I haven't tried cobalt slinkies but out of what I have tried I'd rate pro steels, dean markley blue steel, rotosound Swing bass to be the most aggressive sounding strings I've tried.
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What’s your favorite Stainless string????
- Thread starter Bassworship1
- Start date
What gauges do you normally use? Have you tried one size smaller for "less tension"?
this sentence looked to me so strange at first, as a non native english speaker.
at second, i thought, it would make for a Very Great T-shirt
sorry for OT !
I'm playing on a set of medium gauge and to me they are pretty stiff. I noticed that it's been making me want to grip the neck with my thumb too much and I'm getting more sore than usual. I'd definitely recommend anyone go down a gauge if they are unsure. I had to learn the hard way. If you play medium normally like I do than medium light or light gauge is a good idea.
Valid question. I experimented with tuning to A standard on my 5-string, my usual tuning is A#. At that point I had lost too much accuracy in my playing. There are strings other than Pro Steel that give me more of a desired feel with my preferred gauges. I think it's to do with construction parameters, possibly core-to-wrap ratios, and how it affects tactile feedback.
My simple rule of thumb: Select brand/type of string for the TONE I want, then select the gauges according to how I want them to FEEL.
If I like the TONE of a particular string but not the FEEL (too stiff/too loose), that's when I experiment with different gauges to see if I can achieve the desired FEEL without losing too much of the TONE. Changing the brand/type to achieve a certain FEEL for the sake of "sticking with preferred gauges" could mean losing the TONE you like.
DR Lo-Riders (50-110) are unbeatable so far. They do seem to have a tendency to "roll" when played with finger style that takes some getting used to but this goes hand in hand with not being "sticky" or "rough" like other stainless strings can be. Rotosound stainless round wounds can be rough in this regard but also stay straight when plucked with fingers. I hope that makes sense.
FYI, I like RS66LE 66 Swing Roundwound Bass Strings (50-110) a lot too for tone but they are slightly rough and sticky.
FYI, I like RS66LE 66 Swing Roundwound Bass Strings (50-110) a lot too for tone but they are slightly rough and sticky.
That statement needs a YMMV IMO. It's not always an accurate framing that sticking to preferred gauges is a bad thing. Some may do that for arbitrary reasons like copying their idols. For others it's for the sake of consistent tension. That's why simply going up or down in gauge will not always bring a better outcome. The only realistic expectation of a different gauge is different tension. Feel is not guaranteed to improve and tone is not guaranteed to remain constant.
Great thread. I'm still working on finding my ideal stainless steel string.
I like DR Hi-Beams a lot and Fat Beams are great too, but round core strings can sometimes be finicky for me to wind and intonate. DR Lo-Riders are more my thing, but need a LOT of time to break in and really grow on me.
A preowned bass I recently procured had a dead set of D'Addario ProSteels on it, and they felt and sounded surprisingly good. I've been lukewarm on ProSteels in the past (I vastly preferred their precursor Prisms), but this put them back on my radar.
I tried a set of Dunlop SuperBrights on a bass and am one of the only people on TalkBass that absolutely loathed them. I found their tone very bland, they're too rubber-bandy feeling for me, and they died a month later like Wile E. Coyote falling off a cliff. Maybe I got a bum set since everyone else's experience is the opposite of mine.
I'll admit, I'm curious about Dunlop's regular "black box" stainless steel strings and wonder how those compare to their SuperBrights. A part of me thinks I might like those better. I've been trying to find out what TBers say about those Dunlops, but none of the search terms I use yield much of anything. So, yeah, any insights into Dunlop's "black box" steel strings?
I'm curious to try GHS Super Steels at some point as well.
I like DR Hi-Beams a lot and Fat Beams are great too, but round core strings can sometimes be finicky for me to wind and intonate. DR Lo-Riders are more my thing, but need a LOT of time to break in and really grow on me.
A preowned bass I recently procured had a dead set of D'Addario ProSteels on it, and they felt and sounded surprisingly good. I've been lukewarm on ProSteels in the past (I vastly preferred their precursor Prisms), but this put them back on my radar.
I tried a set of Dunlop SuperBrights on a bass and am one of the only people on TalkBass that absolutely loathed them. I found their tone very bland, they're too rubber-bandy feeling for me, and they died a month later like Wile E. Coyote falling off a cliff. Maybe I got a bum set since everyone else's experience is the opposite of mine.
I'll admit, I'm curious about Dunlop's regular "black box" stainless steel strings and wonder how those compare to their SuperBrights. A part of me thinks I might like those better. I've been trying to find out what TBers say about those Dunlops, but none of the search terms I use yield much of anything. So, yeah, any insights into Dunlop's "black box" steel strings?
I'm curious to try GHS Super Steels at some point as well.
I’ve used several sets over the past year and really liked them a lot! Very punchy, pretty aggressive but not harsh at all. Average tension. I think they’re massively underrated and overlooked.I like them a lot, but they seem totally unpopular here, or unknown.
I tried them on a recommendation from another TBer. I love Ernie Ball guitar strings (an Army NCO recommended Super Slinky’s for guitar back in 1987!)I like them a lot, but they seem totally unpopular here, or unknown.
I tried their Group IV flats, and like those. Decided to finally try their rounds. Here is why I like them so far;
compared to D’addario, I find them to be very flexible. That seemed evident right out of the package, before I even put them on.
They seem to stay in tune very well.
whether you roll your tone knob all the way off, put it full up, or anywhere in between, I found that they have a good, even sound. Not too harsh, or too wooly down below.
they feel a little rough, but not like Rotosounds did back in the day.
On a side note concerning Ernie Ball rounds-I have a medium scale Squier Jaguar H bass. The only rounds that work for me, are the Ernie Ball medium scale Slinky’s. Despite being .045-.105 they are vey easy to play, flexible, with good, even tone all around.
Of course, this is all in my humble opinion and experience, but I wouldn’t be afraid to try the Ernie Ball stainless. You may like them, you may not, but personally, I’m planning to stick with them.
I've tried a few sets of regular Dunlop stainless and I like them. They are definitely better than super brights. Just louder and I like the feel of the wraps better. I'd argue they have a better tone as well. Super brights have a different core design and I don't think it works as well at least for how I play. Dunlop reminds me of a hybrid between Dr lo riders and roto swing bass. Not a carbon copy but I'd recommend them to people who like either of those as a bridge in between. Smoother and more refined than swing bass but more character overall than lo riders. Also Les Claypool likes them. He was won over from dean markley blue Steels. Which those are another stainless steel that I really like.
I want to like them and I happen to live close by their string plant in California but those dumb dumbs don't sell a 5 string pack unless you order individually the b string. I think it's cheesy on their part so I've never played them. If I got back into 4 string I'd probably give them a shot same as I'd try cobalts.
Sounds like something right up my alley.
I actually have steel Lo-Riders on my LTD D-5 and somehow that bass and string combination imparts a viciously aggressive metal tone that's a little too aggressive for the more multi-faceted playing I do. I'd want to try Dunlop "black box" nickels on that one.
Go figure, the SuperBright steels I have on my LTD F-205 are too timid sounding for me. The dead D'Addario ProSteels it had on it when I purchased it sounded better to me. So it sounds like the Dunlop "black box" steels may suit me and that bass better.
Calebmundy
Supporting Member
- Apr 5, 2007
- 1,135
- 819
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- Endorsing Artist: DNA Amplifiers, Lākland Basses
I *just* put some D’Addario prosteels on my 5-string Lākland jazz. I’m loving them, and this thread is making me feel good about their potential to last!
