Rotosound Ultramag

[michael_t]

Here they are...

Ultramag 40-60-80-100 replacing GHS Pressurewound 40-54-76-96 on my Yamaha TRBX505. With the same GHS Progressive 130B (exposed core).

 

[trothwell]

Here they are...

Ultramag 40-60-80-100 replacing GHS Pressurewound 40-54-76-96 on my Yamaha TRBX505. With the same GHS Progressive 130B (exposed core).

Besides the fact that discarding a GHS Progressive string today would be like throwing away a precious historical artifact, why did you opt against getting the Ultramag 130B?

 

[michael_t]

Besides the fact that discarding a GHS Progressive string today would be like throwing away a precious historical artifact, why did you opt against getting the Ultramag 130B?

This particular bass of mine has benefited from tapered/exposed-core low B's for clarity, definition and sustain. Rotosound Ultramag 130 is non-tapered.

 

[Ricky Rioli]

G 040 - 39.50
D 060 - 38.68
A 080 - 43.80
E 100 - 33.40

G 045 - 48.27
D 065 - 51.30
A 085 - 47.06
E 105 - 38.60

That D 060 figure seems strangely low in comparison with the D 65. But given the recently-revived thread about the differences between advertised gauges and actual gauges, maybe 40-60-80-100 and 45-65-85-105 are just easy-to-understand names for a couple of sets that, to sound and feel good, aren't mathematically that tidy

Anyway, I'm pleased for you that you aren't having to deal with your bête noir of a tight D string

 

[michael_t]

Anyway, I'm pleased for you that you aren't having to deal with your bête noir of a tight D string

Just a little comparison in numbers...

Roto Ultramag 40-100:

G 040 - 39.50 lbs.
D 060 - 38.68
A 080 - 43.80
E 100 - 33.40 (155.38)

B 130 - 31.5 (GHS Progressive)

GHS Pressurewound 40-96:

G 040 - 37.2 lbs.
D 054 - 36.5
A 076 - 39.3
E 096 - 34.2 (147.2)

GHS Progressive L8000 40-100 (old version):

G 040 - 33.2 lbs.
D 060 - 41.8
A 080 - 41.0
E 100 - 37.3 (153.3)

 

[NKBassman]

Here they are...

Ultramag 40-60-80-100 replacing GHS Pressurewound 40-54-76-96 on my Yamaha TRBX505. With the same GHS Progressive 130B (exposed core).

View attachment 5062851

Any initial thoughts on the Ultramags? I just picked up a set that I ordered through L&M and I'm anxiously wringing my hands over which bass to put them on.

 

[michael_t]

Any initial thoughts on the Ultramags? I just picked up a set that I ordered through L&M and I'm anxiously wringing my hands over which bass to put them on.

Initial impressions based on some casual noodling are quite positive. After a big disappointment with the Roto Solo Bass 55, I tried not to set my expectations too high, but these are turning out to be a pleasant surprise. Comfortable tension/stiffness with a smoother and slicker surface feel than the SB55. Must be the difference between Alloy 52 (UM) and stainless steel (SB55). And they do match very well tonally with the Progressive 130B.

I won't be able to test them out in a live band setting for another couple of weeks, but that should give me plenty of time to break them in real good.

 

[michael_t]

Going from PW 40-96 to UM 40-100, the setup was a breeze. No truss rod tweak needed, and only a slight intonation adjustment on the E string. That's it!

 

[NKBassman]

Initial impressions based on some casual noodling are quite positive. After a big disappointment with the Roto Solo Bass 55, I tried not to set my expectations too high, but these are turning out to be a pleasant surprise. Comfortable tension/stiffness with a smoother and slicker surface feel than the SB55. Must be the difference between Alloy 52 (UM) and stainless steel (SB55). And they do match very well tonally with the Progressive 130B.

I won't be able to test them out in a live band setting for another couple of weeks, but that should give me plenty of time to break them in real good.

That's great to hear. I ordered a 45-105 set as is my typical preference. I think I'm going to put them on my Yamaha Attitude bass, as that bass is in the most dire need of a string change and a proper setup at the moment.

