While you're waiting for some input from @GTHintz, you might want to check into Apex Bass Strings, which is a company that was started up by people who used to work for Dean Markley after their factory was shut down.
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Silk colors
- Thread starter G.Bisson
- Start date
While you're waiting for some input from @GTHintz, you might want to check into Apex Bass Strings, which is a company that was started up by people who used to work for Dean Markley after their factory was shut down.
I was going to try and get cute with some creative meme and humorous words to describe how great this thread and the plethora of information is but, I’ll just say it plainly.
THIS THREAD IS PURE GOLD!
I mean, just in the last ten posts, I learned more about strings than I would’ve in ten weeks of talking with the average music store employee.
THIS THREAD IS PURE GOLD!
I mean, just in the last ten posts, I learned more about strings than I would’ve in ten weeks of talking with the average music store employee.
Hey there so I tried a recent set of blue steel and I think they were great. So I actually have an older set with the white silk now and in comparison I think the new ones are a little bit grabbier than the old ones but the overall fundamental tone is very much the same. Especially after some time on them it really evens out. I would check them out and see what you think. Apex might be a good backup plan too. I've yet to try them but I'd like to. Also I see sfarzo making cryo treated strings and those are an interesting option too. But the other part of your question being what string has a similar tone and tension as far as I've found either regular Dunlop stainless or Rotosound swing bass would probably be the closest match. Mind you I've not tried apex, sfarzo touchtones or any other cryo string but I'd imagine apex especially will get you very close.
I could use an assist here. Trying to figure out which brand of strings these are. They have purple silk on the headstock ends, no silk at the ball ends. Tapered B. And they are steel or chrome. Just can’t seem to find an exact match.
They're strung thru-body so the ball ends are hidden. Can you double check the ball ends to see if there are actually purple silk there as well? You might need to loosen one of the strings so you can pull out the ball end out of the thru-body recess. Thanks.
That's rather odd... Everything points to the Ken Smith Rock Master Stainless Steel Roundwound (made by GHS to KS specs), except for "no silk at the ball end". Ken Smith is one company who's always insisted on putting silk at both ends on all of their strings.
The Master Series for 5 & 6 String Basses - Ken Smith Basses
Close but no cigar. I have no definitive answer for you at this point. Sorry.
That silk looks a lot like Ken Smith. Assuming there's no silk because it was made that way maybe they started cutting that back recently because of the circus and all the craziness we've been dealing with the last few years. I don't remember a post showing someone having a set of rockmasters with one of the silks mismatched. Also personally I had a set of strings last year that had that too. These were Magma Strings from Argentina. Nice strings btw. How are you liking the strings nonetheless?
I was just thinking along the same lines. I know for a fact there have been a supply shortage for the silk used for bass strings during the pandemic, so I'm not at all surprised some of Ken Smith strings came with no silk at the ball end. Interestingly enough, GHS stopped putting silk at the ball end on their own strings several years ago.
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Yes, they definitely DO look like an older version of Rotosound before they started color-coding their ball ends.
I thought they might be? Other than they're rounds, they look pretty similar to an old set of Roto 77s I've got.....
I'd say Rotosound. They used to be darker steel but some sets look shiny like that. I don't think ghs boomers have silk on the ball end side.Question for you guys.....
Are these Rotosound?
Or something else?
Roundwounds, with red silks at both ends, balls look like they may have been a gold-ish color once upon a time?
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I'll second that recommendation!
I've tried out their stainless Cryos. Nice and growly and not as rough to the touch as I remember the Blue Steels being.
Great customer service as well. In haste, I cut my E string too short. I emailed them and explained and they had a replacement string in the mail the next day! No fault of theirs at all.
Their website could use some modern tweaks but still a nice company!
Brent
I do like my blue steels. Since they haven't put the white or blue silks on the strings for a while it makes me more willing to try them.
Am refreshing the strings on some of my basses and was reading through the thread. I have the light gauge short scale Boomers with the light yellow silks that you describe. Got them new in package maybe 5 years ago from a resale. The package was yellow too.
Don’t mind the stack of washers, it’s a cheap Sears bass and I was messing with the intonation.
I bought this bass that has these really nice flats - but I do not know what they are. The manager at GC was nice enough to call the previous owner and he said they were Ernie Ball flats but did not say is they were regular slinky or colbalt flats.
Any help would be appreciated.
LennyJ
Any help would be appreciated.
LennyJ
Purple silk at both ends = Ernie Ball Cobalt Flats, aka "Slinky Flatwound", as opposed to EB Stainless Steel Flats, aka "Group Flats" (blue silk).
Michael - I see they do not make mid-scale strings from their site. From my pics it looks like he put long scales on a mid-scale bass.
