Rotosounds change over the years?

[TheArchitect]

I remember back in the day, nothing sounded like Rotosounds but they also tore the hell out of my hands. They really don't now and have not for some time. Was there a change or are my crusty, gnarly old hands just to calloused and leathery now to be impacted?

 

[Arthur U. Poon]

I personally feel their surface texture has definitely gotten smoother, compared to the Rotosound Swing Bass 66’s that I used in the late 70’s. Also, the outer surface of those late 70’s SB66’s were a dull gray. The outer surface on today’s SB66’s is shiny.

 

[Arthur U. Poon]

I remember back in the day, nothing sounded like Rotosounds but they also tore the hell out of my hands. They really don't now and have not for some time. Was there a change or are my crusty, gnarly old hands just to calloused and leathery now to be impacted?

I’d like to know how you feel about their tone?

I think they’re not quite as bright as I remembered, but I’ll be 60 next year, it could be my hearing.

But I am certainly liking their sound and feel. I currently have a set of them on my P-Bass and on my Spector NS4CRFM.

 

[TheArchitect]

I personally feel their surface texture has definitely gotten smoother, compared to the Rotosound Swing Bass 66’s that I used in the late 70’s. Also, the outer surface of those late 70’s SB66’s were a dull gray. The outer surface on today’s SB66’s is shiny.

Exactly! I had a set of Roto's in the 90's that were dull grey. They were hard on the hand but they sounded killer and were different than what I get today. That must have been the end of that because I have never seen another set like that again

 

[TheArchitect]

I’d like to know how you feel about their tone?

I think they’re not quite as bright as I remembered, but I’ll be 60 next year, it could be my hearing.

But I am certainly liking their sound and feel. I currently have a set of them on my P-Bass and on my Spector NS4CRFM.

That dull grey set I had back in the 90's sounded quite different than the Fender/D'Addario/GHS sets I had bought to test and compare. Those sets were shiny, and quite unremarkable. I put the Roto's on and I thought there was something wrong with them from the dull grey appearance. They sounded darker and were a lot less bright than the others but had tremendous growl but boy did they sound great and recorded even better. I have never found another set like them from Rotosound. I contacted them and they claim they have not changed anything. I know that cannot be true.

Modern day stainless Roto's are good but they a lot more like everyone else's strings. Plenty bright and unremarkable

 

[Arthur U. Poon]

That dull grey set I had back in the 90's sounded quite different……I put the Roto's on and I thought there was something wrong with them from the dull grey appearance. They sounded darker and were a lot less bright than the others but boy did they sound great and recorded even better. I have never found another set like them from Rotosound. I contacted them and they claim they have not changed anything. I know that cannot be true.

I agree 100%! They DO sound more similar to the other roundwound strings on the market! The old version had quite a different sound. Especially when they were fresh out of the package. More of that “Piano String” effect.

And I’ve also heard that the folks at Rotosound say they haven’t changed, but I disagree. I even remember way, way back the local bass players that I looked up to complained about how abrasive the dull gray version were on fingers and frets. And they used to call Rotosounds “Unfinished Roundwounds”.

I still hear more midrange detail from the current Rotosounds that I don’t hear in D’Addario XLs or Ernie Ball Slinkys.

I feel the current version of the SB66’s really don’t sound drastically different than the GHS Bass Boomers that I’ve sworn by for the last decade or so. Bass Boomers also have a midrange quality, but it’s more centered in the low mids, whereas the SB66’s have slightly more high mids and top end. Their low end sounds very similar to Bass Boomers, IMHO.

So what you’re hearing from the current SB66’s is very much the same things that I’m hearing. And for me, I guess their similarities to GHS Bass Boomers in the midrange is why I’m liking them.

I definitely remember those dull gray SB66’s, -fresh out of the package, had more top end. They almost sounded “Springy”. And that top end went away rather quickly. Like within the first few days. But for me, their broken in sound was still very good.


The broken in sound of the current SB66’s are quite good too, IMO.

Take Care!!!

 

[Wood and Wire]

I put the Roto's on and I thought there was something wrong with them from the dull grey appearance. They sounded darker and were a lot less bright than the others but had tremendous growl but boy did they sound great and recorded even better. I have never found another set like them from Rotosound. I contacted them and they claim they have not changed anything. I know that cannot be true.

Yeah, I remember that (I never throw old strings out, so I still have some sets of those around).

