Which is why they sound good on a Jazz....especially one thats naturally a bit darker or scooped. I have a 77 jazz with a set of old Bartolini's from the 1980's...SB Nickels sound great on that bass.
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Time to switch to Dunlop Super Brights!!!
- Thread starter mmbongo
- Start date
The SS feel different than the Nickle's. Slightly more tension, slightly less flexible. Slightly rougher feel.
The tone of the SS is great. Tight low mid. More fundamental. Nice high mid presence.
The MM strings didn't feel much different. But their tone was limp. Less of everything. Lower output.
I found the Marcus to have more low mid girth going on
I did, but it was a bit too ganky for me. My P bass has Fender original 62 p-ups, which are already upper/mid forward....with the SB's it was a mid range beast
They match my Jazz's much better
I hear you on that. Used to have a 62 original in my 09 precision. But I love these strings with the geezers. The high-end is a little tame down with the geezers and it's more about mid mids than upper.I did, but it was a bit too ganky for me. My P bass has Fender original 62 p-ups, which are already upper/mid forward....with the SB's it was a mid range beast
I finally tried this because all the opinions here.
I buyed 40-120 because i use very light strings in a 4 string bass converted to a 5 string, so the light tension factor was maybe the first thing i was expecting for.
The thing is... the tone is fine but the tension is just like a regular 40-120 hexcore string or at least they feel and pull the neck the same.
Of course they are great strings but i was expecting a more flexible than normal 5 string set andnow im kinda dissapointed.
Here where i live there's no Sunbeams so i probably got to find a 35-95 set and ad a B string...ouch.
I buyed 40-120 because i use very light strings in a 4 string bass converted to a 5 string, so the light tension factor was maybe the first thing i was expecting for.
The thing is... the tone is fine but the tension is just like a regular 40-120 hexcore string or at least they feel and pull the neck the same.
Of course they are great strings but i was expecting a more flexible than normal 5 string set andnow im kinda dissapointed.
Here where i live there's no Sunbeams so i probably got to find a 35-95 set and ad a B string...ouch.
Iv@n, sorry for a late response. I'd say you are right that the MMs rule in the low-mid & mids but if that were the end of the story, I wouldn't use them as I love top end as well. Maybe a bit more subdued that regular SB, but it's definitely there.
IvanBassist
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- Jun 8, 2008
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I used them with another rig the other day and they had much more top end. Maybe it's because I have my tweeter off all the time. But they definitely feel very good.
We'll see how they hold up. Next time I'm gonna order the regular SS just for test purposes.
Regarding my last point in case anyone cares: I changed both sets (nickel 45-105 and MM SS 45-105) back and forth and the MM definitely feel like they have a smaller diameter.
If you have similar body chemistry to myself, expect the MM DSBs to hold up for a while (3+ months). These are Roto66 killers - similar tone & feel but better longevity.
On Friday, I put on a set of the nickel SBs that I had purchased about 5-6 months ago from BSO. Strangely, the A string had a silver ball end as opposed to the normal brass colored ball end. There was nothing else different about the string and it sounds and plays fine. But I'm wondering, is there some kind of contest I don't know about? Have I won a lifetime supply of strings from Dunlop for finding the "silver ticket"? 
Seriously though, has anyone else ever seen this in a set they have purchased...A string or otherwise?
Seriously though, has anyone else ever seen this in a set they have purchased...A string or otherwise?
No I haven't and I just put SB nickels on my 62 Jazz and G&L L2000. I would contact Dunlop. They have great customer service from what Ive heard? They may send you something. Who knows?On Friday, I put on a set of the nickel SBs that I had purchased about 5-6 months ago from BSO. Strangely, the A string had a silver ball end as opposed to the normal brass colored ball end. There was nothing else different about the string and it sounds and plays fine. But I'm wondering, is there some kind of contest I don't know about? Have I won a lifetime supply of strings from Dunlop for finding the "silver ticket"?
Seriously though, has anyone else ever seen this in a set they have purchased...A string or otherwise?
Best wishes,
Brent
Bumping up this thread...
I finally put on 40/120 Super Bright Stainless Steel set.
This 2015 Ibanez BTB685SC is a 35" scale bass which came with 45-130TW Elixir Nickel Plated Steel Nanoweb. Then, it has exclusively used stainless steel string ever since, in various sets, starting with 45-135T D'Addario FlexSteels, a custom 45-60-80-105-135T set of FlexSteels, then 45/125 Dunlop Marcus Miller Super Brights, then 46-125 ML5 Dean Markley SR2000, and now the 40/120 Super Bright Stainless Steel set.
The tension is clearly lighter than the ML5 SR2000 hence I had to loosen the truss rod (only on the bass side, the treble side truss rod is still okay). But most noticeable thing is the flexibility. I thought the FlexSteels were my preferred choice, but then these 40/120 SB have the right flexibility that I have wanted all this time for this bass, especially when popping the D and G strings on slap playing. And I confirm that the 40 G and 60 D on this 35" bass have similar flexibility with Super Bright Nickel 45 G and 65 D on my 34" scale bass.
I finally put on 40/120 Super Bright Stainless Steel set.
This 2015 Ibanez BTB685SC is a 35" scale bass which came with 45-130TW Elixir Nickel Plated Steel Nanoweb. Then, it has exclusively used stainless steel string ever since, in various sets, starting with 45-135T D'Addario FlexSteels, a custom 45-60-80-105-135T set of FlexSteels, then 45/125 Dunlop Marcus Miller Super Brights, then 46-125 ML5 Dean Markley SR2000, and now the 40/120 Super Bright Stainless Steel set.
The tension is clearly lighter than the ML5 SR2000 hence I had to loosen the truss rod (only on the bass side, the treble side truss rod is still okay). But most noticeable thing is the flexibility. I thought the FlexSteels were my preferred choice, but then these 40/120 SB have the right flexibility that I have wanted all this time for this bass, especially when popping the D and G strings on slap playing. And I confirm that the 40 G and 60 D on this 35" bass have similar flexibility with Super Bright Nickel 45 G and 65 D on my 34" scale bass.
I'm a little late to ask this question, but did the nickel tapered B string ever go into production? I enjoyed SB's on my Dingwall Super P5 but would much prefer a tapered B.
I've always preferred a tapered B too, but after I got this set...
...turned out the tapered part was too long for my bass. It's 2.25", not the more common 2" taper.
Did you find the extended taper negatively affected your tone?
I owned one of those BTB7s for a few months, fun bass but ultimately I had no need at the time for it. I strung it with D’addario nickels F#BEADC.
I have problem in setting the intonation. The picture was taken before I did the intonation setup. Currently I had pushed the saddle all the way back, but still I couldn't get the intonation set correctly. The 12th fretted B is still sharp.
Funny that you've brought up the low-F# tuning, cause actually, this Dunlop SB Nickel 130T is the second taper string that I had difficulties in setting the intonation. I used to have a 6er with F#0 as the lowest, using a .175 Rotosound Swing 66 SS, which was the first taper string that gave me such a hard time in setting the intonation. I couldn't recall the Roto's taper length, but for sure, the taper extended quite far from the saddle, just like on this BTB7. So, as much as I've always preferred tapered low strings, I'd stay away from them if the taper length was more than 2".
