Something quirky (new rotosound 66's)

[PennyroyalWe]

I recently tried a set, and after about 2 months they were still too bright for my liking on my p bass. I used to use them 15 years ago or so on my fretless foundation, because that’s what Jaco used (allegedly), but they just don’t do it for me anymore I guess.

 

[Deleted member 271037]

I'm a regular Roto 66 user (mostly on P-basses) and I've never experienced the problems you are describing. I don't LIKE the tone I get from brand new Rotos, they're too bright for me out of the box. But that doesn't mean there something wrong with them. I just roll off the tone a bit more for the first couple of hours. My "sweetspot" with regularly played Rotos is between 1-3 weeks. I still like them after this (in fact I like them a LOT) but for some of the stuff I'm playing I need that "1-3 weeks Roto tone".

You're definitely right about one thing though: The tone of Roto 66s will change considerably over the first couple of hours. For some people (who want the Chris Squire tone) this will obviously be negative. For me it's just a short phase I need to get through and with a passive tone control it's not really an issue. On an ACTIVE bass though... I wouldn't be able to enjoy Rotos much for the first couple of hours.

It's just a matter of personal taste of course.

 

[marchone]

John Entwistle Gear: Strings, Picks & Action | John Entwistle Bass Gear | Whotabs.
View attachment 5071160

I’m happy to be corrected. I read somewhere between ‘66 and ‘70 or so The Who were doing 350 shows a year. That’s a lot of strings.

Add Steve Harris to that list of daily Roto-swappers.

Good to know.

 

[JRA]

light-gauge 66s have been one of my go-to sets for decades (TI jazz rounds is the other, for ~8 years), and i'm able to enjoy them at every 'stage', from the beginning until they're mostly dead (8-12 months?).

i'm also trying other rounds these days, for fun, but the 66s are always there in case i need to 'recalibrate'.

 

[five7]

The first hour is my favorite tone. Very expensive to maintain that though.

 

[Steve Dallman]

I started using Roto 66's in the mid 70's. In the 80's I put a set on a short scale, headless aluminum neck Kramer. The low E was dead...completely dead. At the 1983 NAMM show, I told the reps at the Rotosound booth about the issue. They handed me two sets of short scale 66's.

Both low E's were dead. I used GHS Boomers on that bass with no problems.

Choices were slim in the 70's for roundwounds. Not so the last few decades.

 

[chazolson]

The 66s were the first roundwounds I used, not a lot of choices back in 1973, used them for about 6 years, wore the frets down to the point that I could see the windings imprint on the fretboard of my ‘65 Jazz Bass, keep your eye on your frets, they would also die in a couple of days, not a fan but YMMD.

That's why some call Roto 66's the "fret eaters".

 

[Spirit of Ox]

Has anyone tried the DR stainless as a replacement to Rotos? I've been using Fatbeams and Lo-Riders and they last way longer than Rotos. The Hi Beams are probably closest to fresh out of the box Rotos but I found them too bright and scooped. The Fatbeams are my favorite. They are bright with nice mids and pretty low tension. I put the Lo-Riders on my P bass and altough they are a little stiffer, you can get the action lower without much buzz.

 

[Stylee Mousse]

The Hi Beams are probably closest to fresh out of the box Rotos

Sweet! That is exactly what I am hoping for. I've got a set waiting to go on my L-1000.

BTW - I gave up on Roto 66 back in the 90's at some point when it seemed to me that their quality went downhill.

 

[StereoPlayer]

I’m happy to be corrected. I read somewhere between ‘66 and ‘70 or so The Who were doing 350 shows a year. That’s a lot of strings.

Good to know.

No prob. He also got them free for life as he helped design the string to his specs.

 

[Arthur U. Poon]

Compared to the other brands of roundwounds that I’ve regularly used, I don’t notice that stainless steel Rotosound SB66’s do anything out of the ordinary.

 

[KevInDaBassment]

Has anyone tried the DR stainless as a replacement to Rotos? I've been using Fatbeams and Lo-Riders and they last way longer than Rotos. The Hi Beams are probably closest to fresh out of the box Rotos but I found them too bright and scooped. The Fatbeams are my favorite. They are bright with nice mids and pretty low tension. I put the Lo-Riders on my P bass and altough they are a little stiffer, you can get the action lower without much buzz.

The DR Lo Riders SS are my go-to string when in doubt. I do .045-.100 on gauge, they last a hell of a long time as well. Not sure what they're made of, but I'll keep using them.

 

[crapusername]

Add Steve Harris to that list of daily Roto-swappers.

It's also worth noting that Steve is a flatwound player and doesn't use rounds at all

 

[SulzerType2]

Put me in the 'not a fan' camp. Here in the UK they are ubiquitous, though not as cheap as that ubiquity should maybe equate to.

Rotosound won the race to make bright, zingy piano-like strings. They are oldschool however, like anything created by British engineers in the 1960s. Other manufacturers have improved the recipe over time in terms of balance, brightness, consistency and longevity.

 

[DJ Bebop]

Put me in the 'not a fan' camp. Here in the UK they are ubiquitous, though not as cheap as that ubiquity should maybe equate to.

Rotosound won the race to make bright, zingy piano-like strings. They are oldschool however, like anything created by British engineers in the 1960s. Other manufacturers have improved the recipe over time in terms of balance, brightness, consistency and longevity.

And Ampeg still makes the SVT

 

[DJ Bebop]

It's also worth noting that Steve is a flat wound player and doesn't use rounds at all

But does use Rotosound flats.

 

[crapusername]

But does use Rotosound flats.

Yes - the Monel flat signature set

 

[RhinoBass]

I can remember many (many) years ago putting a set of Roto 66's on my Rick and literally listening to the character of the tone change from "zingy" to "thumpy" over the course of an hour or so while I was playing it.

 

[StereoPlayer]

I can remember many (many) years ago putting a set of Roto 66's on my Rick and literally listening to the character of the tone change from "zingy" to "thumpy" over the course of an hour or so while I was playing it.

I've never had that experience.

 

[Stylee Mousse]

Exactly that - plus if you were a hard player the super fresh strings seemed to lack volume sounding kinda "hollow". A once stretched in this would change. I've never experienced that with other rounds.

Also - this stuff is super subjective but there are more than a few of us that feel the thing.