There was one thing that Rotosound did change, and that was back in the 90's the strings used to come in envelopes, in a cardboard box.

Apparently there were quite a few complaints of dead sounding strings coming fresh out of the packet (only happened to me once, with a dull / dead A string, which was replaced free of charge).

The dull grey appearance may well have been oxidization, which is why Rotosound switched to packaging their strings in hermetically sealed foil pouches.

I think they’re not quite as bright as I remembered, but I’ll be 60 next year, it could be my hearing.

Yeah, the last few times I've put new one on, I've thought they sounded less zingy than I remember - then had to remind myself that my reference recording was done when I used to play with a hard delrin pick, right up by the bridge - and that my ears hadn't been subjected to 30 years of gigging.

 

[Arthur U. Poon]

Yeah, I remember that (I never throw old strings out, so I still have some sets of those around).

There was one thing that Rotosound did change, and that was back in the 90's the strings used to come in envelopes, in a cardboard box.

Apparently there were quite a few complaints of dead sounding strings coming fresh out of the packet (only happened to me once, with a dull / dead A string, which was replaced free of charge).

The dull grey appearance may well have been oxidization, which is why Rotosound switched to packaging their strings in hermetically sealed foil pouches.





Yeah, the last few times I've put new one on, I've thought they sounded less zingy than I remember - then had to remind myself that my reference recording was done when I used to play with a hard delrin pick, right up by the bridge - and that my ears hadn't been subjected to 30 years of gigging.

Here’s a picture of the packaging that I remember from the late 70’s:

 

[Phaidrus]

I've been late to the party, my first Roto set ever is the RB45, on a Pbass since last June. Nice and smooth feel, low tension and quite flexible. Tonewise, tight lows, upfront mids and chimey highs. I like them a lot, especially paired with the Fender Original Pbass pickup. Funk for days!

 

[BassDaddy77]

I thought I was crazy when I first tried Roto 66's a few years back. I had read how "abrasive and coarse" they were. I thought they were super smooth for rounds, but never really thought to ask anyone else if they felt similarly. This thread makes me feel like I haven't totally lost it!

 

[kevmac]

I agree 100%! They DO sound more similar to the other roundwound strings on the market! The old version had quite a different sound. Especially when they were fresh out of the package. More of that “Piano String” effect.

And I’ve also heard that the folks at Rotosound say they haven’t changed, but I disagree. I even remember way, way back the local bass players that I looked up to complained about how abrasive the dull gray version were on fingers and frets. And they used to call Rotosounds “Unfinished Roundwounds”.

I still hear more midrange detail from the current Rotosounds that I don’t hear in D’Addario XLs or Ernie Ball Slinkys.

I feel the current version of the SB66’s really don’t sound drastically different than the GHS Bass Boomers that I’ve sworn by for the last decade or so. Bass Boomers also have a midrange quality, but it’s more centered in the low mids, whereas the SB66’s have slightly more high mids and top end. Their low end sounds very similar to Bass Boomers, IMHO.

So what you’re hearing from the current SB66’s is very much the same things that I’m hearing. And for me, I guess their similarities to GHS Bass Boomers in the midrange is why I’m liking them.

I definitely remember those dull gray SB66’s, -fresh out of the package, had more top end. They almost sounded “Springy”. And that top end went away rather quickly. Like within the first few days. But for me, their broken in sound was still very good.


The broken in sound of the current SB66’s are quite good too, IMO.

Take Care!!!

What he said.

 

[Zos Kia Cultus]

You are absolutely correct. I've used RS swing bass strings for 15 plus years, and they used to be rough as hell for the first couple of hours I played on them. I had some gnarly callous built up back then. Nowadays, I don't notice a difference in feel between these and coated strings, and I have far less callous now than I did then.

 

[TheArchitect]

I thought I was crazy when I first tried Roto 66's a few years back. I had read how "abrasive and coarse" they were. I thought they were super smooth for rounds, but never really thought to ask anyone else if they felt similarly. This thread makes me feel like I haven't totally lost it!

