The TalkBass String Comparison Sound Clip Thread!

[rob_thebassman]

Flat EQ and fingers of course

 

[rob_thebassman]

More hi mids in those Rotos. I like

This is actually the first time I've liked rotosound, and got the gauge I prefer so it's not too stiff for me, there's still tension but easier for me

 

[BrentSimons]

This is actually the first time I've liked rotosound, and got the gauge I prefer so it's not too stiff for me, there's still tension but easier for me

I tried a set of Rotosound nickels in the 45-105 gauge. I thought they felt much more stiff then the standard 45-105 stainless steel set (my preferred string )
If I get a chance this weekend I'll try to record some clips through my Bass Pod Xt. Its the only interface I have at the moment. My Cirrus 4 needs some new DR Hi-Beams. You guys will have to excuse my playing of course!
Best wishes,
Brent

 

[rob_thebassman]

I tried a set of Rotosound nickels in the 45-105 gauge. I thought they felt much more stiff then the standard 45-105 stainless steel set (my preferred string )
If I get a chance this weekend I'll try to record some clips through my Bass Pod Xt. Its the only interface I have at the moment. My Cirrus 4 needs some new DR Hi-Beams. You guys will have to excuse my playing of course!
Best wishes,
Brent

As long as there's a difference and same settings it's all good man

 

[IconBasser]

Okay! I've been busy finishing up this last semester of school and going through some busy periods at work, so I haven't had the chance to post much, but fear not! I've been working on some stuff over the past month.

First up:

Dunlop Super Bright Nickels

VS

GHS Bass Boomers



I was pleasantly surprised by the Super Brights. They have some nice growl to them, and tons of hi-mid sparkle that really sings out. If only they were hex core and way stiffer... Alas, they're some of the best sounding strings I've found yet, but they suffer from wet noodle syndrome too much for me to get them again.

 

[IconBasser]

I decided to try and visually compare the EQ of each of these 8 sets of strings that I've tried.

To do so, I've used the FabFilter Pro Q 2 plugin in Pro Tools. This EQ software has an "EQ Match" mode, which compares two audio sources simultaneously and analyzes which frequency bands on the "main" track have to be tweaked to make it sound like the "reference" track.

here's an example of what that looks like:

In the above graph, the "Main" Track is the D'Addario XL. The "Reference" Track is the GHS Bass Boomers. All the jagged white lines going around the middle are telling you what you have to do to the D'addario XL track (the main one) to make it sound more like the GHS Bass Boomer track (the Reference).

So, for example, look at the area of that graph between 300 and 500 hz. You'll notice that the white lines are below the center 0 line. That means that in order to get the XL's to sound like the Boomers, you'd have to cut that frequency band. Meaning that the XL's on average have more midrange from 300-500 hz than the Boomers do.

Now look at 5k-7k. There's a big spike above the 0 line there. That means you have add more of that frequency to the XL's to make them sound like the Boomers, meaning that the XL's have less treble along those frequencies.



Now, I separated all these various EQ match screenshots into different frequency bands to figure out which of the 8 have the most lows, which of the 8 have the most low-mids, which of the 8 have the most mid-mids, and which of the 8 have the most hi-mids. I decided not to do the treble range, because that's mostly fret noise anyway, and not as interesting to me.

For each category, I ran a single-elimination bracket between all 8 to get the winner. Next post: the lows.

 

[IconBasser]

The Lows: 0-150 hz (using the fingerstyle riff)

Round 1:

Main = Ernie Ball Cobalts
Reference = La Bella Vapor Shields

Winner: Cobalts (barely)

***

Main = DR Sunbeams
Reference = S.I.T. Rock Brights

Winner: Sunbeams

***

Main = D'Addario XL's
Reference = Ernie Ball Slinky's

Winner: Slinky's

***

Main = Dunlop Super Brights
Reference = GHS Bass Boomers

Winner: Boomers

***

ROUND 2

Main = Ernie Ball Cobalts
Reference = DR Sunbeams

Winner: Sunbeams

***

Main = Ernie Ball Slinky's
Reference = GHS Bass Boomers

Winner: Slinky's

***

ROUND 3

Main = DR Sunbeams
Reference = Ernie Ball Slinky's

Best of 8 0-150 hz: DR Sunbeams

 

[rob_thebassman]

Okay! I've been busy finishing up this last semester of school and going through some busy periods at work, so I haven't had the chance to post much, but fear not! I've been working on some stuff over the past month.

