Rotosound SM77 40-100 flats

[Ricky Rioli]

Curiosity led me to try a set of the 40–100 Roto 77 monel flats on my Squier Matt Freeman, which has a Dimarzio Model P pickup, and usually has a 50–65–85–110 set of Pro Steels.

The total published tension is about the same, but despite being thinner gauges, its been immediately clear that monel's reputation for being particularly stiff as well as high tension is .... well deserved. There is no way I'm ever going to try the RS77LD 45–105!

In demos the 45–105 set usually has a little bite. There are very few videos of this 40–100 on YouTube, and those there are suggest quite a soft-edged character relative to the heavier sets. I'm finding that to be the case. The sound is warm and round. All four strings have an immediate attack — much quicker than the DTFs I recently tried — and there isn't anywhere near so much of the woodiness that they and Chromes have.

So, if you want a very smooth line, these are excellent; if you want to play with a lot of variation in your articulation, you'll need stronger fingers than me (which, to be fair, isn't saying much)

If I had a Stingray or Kiloton, I would be interested to see what that pickup position would do to the sound. But I don't. Sometime soon I'll have a LB-100 arriving, and I'll pop them on that at some point, to see what the differences are when they're combined with an alnico pickup.

If I had a lot of basses in order to give myself a lot of variety of sounds and styles, I would keep a set of these on one, but I'm only ever going to have a couple of basses at a time, and so think this will remain a happy experiment but no more.

PS — forgot to say two things. Firstly, I'm impressed by the consistency of tone and feel across the four strings. Secondly, they do sound really good with some fuzz!

 

[trothwell]

I like the sound a lot, but even in the 40-100 set, still a little too stiff for me!

 

[Ricky Rioli]

I like the sound a lot, but even in the 40-100 set, still a little too stiff for me!

I went to see what the next set of gauges down from these were .... and found its the lightest set!

 

[Barton Lee]

I've used SM77s and the heavier RS77LD set on my Fender P and J basses. The heavier 45-105 set sounded a little better to me, though the difference would be minimal to most ears. The 40-100 set feel "normal" enough to me and are easier to deal with over long gigs.

As a finger-style only player, these strings lose their charm for me as they deaden (a pick player likely could enjoy them far longer). I have a couple of basses with TI flats that are years old, something that I'd never be able to do with Roto flats. When fresh enough though, the Rotos sound great on any classic rock-era stuff.

I actually put a RS77LD set on my fretless Tony Franklin P while I was learning Jaco's Teen Town (it was during the pandemic, there were no gigs and I was bored), and learning to play that tune at the original 128 BPM with those strings earned me some new and welcome right-hand finger strength that I've managed to maintain ever since. Not that it was always fun while doing so...

 

[trothwell]

I went to see what the next set of gauges down from these were .... and found its the lightest set!

Someone here suggested to me that perhaps I could build a custom set. For example, I think Rotosound does sell a B-C 6-string set, and maybe the A-C strings of the 6-string set might make a more comfortable E-G set. Haven't tried it yet though.

 

[Deleted member 271037]

They're available as singles 30-35-40-45-etc.

Whether it's worth the effort of finding a store that actually have the singles you need in stock is a different matter of course. Strings Direct in the UK is the only store I've found a nice selection of Roto 77 singles ever.

 

[trothwell]

They're available as singles 30-35-40-45-etc.

Whether it's worth the effort of finding a store that actually have the singles you need in stock is a different matter of course. Strings Direct in the UK is the only store I've found a nice selection of Roto 77 singles ever.

But for some reason they skip 55! :-( At least I haven't seen it available. I _think_ I would be happy with a 35-55-75-95 set.

At least theoretically. I no longer have the bass I would have used these on, and am not looking to get a set right at the moment.

 

[Vinny_G]

The total published tension is about the same, but despite being thinner gauges, its been immediately clear that monel's reputation for being particularly stiff as well as high tension is .... well deserved. There is no way I'm ever going to try the RS77LD 45–105!

Steve Harris uses 50-110.

 

[BrentSimons]

Curiosity led me to try a set of the 40–100 Roto 77 monel flats on my Squier Matt Freeman, which has a Dimarzio Model P pickup, and usually has a 50–65–85–110 set of Pro Steels.

The total published tension is about the same, but despite being thinner gauges, its been immediately clear that monel's reputation for being particularly stiff as well as high tension is .... well deserved. There is no way I'm ever going to try the RS77LD 45–105!

In demos the 45–105 set usually has a little bite. There are very few videos of this 40–100 on YouTube, and those there are suggest quite a soft-edged character relative to the heavier sets. I'm finding that to be the case. The sound is warm and round. All four strings have an immediate attack — much quicker than the DTFs I recently tried — and there isn't anywhere near so much of the woodiness that they and Chromes have.

So, if you want a very smooth line, these are excellent; if you want to play with a lot of variation in your articulation, you'll need stronger fingers than me (which, to be fair, isn't saying much)

If I had a Stingray or Kiloton, I would be interested to see what that pickup position would do to the sound. But I don't. Sometime soon I'll have a LB-100 arriving, and I'll pop them on that at some point, to see what the differences are when they're combined with an alnico pickup.

If I had a lot of basses in order to give myself a lot of variety of sounds and styles, I would keep a set of these on one, but I'm only ever going to have a couple of basses at a time, and so think this will remain a happy experiment but no more.

PS — forgot to say two things. Firstly, I'm impressed by the consistency of tone and feel across the four strings. Secondly, they do sound really good with some fuzz!

