Sadowsky Strings

[fishdreams]

I have the blue nickels on my jazz bass. I think they are very good sounding, clear and clean sounding string with a deep fundamental, perfect for a jazz bass.
Didn't last superlong though-but then they aren't too expensive either. Excellent strings for the money, IMO

 

[KJung]

Black labels are generally higher tension as mentioned, and brighter sounding.

+1 A little too much of a good thing for me, which is why I prefer the Blue Label Steels. Similar, but just a smidge smoother in the upper mids (although still on the bright side). Nice grind to them, and still a very solid feel.

 

[Jim Carr]

+1 A little too much of a good thing for me, which is why I prefer the Blue Label Steels. Similar, but just a smidge smoother in the upper mids (although still on the bright side). Nice grind to them, and still a very solid feel.

+1

Black Labels are capable of being bright, but I love the cut to the upper mids for certain instruments.

Really dig both black steels and nickels on my darker voiced P/J. The black nickels were great on a modified 60s classic jazz with Lindy Fralin split-coils/BAII—though I'm using lo-riders on my current stock RW Jazz.

Sadowsky Black Labels are really good quality strings, IMHO.

 

[u84six]

I wish they made blue label flats.

 

[bikeplate]

HI

R. Cocca makes the black labels. Im not gonna tell you who makes the blues. All of you are wrong

I prefer blue labels. Lower tension, stronger mids, not quite as bright as blacks. I also prefer stainless steel but many players love the nickels, also

I use them on all my Sadowsky's

Rob

 

[Jerry Ziarko]

I was using Blue Label Steels on my MV5 (ash maple) Loved the match, but still willing to experiment. Not being a nickel lover, I tried them for the hell of it. This bass LOVES the Blue Label Nickles!! Although some of the stainless zing isn't there, the notes seem much fatter. That's not to say they aren't bright, they are, but ss has that sound that only stainless has. Black Labels are still on the horizon.

 

[KaseOfBass]

HI

R. Cocca makes the black labels. Im not gonna tell you who makes the blues. All of you are wrong

I prefer blue labels. Lower tension, stronger mids, not quite as bright as blacks. I also prefer stainless steel but many players love the nickels, also

I use them on all my Sadowsky's

Rob

Regarding the other posts, Sadowsky strings are made for me by LaBella, but they are not repackaged "Hard Rocking Steels" or any other LaBella string. They are a unique string that does not exist in the LaBella lineup. I recently completed a reformulation/redesign of my strings and Eric Cocco did an amazing job of executing this for me. LaBella is owned by Richard Cocco Jr.. Eric Cocco is his son. R.Cocco was Richard's father who passed away several years ago. He had no connection to the LaBella company for at least 20 years.


Roger

Edit: A little further (more recent) clarification on the black labels -

Sorry I missed this one to clarify...

R.Cocco has no connection with Sadowsky strings. Sadowsky Black Label strings are custom wound for me by E & O Mari (LaBella), which is owned by Richard Cocco Jr.

R.Cocco was his father who left the Mari company many, many years ago. He was making strings by himself under the R.Cocco brand until his death several years ago. The company was passed to an Italian company which obtained ownership due to a large debt R. Cocco had with them.

As far as I can tell, there is no one at this Italian company that comes from a lineage of string makers.

Personally, I'm still curious as to who makes the blues....

 

[Sadowsky]

R.Cocco has been dead for years and never made any strings for me. The current R.Cocco strings are made by a guy in Italy who acquired the R.Cocco name. I have also never done any business with GHS.

The Black Labels are made for me by Labella which is Richard Cocco Jr. and his son Eric Cocco.

Roger

 

[KaseOfBass]

Thanks for the clarification. Do you care to divulge the identity of the maker of the blues or is that an area that you'd rather not venture into on a public forum?

 

[Sadowsky]

Thanks for the clarification. Do you care to divulge the identity of the maker of the blues or is that an area that you'd rather not venture into on a public forum?

They have an agreement with me for this to stay confidential.
Please judge my strings on their own merit. Thanks.

Roger

 

[KaseOfBass]

Sounds good, thanks Roger! I can say that, regardless of who makes 'um, i haven't found anything I like better on my Sadowsky than Sadowsky strings.

 

[Sadowsky]

Sounds good, thanks Roger! I can say that, regardless of who makes 'um, i haven't found anything I like better on my Sadowsky than Sadowsky strings.

Thanks. Means a lot to me!

R

 

[MAJOR METAL]

The Blue Label nickles, are my favorite strings to use on the two basses Roger built for me. I actually found the Blue Label line to have greater longevity and low end melody than the TI Power Bass strings I had been using previously for years.

 

[ac11367]

I became a fan of the black nickels since I acquired an MIA Precision that came with it a little more than a year ago. I don't know how long the previous bass owner had these strings for, but all I know is that I kept them on there for another 9 months. The tension of these strings are just right for me, and they age very well. I've bought a box of five since, and found out that they sound and feel even better on my Lakland DJ4 than on my P.

 

[AlexanderB]

I REALLY like the Blue ones. I have used them on my Fender Jazz Bass Plus V with great result; long life, good balande string-to-string, smooth to play etc and the tone is phenomenal, IMHO. That bass sounds great now, much better than with strings from DR, EBS, Fender etc. I have since bought a four sting set to go on one of my four string Jazzes as well.

 

[klokker]

After messing around for a few years with DR's, I've gone through a few sets of Blue Label Nickels on my L2500. Not super bright, but very clear and clean highs. They mellow nicely and stay clean and clear for a long time, really wear well and sound good in the mix. Tapered B is the best B string I've used so far. I'll put it this way........ain't changing anytime soon.

 

[liveburning274]

I love my Sadowsky Black Label flats! They've just passed a year and still have lovely mid-range.

 

[Bassman Spiff]

I currently have Sadowsky Black Labels on my 4, after playing with DR Nickle Lo-Riders for a couple of years.

By design, the Black Labels are a bit brighter than the Blues, but not harsh at all (keep in mind this will depend greatly on bass and amplification).

Personally, I love the silky feel of the DR nickels, but the slightly better articulation of the Sadowskys makes this a very difficult choice.

 

[fenix899]

Stainless Steel Blue Labels for me. I like the lower tension, and the SS strings sound amazing once they're seasoned. Nickel plated strings sound great right out of the box but I burn through them too quickly!

 

[Klonk]

I use Black Label Flats (45-105) and Blue Label Nickel rounds, like em both a lot. Got a set of SBF40 on the way from BSO too, looking forward to getting them. Great strings!