I actually really like the way that Rotosounds bite into my fingers; I guess I'm kind of a masochist.
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what a difference strings can make
- Thread starter pcake
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- change difference really strings
the RXs were very muddy, sounded like the old fender pure nickels. very stiff too compared to something like DR lo riders.
Every GHS string i have tried sound dull and very hollow in the mids. the lower strings also had no sustain almost like i hade a foam mute.
I'm a little of the opinion that roundwounds are roundwounds, but I bought a two pack of the RX's since they were cheap, and I thought they lacked fundamental, I guess. What I got was a lot of the type of grind you get when using a pick, even when I played fingerstyle. I just couldn't hear the note very well. I decided they were cheap because they weren't well liked
I've said this before, but I put chromes on my jazz and I stopped playing it. It sounded just like my precision with chromes, and my feeling is that almost any bass would sound the same with chromes/flats on it. I love the noise the jazz makes when you dig in or slide up to a note "hard", and you don't really get that with flats. I put the chromes on my fretless, and it couldn't handle the tension, so I put them on my peavey patriot. THAT is perfect. It doesn't have a real distinct sound to it, but it is very clear sounding, so with the flats it sounds great (like any bass with flats, with good definition).
I have Elixirs on my Jazz, and I don't think they're the best sounding strings, but 6 month old Elixirs sound better than any non-coated roundwound that's 6 months old. Not to mention a year out.
I can't say I've had a set that made me not want to play the instrument altogether, but I have suffered through a set or two that just didn't cooperate with the bass I put them on.
But for me, certain brands of strings seem to work better for certain basses. D'Addario XL's were my go-to strings forever, but I didn't like how they sounded on my MusicMan, my Spector, or my Alembic. I found EB Hybrid Slinkys sounded much better to me, on my MusicMan, and GHS Bass Boomers were my favorites on my Alembic and Spector.
For me, every brand of stainless steel roundwounds that I've tried feel a bit sticky.
The only set of strings like that for me were TI Jazz Flats. The rest have been at least tolerable.
My strings of choice are GHS Boomers, medium/lights. I get around 6 solid months of action time on them, great tone, punchy, poppy. I've been using them for over 30 years. When I started playing Rotosounds were the big thing. Sad part is they eat up your frets.
I went through about 20 sets before I finally settled on ones I like. It's a very personal thing. For me, it's a combination of what sounds best on each bass (most important) and how they feel under my fingers. IMO a P-Bass sounds much better with steel flats. I like D'Addarios the best. I have found them to be the most consistent and long lasting. I use the rounds on my Fender Jazz. I prefer the medium gauge 45-105 on both.
My "go to" string has been GHS Pressurewound's. I love the way they feel and the grind they produce made the Fender amps (150 and 200 combo) sound absolutely wonderful. But I just bought a Mesa D-800 with Subway 115 and 112 cabs and the combination of the Pressurewounds and that amp were too "grindy". So I changed my Jazzes to roundwounds - 1 with Fender 7250's and the other with DR Nickel Low Riders and I have the sound I want with that amp.
There are many variables in String selection and in the end it is entirely subjective. I don't think any 2 people feel the same way about all strings.
There are many variables in String selection and in the end it is entirely subjective. I don't think any 2 people feel the same way about all strings.
I'm a noob bass player, primary keys. I knew nothing about strings, this, that much of anything one needs to know. However, being a former mastering engineer now piloting my own studio, I still have ears for sonic sublties. I heard about a small company in Nashville called Stringjoy, and now won't use anything else. Blew me away, after trying all sorts of brands that a strings alone would make such a huge difference in tone and playability. Love their standard 5str Lights.
Yes, more than I would like to admit. It's either a ' feel of the strings' issue, a sound issue right-out-of-the-pack, or a sound issue after the ' sound-honeymoon' of newness is over [ say after an hour or two of playing.] I bought a Fender right off the rack...and American Jazz, and I must say the bass hasn't sounded as good as it did with the stock strings! And that sound lasted despite my unfortunate hand acidity that tends to wear down strings faster than normal. I have tried my usual DR's high beams, and then some Dunlops, and even have gone thru the color wheel of the Ernie Ball's Slinky line. I think I'm going to go back to the Fender's, which are almost 1/2 the cost of some of the high-end strings.
my first strings were rotosounds - that's what one of my bass player buddy's used - but they were stiff as bridge cables
i used boomers after that, and when my only 34" scale bass needs strings, am looking forward to trying boomer round cores. have you tried 'em?
Back when I was much younger, and still had my '73 Rick 4001, I stubbornly stuck to Roto-Sound....because that was what Chris Squire used!! Really dumb reasoning, and definitely not a reason to use a particular type of string! They were OK, and had the sound I wanted, but felt terrible. Fast forward about thirty years - now playing all Fender basses and, on a friend's suggestion I tried GHS Bass Boomers. The difference, to me, was like night and day and I stuck with them until about five years ago. I got a small GC gift cert. for Christmas and, totally on a hunch, tried a set of Ernie Ball Cobalts and now will play nothing else...except on my fretless! That gets GHS Pressure Wound strings, so that I don't chew up the fingerboard.
My point is that everyone's tastes are very different, and you may have to try out several types of strings until you find the set that's 'perfect' for you! After fifty-one years of playing bass, I am still exploring and learning! Yes, it's going to cost you to find your holy grail but, unless you know someone that can somehow allow you to try out a variety of strings, it's about the only way. Most music shops won't know what their instruments are strung with (with rare exceptions), and only your fingers, and ears, will tell you what you need to know.
Good luck!
My point is that everyone's tastes are very different, and you may have to try out several types of strings until you find the set that's 'perfect' for you! After fifty-one years of playing bass, I am still exploring and learning! Yes, it's going to cost you to find your holy grail but, unless you know someone that can somehow allow you to try out a variety of strings, it's about the only way. Most music shops won't know what their instruments are strung with (with rare exceptions), and only your fingers, and ears, will tell you what you need to know.
Good luck!
