread and another poster said he had been using the same set of Roto 77s for decades and they were still fine.

I had pretty much given up on Roto 77s because the window of time where they sounded both good and balanced across all strings seemed to be about 3 seconds... but I started wondering if I maybe I had gotten a bad batch or something. All the sets I remember having problems with were purchased around 10 years ago.

I also briefly used Roto 77s around 25 years ago and I can't remember having the same problem back then.

So I deciced to give them another go...

Picture my surprise when the new G string looked COMPLETELY different to the old one.

The new one was completely smooth, like LaBellas or GHS Precision Flats. The old one was more like semi-roundwounds by comparison.
Maybe the new one wouldn't have the problem with going "dead" so fast?

Well, I really can't say because it was faulty out of the box.

With the EXACT same setup (even going back and forth between new/old G with the rest of the new set installed) the G string buzzed like crazy at certain areas of the string. I tried tweaking the setup, nothing helped. The new G-string also had this weird, hollow chorus-like quality and poor sustain (and no, I did NOT twist it during installation, I'm very careful about these things).

I think I'm done with Rotos. I guess the old saying about having to buy 4 sets of Rotos to get one good set is true after all.

Anyone else experiencing these kind of problems with Roto 77s (or any other Rotos for that matter)?

It's a real shame because I absolutely LOVE the tone of these strings.

 

[Deleted member 271037]

I should probably add that this was the SM77 set (40-100).

In the past I've NEVER seen a smooth Roto 77 string like that new G. They always felt a bit rough and closer to semi-roundwounds/pressurewounds than most flats.

 

[Barton Lee]

I've purchased and used three sets of Roto 77 flats in the last year, two sets of the SM77s and one RS77 set. All of the strings in the three sets functioned as they should, no complaints from me. I didn't notice any quality control issues or any imbalance in the sound of the strings as they aged, and the monel wrap looks the same as always to me. I've a slight preference for the sound of the .45-.105 set but they are high tension.

Like many, I noticed Rotosound quality control issues many years ago (for me it was with the RS66 rounds) and since they changed the packaging on their product, I haven't found a bad string yet in any that I've purchased. I also use TI flats, Chromes and DR Sunbeams depending on the bass so I'm no exclusive Rotosound fan. Rotos do have their sound though, one that I like to have available.

 

[Timothy Brosnan]

Sorry to bring back a 2 year old thread, but I tried RS77M medium scale strings on my Squier Jaguar H.
The G D and A strings were great! The E string however-even when I finally got the fretted note at the 12th fret to match the harmonic, it remained almost a half step sharper, whichever note was played against it in an octave.
I set witness points, and made sure it wasn’t twisted, but no change.
The other thing I noticed-these flats are WEIRDEST feeling flats I’ve ever tried! Almost like they’re made out of plastic!

the strings that worked though do sound nice, although not round woundish in any sort of way.

I’ve contacted RotoSound, but so far, no response. Too bad, because I want to like these.

 

[trothwell]

The E string however-even when I finally got the fretted note at the 12th fret to match the harmonic, it remained almost a half step sharper, whichever note was played against it in an octave.

I don't follow? If the fretted note at the 12 fret matched the harmonic, what was a half-step sharper?

 

[Timothy Brosnan]

Every note played. For example:

G on the 3rd fret, played against G played on D string, 5th fret-the note on the E string was almost a half step higher (no other string I’ve put on this bass does/did that.)