Roughest feeling Nickel Roundwounds?

[Salem6127]

Love the grippy, rough feel of steels (I'm weird, I know). But am very fond of the warmth of nickel.

For reference, I find all the DR nickels (sunbeams, lorider, pure blues) way too smooth for my taste. XLs are kinda my go to at the moment, but looking for roundwounds with a little more grit.

Wouldn't be open to warm sounding steels, been there done that. Gotta go nickel.

 

[Lee Moses]

Rotosound Swing Nickels are definitely more gritty than DRs. Might be what you're looking for.

 

[Morrighan]

Roto Swing Bass 66 Nickel is a good bet.

 

[JumboJett35]

These sound great when new but they're definitely gritty rough feeling on the fingers until broken in. They also have chewed my frets more than any other strings. Not something I worry about but others may feel differently.

 

[Salem6127]

The nickel 66 swingbasses are certainly looking good. Believe it or not, I've never tried any rotosound bass strings in my 14yrs of playing

What always stopped me from trying them all this time was their short horrible death I've read so much about on here. Do the nickels also have that problem, or is it mainly a thing with the infamous steel 66s?

My body chemistry tends to kill Ernie balls very fast, but XLs last me a couple months.

 

[JumboJett35]

The nickel 66 swingbasses are certainly looking good. Believe it or not, I've never tried any rotosound bass strings in my 14yrs of playing

What always stopped me from trying them all this time was their short horrible death I've read so much about on here. Do the nickels also have that problem, or is it mainly a thing with the infamous steel 66s?

My body chemistry tends to kill Ernie balls very fast, but XLs last me a couple months.

I prefer warmer more worn in strings and have many basses I rotate between but for a six month period I exclusively played that bass with the Roto 66 Nickels. It took about a year and half for me to officially call them "dead." Granted I was new to Bass and didn't do anything too crazy on those strings but I'd say at $25 a pack it won't hurt to see how they work and last for you. From what you described that you're looking for, I think you will be pleased.

 

[Iristone]

What always stopped me from trying them all this time was their short horrible death I've read so much about on here. Do the nickels also have that problem, or is it mainly a thing with the infamous steel 66s?

I think it's because people look for the extra new string "zing" from their Rotos. Personally I don't find them too short-lived, and the nickel ones should be even better. Also check out the Roto Bass, which should be similar to nickel 66's but a bit more affordable.

 

[Yahboy]

Roto for sure....

 

[MrAB4003]

I think you're looking for nickel Rotosound 66s - strings so rough that they've made my fingers bleed on multiple occasions!

 

[mateybass]

I get plenty of grit from my Warwick Red Label Nickel Rounds when I need them to be gritty and, at least in Europe, they are inexpensive. They are my go to string after being a DR user previously. Some might think they're a bit rougher than other brands but I like them.

 

[jlo95]

I just switched from DR to Dunlop and find the nickels to have pretty good grip. They last longer than the DR’s IMO and sound GREAT! they’re also pretty affordable

 

[michael_t]

...looking for roundwounds with a little more grit...

Quite a few recommendations for the Roto Swing Bass 66 Nickel. My suggestion would be the Roto Bass, which is basically the same NPS roundwound as the 66 but without the silk.

 

[mcnach]

Love the grippy, rough feel of steels (I'm weird, I know). But am very fond of the warmth of nickel.

For reference, I find all the DR nickels (sunbeams, lorider, pure blues) way too smooth for my taste. XLs are kinda my go to at the moment, but looking for roundwounds with a little more grit.

Wouldn't be open to warm sounding steels, been there done that. Gotta go nickel.

Warwick Red Label, and they're pretty cheap too. They sound good but they're one of the, if not THE, roughest strings I have tried

 

[Aussie Player]

SIT.

 

[michael_t]

SIT.

Really? I've been using SIT Power Wound Nickels and don't find them "rough" at all.

 

[S.F.Sorrow]

Warwick Red Labels must surely be the roughest roundwounds ever, but they are stainless steel, and also utterly horrible IMO.

But rough nickels? If you mean nickel plated steel, probably Roto 66 nickels (blue packaging). Great strings!!

If you mean pure nickel... Maybe Pyramid Pure Nickels. They're not unusually rough, but still the roughest pure nickels I can think of. Excellent strings!

Fender pure nickels will perhaps feel rougher than they are because they're so stiff, high tension and unresponsive. But they're horrible strings IMO (and I actually like Fender's nickel plated steels).

 

[Iristone]

I agree, the Rotos are grippy but play and sound great. The Warwicks are grippy but play and sound bad.

 

[HaphAsSard]

I get plenty of grit from my Warwick Red Label Nickel Rounds when I need them to be gritty and, at least in Europe, they are inexpensive. They are my go to string after being a DR user previously. Some might think they're a bit rougher than other brands but I like them.

Warwick Red Label, and they're pretty cheap too. They sound good but they're one of the, if not THE, roughest strings I have tried

Warwick Red Labels must surely be the roughest roundwounds ever, but they are stainless steel, and also utterly horrible IMO.

The Warwicks are grippy but play and sound bad.

The Warwick Red Label stainless-steel are widely (but not universally) reviled, but
- no, they aren't the only version: as said above, they also come in nickel-plated steel;
- the latter type doesn't share the same negative reputation. Au contraire, they're actually pretty well-received. See here:

In praise of Warwick Red Label NICKELS​

 

[Lowbrow]

I love the Roto 66 nickel set but find they go dead in like 2 weeks.

 

[Dincrest]

I think another choice for a textured nickel string is GHS Bassics. If you get really sweaty on stage and feel like your fingers slip and slide on smooth strings, GHS Bassics have plenty of that tactile grippiness you like in steel strings.

As an added bonus, they are very nicely priced (you can get 'em for under $20 at FretNation GHS Bassics Bass Strings) and have far superior longevity over GHS Boomers. GHS Boomers break in/go dead (depending on who you talk to) within a week. Bassics still sound pretty fresh months later.

GHS Bassics are not a "budget" string. They are a good value string. I think they're one of GHS' best strings and worth trying for what you want.