ROTOSOUND swing bass strings

[Auer]

Love SB66's in Nickel.
But I just switched some out for Markbass Groove Nickels and they behave pretty close.

 

[Williethump]

I didn’t even finish putting the Rotosound 66s on one of my basses before I threw them in the garbage. I believe I only made it to the A string.

Felt absolutely dreadful. It’s what I imagine bass strings in the Soviet Union would have been like.

I tried them but they were mondo bright and clangy with my bad fingering and muting, took them off, put on Chromes.

 

[Chickenwheels]

The long-discontinued Dean Markley Super Rounds graced my bass for a long time, after I swore off the Rotos. I liked the "hound dog on the porch" packaging too lol. The Dean Markleys were seriously good strings for that sound.

Yep. These were the Marcus Miller and Will Lee string back in the day. What a tone!

 

[mapleglo]

 

[g-dude]

I tried them but they were mondo bright and clangy with my bad fingering and muting, took them off, put on Chromes.

They are is if you multiplied TI Jazz Rounds by -1.

 

[Auer]

I didn’t even finish putting the Rotosound 66s on one of my basses before I threw them in the garbage. I believe I only made it to the A string.

Felt absolutely dreadful. It’s what I imagine bass strings in the Soviet Union would have been like.

Yeah, people are different.

I find them supple and melodic, easy to play.

They dont bother my fingers at all.

 

[Aussie Player]

For long scale basses:
I put Fender Nickles on Fender basses and SIT Nickles on everything else.
These 2 strings seem to bring out the best on my basses.
By coincidence, they are also the least expensive which was never a consideration for me.

 

[Auer]

For long scale basses:
I put Fender Nickles on Fender basses and SIT Nickles on everything else.
These 2 strings seem to bring out the best on my basses.
By coincidence, they are also the least expensive which was never a consideration for me.

Nice

What do you think of the strings mentioned in the thread title?

 

[g-dude]

Yeah, people are different.

I find them supple and melodic, easy to play.

They dont bother my fingers at all.

It was like a metallic version of those microfiber towels for me!

 

[Killing Floor]

I lived on Roto 66 for years. I found something I like better but no denying the legacy those strings have made in rock. I love they way they sound and only switched to find a different feel. But there is no best. Just preference.

 

[Chris cook]

The only strings on that list that I actually like are the Rotos, but "BEST"? More like YOUR favourites. Their rather ideosyncratic tone makes them more or less useless for many styles of music.

Still, Roto 66s would definitely be near the top of my list too but MY personal favourites would also have to include LaBella DTFs, Thomastik Jazz Flats, Optima Chromes, Pyramid Golds, Pyramid Pure Nickels and Thomastik Infeld Superalloys. Not necessarily in that order. It depends on the song and what kind of tone I'm aiming for. The choice of bass would matter a LOT too.

Ernie Ball would probably be at the bottom of my list.

GHS can a bit hit-or-miss for me. I like some of their stings but Boomers go dead WAY to fast for me, and not in a nice way like many other strings do.

D'Addario make good quality strings but their "clanky", rather harsh upper mids (even with their flats!) has never really worked for me.

There is no "best". It all depends on personal taste and what kind of tone you're aiming for.

I agree %
String choice for Bass is most definitely subjective
I was just sayin ,
For me, Rotosounds & GHS are the best
Dunlops are starting to grow on me though
again, I agree with you
You definitely know Bass strings. !!
Have a good one

 

[Chris cook]

It was like a metallic version of those microfiber towels for me!

that's a good way to describe them. :?)

 

[Pdaddy1978]

Rotos saved my bacon back when I was fightin the mudbucker wars.
Rotos+MXR 5 band eq was a sidewinder's best friend.
Never bothered my frets, or my fingers.

 

[GIBrat51]

I've used , Ernie Ball , D'addario , Fender , Dean Markley , GHS , DR , Dunlop , Elixir , etc. etc. etc.
I'll try any Bass strings , and have.
I know great BASS strings
The BEST
are
#1 - ROTOSOUND Swing bass lights
#2 - GHS Boomers xlght (round wound)
#3 - Dunlop light -xlights (round wound)
#4- Ernie Ball super slinky ( round wound)
#5 - D'addario xtralight - (round wound)
If you've never tried or heard the top 2
Go for it

