Strings that sound in between D'Addario nickels and steels?

[riccalioliojr]

I have been a long-time D'Addario nickels user but it seems to lack clarity when installed on my Ibanez EHB with Barts, which is currently my main bass. I now installed a set of D'Addario ProSteels and now they sound too bright for me.

Could you recommend a specific brand and/or "model" of strings that sounds in between D'Addario nickels and steels?

PS: I know that I can just wait for the ProSteels to wear down and sound mellower, but I'm looking for something that sounds just the way I like it out of the box. And I know that some would recommend replacing the Barts with brighter-sounding pickups. I might do that in the future but for now, I just would like to focus on making do with the hardware that I have.

 

[michael_t]

Could you recommend a specific brand and/or "model" of strings that sounds in between D'Addario nickels and steels?

The D'A NYXL's are designed to be in between the XL Nickel and the ProSteel in terms of their tonal character. Have you tried them?

 

[riccalioliojr]

The D'A NYXL's are designed to be in between the XL Nickel and the ProSteel in terms of their tonal character. Have you tried them?

Thanks for the recommendation. No, I haven't tried them yet but I probably will now.

Have you already heard them for yourself? Would you say it delivers what it promises (i.e., sound between nickels and steels)? Thanks!

 

[Moving Pictures]

You could also look at DR Pure Blues. I have them on an EHB1005 and they work well on that bass.

 

[michael_t]

Have you already heard them for yourself? Would you say it delivers what it promises (i.e., sound between nickels and steels)?

Can't comment as I have no personal experience with them.

 

[Moving Pictures]

Thanks for the recommendation. No, I haven't tried them yet but I probably will now.

Have you already heard them for yourself? Would you say it delivers what it promises (i.e., sound between nickels and steels)? Thanks!

I have used them in the past. They do sound great and do sit nicely between the XLs and ProSteels. Not as taught feeling as the XLs. Ultimately I prefer DR over DA, but the NYXL are a good string. Decent punch to them.

I think you will need to buy a set and try them yourself. Our opinions only go so far.

 

[riccalioliojr]

You could also look at DR Pure Blues. I have them on an EHB1005 and they work well on that bass.

I have used them in the past. They do sound great and do sit nicely between the XLs and ProSteels. Not as taught feeling as the XLs. Ultimately I prefer DR over DA, but the NYXL are a good string. Decent punch to them.

I think you will need to buy a set and try them yourself. Our opinions only go so far.

Thanks for the insights! Yeah, I know that at the end of the day, it's up to me try out the recommendations here and decide for myself. But I still prefer to hear all of your opinions so that I go to the right direction and spend as little as possible to find a new set to stick to.

 

[Moving Pictures]

The string quest can be an expensive, albeit fun, endeavour.

 

[BarfanyShart]

I've gotten much pickier about strings in my middle age, so no actual shade is being thrown, but a younger me may have responded with something along the lines of, "you know you already got a knob on the front there that can get you where you want to be, right?"

Seriously though, I recently acquired an EHB, and I think nickels are the way to go with those steel frets. I also feel like a stiffer, hex core string "fits" these basses well, because it reduces the fret noise component of the high frequencies and gets more brightness from the strings. I settled on Stringjoy, because they are the hex nickels I can order in custom gauges.

 

[JamesDeGrandis]

Thanks for the insights! Yeah, I know that at the end of the day, it's up to me try out the recommendations here and decide for myself. But I still prefer to hear all of your opinions so that I go to the right direction and spend as little as possible to find a new set to stick to.

I give a +1 for DR strings.... They have a wide range of tones and textures... I like the Sunbeams for passive and pure blues for active barts... Active can add what you need.... And the Sunbeams are really in your face on the passive rig.

You have the right idea... Just bite the bullet... Buy some sets... Try them out. Maybe you have some friends would would like some of the failed experimental sets. Just look at it as an investment in your art...
And you may find some sets that surprise you that you can try on a different bass

 

[riccalioliojr]

but a younger me may have responded with something along the lines of, "you know you already got a knob on the front there that can get you where you want to be, right?"

I do try to EQ things out first but steels in general just have that extra clank that I can't unhear even with the treble or tone knob dialled down. There's a reason I've stuck with nickels for so long. :-D

 

[DingwallDingus]

I like NYXLs but the 2.5-3k region is so offensive on my setup that I have to cut it somewhere. Don't be surprised if you have to do some tweaking depending on how you like to run your gear.

The other in between set I can think of that I have experience with is Kalium Hybrid Nickels, lovely strings but Kalium themselves have a bad reputation for good reason. Sad because the strings are quite good.

