When I first received my Sadowsky-5 it came with Black-label medium stainless strings. Then I tried the Blue label versions. I thought they were like barbed wire on my finger tips. I also noticed considerable fret wear. I could barely afford the guitar let alone the cost of a fret dressing. For the "zing" and the fretwear alone I am avoiding the stainless versions. I then tried the Blue label nickels. Much better although it took considerable tweeking to get the sound I wanted. I may be going back to them but am not sure.
Then, this summer I attended a concert of several groups. One bass player stood out above all others. His guitar looked like a Sadowsky from a distance, but not quite. His sound was awesome. You could hear
every note clearly with a lot of punch. Afterwards, I asked him what he played. It was a newer Fender 5-string with ... Elixir strings. I quickly went out and purchased a set of medium nano-webs for my Sadowsky.
The jury is still out regarding the evaluation of the sound. I'm not yet sure what to think yet as I play through different setups. My practice "amp" at home is Tascam Bass Trainer". Its sound is sub-par so I have to wait until I play through my Mesa amp to fully evalute these strings. The slap sound isn't bad, especially since I use that technique so little.
I had to initially develop new practice-exercises to get used to the slippery strings. I made too many mistakes. I am now adjusted and actually like the smoothness ("slipperyness") of the strings as my personal technique utilizes many slides and glissandos.
One thing that disappoints me is that the coating is starting to peel off - after only 1-1/2 months of playing. Does anyone else know how to clean this off of these strings (without completely stripping the coating)?