First up:

Dunlop Super Bright Nickels

VS

GHS Bass Boomers



I was pleasantly surprised by the Super Brights. They have some nice growl to them, and tons of hi-mid sparkle that really sings out. If only they were hex core and way stiffer... Alas, they're some of the best sounding strings I've found yet, but they suffer from wet noodle syndrome too much for me to get them again.

Nice comparison prefer the boomers though. What's your thought on them?

 

[IconBasser]

Nice comparison prefer the boomers though. What's your thought on them?

I like them. They sound alright; nothing that immediately catches my ears, but nothing that makes me go "blegh" either. I love they way they feel though: nice and stiff, but with just enough give to make fret-tapping doable. To me, they felt just a hair more flexible than XL's.

 

[fermata]

These are interesting comparisons--thanks for taking the time to do this! Just as an aside, Dunlop Super Brights are hex core; it's just a very thin hex core, so it feels more like a round core.

 

[IconBasser]

These are interesting comparisons--thanks for taking the time to do this! Just as an aside, Dunlop Super Brights are hex core; it's just a very thin hex core, so it feels more like a round core.

didn't know that, thanks for the info.

 

[IconBasser]

Part 2: The Low Mids (150-400 hz)

ROUND 1

Main: Ernie Ball Cobalts
Reference: La Bella Vapor Shields

Winner: Cobalts

***

Main: DR Sunbeams
Reference: S.I.T. Rock Brights

Winner: Rock Brights

***

Main: D'Addario XL
Reference: Ernie Ball Slinky's

Winner: XL's

***

Main: Dunlop Super Brights
Reference: GHS Bass Boomers

Winner: Boomers


ROUND 2

Main: Ernie Ball Cobalts
Reference: S.I.T. Rock Brights

Winner: S.I.T. Rock Brights

***

Main: D'Addario XL
Reference: GHS Bass Boomers

Winner: XL's

***

FINAL ROUND

Main: S.I.T. Rock Brights
Reference: D'addario XL's

WINNER OF THE LOW MID: D'ADDARIO XL

 

[IconBasser]

A new comparison will be up soon: I just put on a set of Fodera Nickel Rounds and have been putting them through their paces. I think I'll match em up with the D'Addario's, as there is some similarity there.

Tonally, these strings actually remind me most of the LaBella Vapor Shields. Tons of honk around the 500 hz range, but not too much going on up top. If you want your bass to quack, buy these, you won't be disappointed.

They feel wonderful to me: nice and stiff, which is unusual for a round-core. Not quite DR Low-Rider stiff, but up there right around Boomers. It seems like they used thicker-gauge wires for the wraps than most others do, which might be why.


As for the rest of these EQ graph comparisons, does anybody want to see the rest of them? It's kind of a pain, so I might get lazy and not do the rest if nobody cares.

 

[BrentSimons]

A new comparison will be up soon: I just put on a set of Fodera Nickel Rounds and have been putting them through their paces. I think I'll match em up with the D'Addario's, as there is some similarity there.

Tonally, these strings actually remind me most of the LaBella Vapor Shields. Tons of honk around the 500 hz range, but not too much going on up top. If you want your bass to quack, buy these, you won't be disappointed.

They feel wonderful to me: nice and stiff, which is unusual for a round-core. Not quite DR Low-Rider stiff, but up there right around Boomers. It seems like they used thicker-gauge wires for the wraps than most others do, which might be why.


As for the rest of these EQ graph comparisons, does anybody want to see the rest of them? It's kind of a pain, so I might get lazy and not do the rest if nobody cares.

I would continue with the audio tracks. You're doing a great job BTW! The graph comparisons are neat but I'm not sure which line represents which string or eq point?
Brent

 

[BklynKen]

I was pleasantly surprised by the Super Brights. They have some nice growl to them, and tons of hi-mid sparkle that really sings out. If only they were hex core and way stiffer... Alas, they're some of the best sounding strings I've found yet, but they suffer from wet noodle syndrome too much for me to get them again.