Hi there,
I tried the 40-100 gauge eons ago! I had them on my fretless (a la Sting ) but was looking for a little more mwah! so I put on a set of regular Rotosound Swing Bass 45-105s on it. Mwah city! I really liked the feel and tone of the 77's but I know what you mean about the tension! I would never be able to deal with the increase on the 45-105's!
I would like to try them out again at some point but I'm really a roundwound guy and at $35+ dollars a set for the 77's I would really need to be in the mood!
Although I've been thinking my AVRi 62 Jazz might sound neat with them on?

Best wishes,
Brent

 

[Jason Hollar]

Longtime Roto 77 user here.

I find the 45-105 is the perfect string on my P bass for blues, classic rock, motown, & straight ahead jazz.

However, I find the 40-100 set to be a much better choice when I’m playing chords & extended solos - as I do quite a few jazz trio gigs with just sax & drums.

Question for the OP and current 77 users … I thought I saw an email a few months ago that said Rotosound was revamping their equipment for more consistency?

Are you finding the 77 sets are consistent in their feel and smoothness? I’m at that point where I’m about to buy 2 or 3 sets, then re-sort them all as some come out super smooth and others a bit more rough in the winding (almost like a half / ground wound). I’m not really THAT OCD, but I do prefer a “matched” set.

Thanks

 

[Ricky Rioli]

By consistency, I only meant that the 4 strings of the SM77 all have a pretty similar basic character, despite the different pitches. For me, this is definitely a big plus.

The La Bella 760FM I tried recently seemed the opposite - doing an octave jump from the E string to the G string produced two very different tones. If I'm going to try those again sometime, it's going to have to be with an expectation that I'll be playing in a less bouncing back-and-forth across the fretboard, and more using the different characters deliberately, using them to help create contrast.

So, if you too like bouncing back and forth across the fretboard, the SM77 are good for that

This is a demo of the 45-105 Roto set, but it nicely illustrates my point about the evenness of tone across the 4 strings.

 

[Phaidrus]

By consistency, I only meant that the 4 strings of the SM77 all have a pretty similar basic character, despite the different pitches. For me, this is definitely a big plus.

The La Bella 760FM I tried recently seemed the opposite - doing an octave jump from the E string to the G string produced two very different tones. If I'm going to try those again sometime, it's going to have to be with an expectation that I'll be playing in a less bouncing back-and-forth across the fretboard, and more using the different characters deliberately, using them to help create contrast.

So, if you too like bouncing back and forth across the fretboard, the SM77 are good for that

This is a demo of the 45-105 Roto set, but it nicely illustrates my point about the evenness of tone across the 4 strings.

How do the Roto compare with the LaBella? Are they much brighter?

 

[Ricky Rioli]

How do the Roto compare with the LaBella? Are they much brighter?

Same bassist, same bass

 

[poochiecheeks]

The Rotosound 105-45 set is perfect for D standard tuning I've found, very consistent between strings

 

[Phaidrus]

Same bassist, same bass

They are much brighter indeed.

On a side note, I'm still looking for the perfect set of flats for my Pbass currently strung with LaBella 760FS. I like the E and A but not so much the D and G strings, which sound considerably thinner and metallic. Perhaps they are still too new and will even out eventually. So looking for a thicker sounding set across all strings. Perhaps the DR Legend I had on some time ago were better in that respect.

 

[michael_t]

I'm still looking for the perfect set of flats for my Pbass currently strung with LaBella 760FS. I like the E and A but not so much the D and G strings, which sound considerably thinner and metallic. Perhaps they are still too new and will even out eventually. So looking for a thicker sounding set across all strings. Perhaps the DR Legend I had on some time ago were better in that respect.

Have you ever tried the GHS Precision Flats? I would consider them warmer and "woodier" than the La Bella DTF with less of the metallic edge.

 

[Phaidrus]

Have you ever tried the GHS Precision Flats? I would consider them warmer and "woodier" than the La Bella DTF with less of the metallic edge.

I haven't but they've been on my list for a while. Their extra long length (for a Pbass) is probably what has prevented me so far from trying them although I've read in quite a few posts on TB that they work perfectly fine.

 

[Ricky Rioli]

haven't but they've been on my list for a while.

Here's them on a naturally bright bass

 

[Phaidrus]

Here's them on a naturally bright bass

They sound good, woody and natural. Yet I'm quite reluctant to remove the new-ish LaBella from the Pbass. It's just the D and G that sound not right. Now in Reggae/Dub (for which this Pbass is primarily intended) the G string plays no role whatsoever and the D is only occasionally hit, so perhaps I should just be a bit more patient the with aging process.

 

[Deleted member 271037]

I just want to comment on the tension/stiffness of Roto flats:

I used to think the UM77 set (40-100) was the right Roto 77 set for me. I simply couldn't handle the stiffness of the RS77 set (45-105). They made my hands hurt after a couple of songs.

The problem was, I always thought the RS77 set had slightly better TONE. So I gave them another chance and experimented a bit with the setup. It turned out I could set the action considerably lower with the RS77s without getting any buzzing. I ended up with the action quite a bit lower than I normally set up my basses (which is typically a hair lower than Fender spec, if the bass/strings can handle it). In fact, I don't think I've ever been able to get a bass 100% buzz free with such low action with any other strings!

Just to be clear: When I say "considerably lower" I mean something like 0.3 - 0.4 mm at the 12th fret, which may not seem like much but it can make a HUGE difference!

Also, when I speak of lowering the action I don't just mean lowering the saddles but also filing the nut slots and adjusting the relief (where I also got away with less than "normal" with the RS77 set). Simply lowering the saddles will rarely give a great result if you want the lowest possible action.

This made a world of difference. When set up properly the RS77 are no longer uncomfortable and I can easily play them all night. The problem is that most basses aren't set up this low because most other strings can't handle it without buzzing like crazy. Even just a fraction of a millimetre at the 12th fret can make a LOT of difference!