Yeah, well... they say that difference of opinion makes for horse racing, so... you do you, and I'll keep on doin' me. I learned to play bass in 1968; so, yes; I've played lots of different strings, too. Yes, I've heard of all those strings; played some of them, too. But, let's just say that round wounds - any round wounds - very seldom show up on any of my basses. And, even fewer of them ever make more than a cameo appearance... So;
1. GHS Bass Boomers - the hex core, 50-107 shorties and the 45-105 long scales. The short scales were on my headless, aluminum-necked Kramer Duke for years; the long scales were on one of my Gibson Thunderbirds for quite a while, too. But, nice as they were? Replaced by flatwounds. DR Legends on the Duke (feel smooth like flats; sound like the Boomers). The T-bird wears Dogal R44 Flats now; doesn't sound a lot like a 'Bird is "supposed" to sound - those Boomers did, for sure - but... I like it.
2. EB Slinkys - not those, though. Mostly the Regular and Hybrid Slinkys. They work well, until I decide what strings a new bass will wear permanently. So, they tend not to stay around too long...
3. D'Addarios - any D'Addarios. Never use them. They're finish-polished with something that makes my hands itch like crazy. They require lots of scrubbing with chemicals you don't want to be around, to get them clean enough that I can play them; and the results have never been worth the effort. Their phosphor-bronze mandolin strings were kinda nice, though...
4. Rotosound. Their flats? Love those things. Their tape wounds? Love those things. But, their rounds? Get those #**!@# things within 10 yards of my bass, and I'll hurt you. They sound like everything I don't want to hear from a bass; they feel like a wood rasp (yes, I've played them - the 66's); and they not only ate the frets off of one of my Rickenbackers, but they destroyed the frets on my '78 Fender P-Bass, too...
5. Dunlop. Never tried Dunlops; rounds or flats. I doubt I'll ever spend the $$ to try the rounds; from what I read on TB, hey have nothing to make me want to bother with them. Their flats? I'm not going to pull strings off anything to try them, but... my Serek Sacramento Bass ,will have those on it when it's finished next Spring, so; we'll see how I like them then...
Currently, only one of my basses wears rounds - and they're not on your list. My Gretsch wears the "short scale" TI JR324 Jazz Rounds. They're very smooth; they sound great; and, best of all? They make that big orange thing sound like a real bass. But, if the TI Jazz Flats worked better (hint; they didn't), they'd be on it, instead...
So... if you like those strings on that list? More power to you. After... gee; 55 years of playing bass, now... I'm pretty sure I know what works for me - and what doesn't. And, most of the strings on your list? They don't...

 

[lermgalieu]

I’ll never understand the comments about Rotos having a rough feel or destroying frets. I’ve had them on dozens of (heavily played) basses through the years, and think they feel great, never had a fret wear issue. Toughen up fellers, you’re bassists, not guitarists!

 

[trothwell]

I’ll never understand the comments about Rotos having a rough feel or destroying frets. I’ve had them on dozens of (heavily played) basses through the years, and think they feel great, never had a fret wear issue. Toughen up fellers, you’re bassists, not guitarists!

I've used them a lot, and was just putting on a fresh set earlier today. I examined the frets. I can see visual marks on some frets, but I can feel barely any damage or wear on the frets, if at all. Rotosounds are definitely not eating my frets.

 

[mapleglo]

I think Rotosounds got the "fret eating" reputation back in the old days when Rickenbacker was using fret material that seemed to be made of soft plastic. I had Rotosounds on a Ric back in those days and after a week, there were visible and noticeable divots in the lower frets. I had to take them off and swap with ground wounds.

These days, I use them on Rics without a problem.

 

[GIBrat51]

I’ll never understand the comments about Rotos having a rough feel or destroying frets. I’ve had them on dozens of (heavily played) basses through the years, and think they feel great, never had a fret wear issue. Toughen up fellers, you’re bassists, not guitarists!

Yeah, well... tell it to my P-Bass - and my Rick. Especially tell it to my wallet; having a Rick re-fretted - the correct way - is... pricey. The P-Bass wasn't exactly cheap, either.... I know the Roto's ate those frets; both previous owners bragged a lot, about how they "never used any other strings"... Once bitten, twice shy; twice bitten? No way in Hell, Jack...

 

[GTHintz]

Ive gone back to roto 66 after years of trying others. I think they are a good string and much better than many I've tried. There's a reason why they are still very popular and have many loyal users. They are a small family company and I get why these artists have been with them so long. I do agree with the words of caution on using them on your vintage basses especially if the frets are worn down already. But i also say that most strings will dig at frets and set up is really the key to minimizing the damage. The strings i really like best include Dean Markley Blue steel, dunlop stainless steel, Ken Smith Rockmasters, Fodera Stainless steels, Roto 66, and DR Lo Riders. I pretty much would recommend any of those. Depending on the bass and my amp setup Ive had great sounds with them all. Ive tried many more with mixed results but on the right bass finding the right string is the most satisfying thing.

 

[BrentSimons]

I lived on Roto 66 for years. I found something I like better but no denying the legacy those strings have made in rock. I love they way they sound and only switched to find a different feel. But there is no best. Just preference.

Hi there,
I'm curious what string you switched to?

Thank you in advance,
Brent