Check out the Dunlop Super Bright Marcus Miller strings. They're stiffer than the regular.

 

[IconBasser]

Fodera Nickel Rounds VS Ernie Ball Slinky

Peavey Cirrus 6 (pickups centered, eq flat) -> MOTU Ultralite AVB -> Pro Tools (no effects)



The Foderas are some of the mid-rangiest strings I've found yet, with some good lows in there as well. The high-mid and highs are a bit lacking though. They're quite stiff as well, if you're into that (I am, they feel great ).

This about wraps it up for all the Nickel Roundwounds as far as I'm concerned. There's nothing left that I want to try. There were some good ones in the bunch, but nothing that really clicked with me as being "perfect" for this bass. So, naturally, rather than just picking something and not worrying about it, I'm moving on to Steels

I just received some GHS Stainless Steel Boomers, which sounded enticing from their reviews. Supposedly they have all the grind and snap of steel without being horribly scooped out, which steels are kinda known for. I'll give those a whirl once I decide to take the Foderas off.



off topic a bit, does anybody here know how to directly link to a post, rather than just a thread? I'd like to add hyperlinks to all the posts with comparisons in them and past them into the original post to make it easier for newcomers to find what they're looking for.

 

[Stefan Verbeeck]

off topic a bit, does anybody here know how to directly link to a post, rather than just a thread? I'd like to add hyperlinks to all the posts with comparisons in them and past them into the original post to make it easier for newcomers to find what they're looking for.

At the top right of a post you can find its corresponding number. This has a link that you can refer to.

 

[IconBasser]

mmkay, well, impressions of the GHS Super Steels: waaaaay too bright for me. Holy high-beam helicopter spot lights, Batman, these things will spike through your eardrums in a heartbeat. Not enough low end in them for me, either. The stiffness is perfect, right on par with Boomers. Unfortunately, i find the stainless steel texture to be way too grippy/tacky for me. Playing anything becomes a challenge, because my fingertips don't want to move from note to note.

*sigh*

another 40 bucks more or less wasted. trying to find my preferred strings for this bass is becoming a heavy burden indeed. 10 sets in the last 6 months, with more on the way.

Ah well, on to the next one. Just ordered a custom set of GHS Progressives. And man oh man... that was expensive. $65 bucks from juststrings.com! I can only hope that if these become my go-to, that I can set some kind of bulk deal with Jason at BSO, because paying that much for a string change is insane.

 

[rob_thebassman]

mmkay, well, impressions of the GHS Super Steels: waaaaay too bright for me. Holy high-beam helicopter spot lights, Batman, these things will spike through your eardrums in a heartbeat. Not enough low end in them for me, either. The stiffness is perfect, right on par with Boomers. Unfortunately, i find the stainless steel texture to be way too grippy/tacky for me. Playing anything becomes a challenge, because my fingertips don't want to move from note to note.

*sigh*

another 40 bucks more or less wasted. trying to find my preferred strings for this bass is becoming a heavy burden indeed. 10 sets in the last 6 months, with more on the way.

Ah well, on to the next one. Just ordered a custom set of GHS Progressives. And man oh man... that was expensive. $65 bucks from juststrings.com! I can only hope that if these become my go-to, that I can set some kind of bulk deal with Jason at BSO, because paying that much for a string change is insane.

Give la Bella stainless steels a try mate dunno about America but theres a shop here in the UK that sells them in more gauges like 45 - 100

 

[winegamd]

Unfortunately Bassstringsonline is not stocking the singles like they used to. I built a custom set of progressives from them for around $45. Progressives are some of my favorite strings. They have a LOT of low end, at least they did when I first put them on compared to D'Addarrio XL's. They also have a really nice growly mid range and clear top without being too "zingy".

Recently, though, I have really enjoyed my Labella purchases. Their super steps were a suprise, and I really liked them. Not nearly as bright as I was expecting, but super even. Right now I am using their Gold White Nylons, and think I am going to stick with these for a long time.