 

[Aloe]

Have you already heard them for yourself? Would you say it delivers what it promises (i.e., sound between nickels and steels)?

somewhat:
1. they have the warmth of nickels (heck, they're nickels)
2. they do have more refined and open sound, compared to crunchy XL nickels
3. they're pretty bright, but don't have the excessive zing or stainless strings

so yeah, if you're searching the middle ground exactly between XL nickels and D'Addario steels, that's your best bet

 

[Ricky Rioli]

PS: I know that I can just wait for the ProSteels to wear down and sound mellower, but I'm looking for something that sounds just the way I like it out of the box.

For what it's worth, I found it took 4 weeks for the Pro Steels to get into that zone. For what I'm playing on this bass, that was okay, but yeah, I wouldn't like to have that raw edginess for that long otherwise.

 

[GodsLove66]

+1 on NYXLs!!! Can’t rate them high enough. But that said I’ve only used Rotos and Slinkys prior, but have been as strict an NYXL user as possible on bass for the past 5 years.

 

[mikewalker]

Have you tried the GHS pressurewounds? I found them to be sounding squarely in the 'halfway between nickle and steel' territory (a little too dull for my liking, but I do like things hyper-bright)

 

[Ricky Rioli]

I've been searching for old threads on the NYXLs and came across a long interesting post, which I've edited down:

"I have recently tried them, and I wasn't a fan. They initially had a nice clear tone, but didn't have the character behind it that my favorite strings do.

After discovering the DiAddario Pro Steels, I simply haven't been able to find another string that compares.... the texture and growl I get from the Pro steels when I dig in I just can't find with anything else.

I felt the nyc strings were a good compromise, almost a hybrid between a nickel and steel string. They were very clear, had a nice body, and were easier on the fingers. They did have the nice piano sound I like at first, but they seemed to die a lot faster than the pro steels. It's not a bad sound, but they just lost that shimmer I love.

The big let down for me was the character. My beloved pro steels have this great ability to be very smooth when played lightly, but have a great midrange growl when I dig in... it's not there with the nyc's. They are much smoother and more pedestrian."

I agree with that description of the Pro Steels qualities - there's an additional intensity of character ready and waiting to be called upon, but it stays politely out of the way until you ask for it. The Fender nickel-plated steels do the same thing, but in a less vivid way.

Whole post here

 

[DingwallDingus]

I've been searching for old threads on the NYXLs and came across a long interesting post, which I've edited down:

"I have recently tried them, and I wasn't a fan. They initially had a nice clear tone, but didn't have the character behind it that my favorite strings do.

After discovering the DiAddario Pro Steels, I simply haven't been able to find another string that compares.... the texture and growl I get from the Pro steels when I dig in I just can't find with anything else.

I felt the nyc strings were a good compromise, almost a hybrid between a nickel and steel string. They were very clear, had a nice body, and were easier on the fingers. They did have the nice piano sound I like at first, but they seemed to die a lot faster than the pro steels. It's not a bad sound, but they just lost that shimmer I love.

The big let down for me was the character. My beloved pro steels have this great ability to be very smooth when played lightly, but have a great midrange growl when I dig in... it's not there with the nyc's. They are much smoother and more pedestrian."

I agree with that description of the Pro Steels qualities - there's an additional intensity of character ready and waiting to be called upon, but it stays politely out of the way until you ask for it. The Fender nickel-plated steels do the same thing, but in a less vivid way.

Whole post here

I agree with everything except about the prosteels having a midrange growl, they are the most scooped sounding strings I've ever tried in a bad way. Just my experience though, I'm generally not a steel fan.

 

[Ricky Rioli]

I agree with everything except about the prosteels having a midrange growl, they are the most scooped sounding strings I've ever tried in a bad way. Just my experience though, I'm generally not a steel fan.

When I read the word "scooped" I inevitably imagine something with the guts ripped out.
My Pro Steels are being picked up by a Dimarzio Model P, and perhaps thats an important detail, because I'm definitely not getting that.

Instead, the combination reminds me of the "loudness" button that my 80s cassette player had when I was a kid: when you pressed that, you got more shine, and more welly – extra colour, but with no loss of warmth in the heart.

 

[jmlee]

+1 on the NYXLs. As a bit of context on the DR strings, I've been a long-time user: mostly Pure Blues, but also Sunbeams and Hi-Beams on various instruments. All of them are good strings; however, I think that the NYXLs have the win based on a bright but rich harmonic palette, long life, smooth feel for a round wound, and (here's where they won out over the Pure Blues for me) very little finger noise. The Pure Blues have a rougher texture and make quite a racket when moving one's hands around during recording. The NYXLs cost a bit more but in my view are worth every penny.