Sonically, I'm very curious as to how they compare to Alloy 52 GHS Pressurewounds, which I know you and I both have an affinity for.

 

[michael_t]

Sonically, I'm very curious as to how they compare to Allow 52 GHS Pressurewounds, which I know you and I both have an affinity for.

I'm also curious about how much of a difference the Alloy 52 roundwound would make compared to the Alloy 52 rollerwound. When I tried the GHS Progressives (Alloy 52 roundwound) back in 2019, they seemed to add some extra bite and clarity over the PWs, especially with the TRBX505 in the active mode.

I just put a battery back in this bass so I can explore the tonal versatility of these new strings, and I already like the way they're sounding in active better than in passive, while I always preferred the sound of the PWs on this bass in passive.

 

[Ricky Rioli]

Jason How talking about these when they were first released:

We now do the new Ultramag which is a very high-end, nickel-based string, so we’re hoping that this will attract some newer players.

It’s 52% nickel and 48% iron — not a new material, but we’ve never used it for bass strings before. Our other nickel strings are 8% nickel, so having 52% is a big change.

The main point is it’s a louder sound, and it’s slightly brighter – it’s a clearer sounding string.

We needed to have a product at that price point in the market, that was a real high-end product. Our Swing Bass range covers 99% of what we do and what players want, but there was nowhere to go above that in a higher-end more prestigious string, and we wanted something for that market

 

[maturanesa]

which is the difference with having strong magnets in the pup?

I use neo pickups why i would choose a super magnetic string? just asking

 

[michael_t]

which is the difference with having strong magnets in the pup?

I use neo pickups why i would choose a super magnetic string? just asking

Different types of metal used in strings interact differently with magnetic pickups. Stainless steel strings sound different from nickel-plated steel or pure nickel strings even on the same bass with the same pickup.

Alloy 52 (nickel-iron), due to its highly magnetic properties, has its own unique tonal character, which may or may not be the right thing for a particular bass depending on how you want it to sound. Based on my experience, Alloy 52 is not for every bass but it can be one of the viable options in the process of finding just the right tone for any given bass.

 

[maturanesa]

Different types of metal used in strings interact differently with magnetic pickups. Stainless steel strings sound different from nickel-plated steel or pure nickel strings even on the same bass with the same pickup.

Alloy 52 (nickel-iron), due to its highly magnetic properties, has its own unique tonal character, which may or may not be the right thing for a particular bass depending on how you want it to sound. Based on my experience, Alloy 52 is not for every bass but it can be one of the viable options in the process of finding just the right tone for any given bass.

Is magnetism a variable in tone? I have neo pickups that are super magnetic and when rounds get older they get dead and the amount of magnetic field and alloy is the same. I remember roto bass strings that were nickel iron and the had a little more output than a nickel steel plated, but the sound was not noticiable special. Maybe the best is to try them.

 

[michael_t]

Is magnetism a variable in tone? I have neo pickups that are super magnetic and when rounds get older they get dead and the amount of magnetic field and alloy is the same. I remember roto bass strings that were nickel iron and the had a little more output than a nickel steel plated, maybe more zingy because rotosound are rougher in general. But they sound totally different with Bartolinis that have weaker magnets

It's how magnetic pickups interact with materials used in strings. Some pickups are hotter and more aggressive while others are more laid back and polite. The same with strings. That's why some of us are constantly experimenting with strings (and even with pickups) to find the right match for the basses we play. The "bass tone" is a sum of a lot of variables in producing that tone, pickups and strings being only two of the many factors involved.

The Rotosound Ultramags, being discussed here, use the nickel-iron alloy (aka Alloy 52) for a higher output and a mid-forward character.