It was totally true! I bought 4 sets of strings to try out on that bass. Fender, D'Addario Reds, GHS and the Rotosounds. The Fenders and GHS were OK. I remember really not liking the Reds. They did not last more than a day or two. The Rotos were last. They looked and felt very different. They were brutal on the fingers and had a completely different sound that I loved. Not real bright in the top like the others but they punched and growled in the mids in a way that recorded so well I remember thinking, I get why these are so popular. They were almost like flats in a sense (They were not flats. Yes, I'm sure). If I could ever figure out what those were and if they could be had today I would be all over that. They were the best strings I have ever played

 

[mikewalker]

I played rs66 from mid 70s thru 80s, and sets I tried in the last couple of years seemed ROUGHER, more like hacksaw blades than bass strings...

 

[TheArchitect]

You are absolutely correct. I've used RS swing bass strings for 15 plus years, and they used to be rough as hell for the first couple of hours I played on them. I had some gnarly callous built up back then. Nowadays, I don't notice a difference in feel between these and coated strings, and I have far less callous now than I did then.

I keep looking for some variation of Roto's I have overlooked that may be what i had but I have never seen anything. I just remember them being regular swing bass strings. The only thing I can think of is I had a gauge heavier. That would not explain the color difference or the roughness though

 

[micguy]

There are two levels of manufacturing when it comes to string making - the folks with names that we know that wind the strings that we buy, and their suppliers - the folks that make the wires that get wound into strings.

My bet is that Roto hasn't changed their winding recipe, but their wire supplier has changed the wire that they supply to Roto. Even if Roto didn't ask for smoother wire, other winders may have, and Roto's incoming wire got changed along with everyone else's.

It's also possible that the wire now comes from a different supplier than it used to. If Roto asks for a certain type of wire, but their spec doesn't specify surface finish, they can say "we make them the same way we always did", and they're not really fibbing, but...the product can still change.

 

[TheArchitect]

I am wondering if what I had back then was one of these, and not the swing bass. The Blue Rotobass and the Vintage swing seem familiar to me

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B001CL4XC2/ref=ox_sc_act_image_3?smid=AP3VA1GJZM3EQ&psc=1

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B00240BI14/ref=ox_sc_act_image_2?smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&psc=1

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B00134WWIA/ref=ox_sc_act_image_1?smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&psc=1

 

[dbsfgyd1]

Yeah, I remember that (I never throw old strings out, so I still have some sets of those around).

There was one thing that Rotosound did change, and that was back in the 90's the strings used to come in envelopes, in a cardboard box.

Apparently there were quite a few complaints of dead sounding strings coming fresh out of the packet (only happened to me once, with a dull / dead A string, which was replaced free of charge).

The dull grey appearance may well have been oxidization, which is why Rotosound switched to packaging their strings in hermetically sealed foil pouches.





Yeah, the last few times I've put new one on, I've thought they sounded less zingy than I remember - then had to remind myself that my reference recording was done when I used to play with a hard delrin pick, right up by the bridge - and that my ears hadn't been subjected to 30 years of gigging.

‘Interesting point about the packaging. Could be that darker color be nothing more than oxidation? I remember back in the day I use to get grey fingertips playing them. I also remember them being rather grippy.

I will say this, for the first 20 minutes of playing time, they are the best sounding strings on the planet.

 

[jeffb28451]

I’d been playing Roto 66/Swings for dogs years. Stopped playing bass for a few years around 1991. Kept some gear, but not as involved as I had been until maybe 2015.

Started up again around 2015 and went back to my old standbys and, of course, didn’t notice anything, but was clearly delusional thinking that the reason my fingers weren’t numb after 2-4 hours was because my technique was so much better. Then I bought some Warwick Reds for $5.00 just to keep in the case for backup. When I broke them out, they were rough and gnarly: then I remembered this was what my old Rotos used to feel like. Obviously different from then current Rotos.

I still use Roto 66s, and their tone lasts a lot longer than that that glorious first hour or so that had made them so special. Now I still use them, but also Dr Low Rider and High Beams, even NYXL. Rotos have been homogenized/domesticated: my fingers don’t hurt or have that wonderful numb, tingly Rotosound “ burn” after a gig or hard practice. Hell, I’d even use them on a Ric without worrying about the inevitable fret job, but they sure don’t sound like John Entwhistle would play them. ( I’d never say that I no longer sound like him: I wanted to, but never did!).

Just one more thing for an old guy to bitch about: they sure don’t make them like they used to. (even with my hearing aids in).

 

[ahbradot]

These RotoSound 66 long scale-custom gauge RS66LF swing bass, 45/65/85/105. Go on each bass.