 

[sumeursault]

I tried a set on my Yamaha BBP 34. I quite like them actually, but I may have f***ed them up by coating them with lanolin before installing, lol. It's something I do with my go-to Roto Swing Bass strings to save me the hassle of having to suffer through all of the unmusical chimey-ness that I hate. However, with these strings, it made them VERY dead, especially the E-string which sounded like an ancient set of LaBella flats. So I took them off and boiled them. While it did bring some vitality back to the E-string in particular, I would still characterize them as on the extreme dark end of the spectrum, but not like other nickels which have not punch, no attack....no balls, IMO. So in short, they're kind of awesome if what you're looking for is a dark punchy sound, with a decent amount of thud at the attack.

 

[jglunt]

@michael_t just introduced me to this thread. I'm researching the Ultra Mags. I'm using a set of Nexus strings on a highly modified G&L LB-100 (P-bass) I have. (They're Ultra Mags with a coating.) I dropped one of G&L's MFD pickups into this bass, and the Nexus strings sound gigantic while still being very articulate--lots of punch and clarity. They are tonally superb on that bass, but the MFD pickup is a very different breed of cat, so I'm interested in reading how the Ultra Mags sound on a bass with alnico pickups. One issue I have is finger noise with the Nexus strings, which is greater than finger noise with nickel roundwounds. However, it's not so bad that it's noticeable in a band mix. Any finger noise issues with the Ultra Mags? A couple advantages to the Ultra Mags over the Nexus strings is that the Ultra Mags are offered in a 5-string set, whereas the Nexus are not, and the Ultra Mags are about $10-per-set less expensive than the Nexus. BTW, I've had a set of Pressurewounds--the Alloy 52 rollerwound strings--on a G&L SB-2 bass (same MFD pickups) and after 6 months I still can't decide if I like them. They definitely don't sound as good as the Nexus strings, IMO.

 

[jglunt]

An update on the Ultramags and the Nexus. (Nexii?? What is the plural of Nexus anyway? ) I messaged customer support at Rotosound asking two questions: (1) Was there any difference between Ultramags and Nexus besides the coating, and (2) Why wasn't there a 5-string set offered in the Nexus strings when it was in the Ultramag? I got a nice reply from Jack at Rotosound saying that the only manufacturing difference was the polymer coating, but because of the coating, the Nexus strings were slightly warmer sounding. The tonal chart on their website bears this out. As for the lack of a Nexus 5-string set, he said he didn't know about that, but that he'd bring it up to the marketing team and see if they could begin to offer 5-string Nexus sets. A while back I bought a single .130 Nexus string through Sweetwater, who charged me not only for the string but for the shipping that Rotosound charged them. In the end, that single string cost me as much as the cost of the 4-string set, doubling my expense. I asked Rotosound Jack to consider at least offering the single Nexus B-string on their store on Amazon.

I haven't been able to find any dealer who carries that single Nexus B-string, which they offer only as a .130. I learned my lesson about special ordering it. Many string manufacturers these days sell directly to the public, but apparently not Rotosound. They do show that single string on their website, and they show the little "cart" icon at the top right of the page, but I haven't found any way to put anything into the cart, and no prices seem to be shown.

 

[michael_t]

I haven't been able to find any dealer who carries that single Nexus B-string, which they offer only as a .130...

There are two people I normally deal with for ordering singles and custom sets - Jason at Fret Nation ([email protected]) and Matt at Strings By Mail ([email protected]). Maybe you can get in touch with either of them and ask if the single Nexus 130B can be ordered and what the cost would be. Just because they don't list that specific item on their websites doesn't mean it can't be special-ordered.

 

[HaphAsSard]

(Nexii?? What is the plural of Nexus anyway? )

Neither "nexii" (it may have been had the the singular been "nexius"), nor for that matter "nexi":
unlike "cactus", which is originally a Latin -o- stem 2nd declension masculine noun (the plural of which noun class ended in long -ī, as in "cactī", as reflected in English), Lat. "nexus" is the masculine 4th declension (-u- stem) "supine", or verbal noun, of "nectere" = "to bind", meaning "the binding/bond/connection"; 4th declension nouns had plurals in -ūs (in other words, the only difference with the singular was the long "u").
However, usage of Latinate plural "nexus" in English is rare outside philosophy books: "nexuses" or "nexusses" are more common.