what strings do you like for a good rock tone on a Stingray?

I love DR Lo-Riders

 

For some reason, Sting Rays just sound right with a set of Ernie Ball Slinkys. I will say, they don't seem to last as long as some other brands and next string change, I plan to try a set of Lo Riders.

I tried Hi Beams for a while, not bad, but just didn't float my boat on the SR. They rock on my Jazz, though.

 

+1
Always used regular Slinkys on both my Stingray's.

 

Maybe Ken Smith Rock Masters?

MM

 

ProSteels, pair the stingray's aggressiveness with the scoop of the Prosteels and you have a monster.

 

I had a set of those on a Sterling, absolutely wonderful.

 

I've used 45-105 in both EB Slinkies and DR Lo-Riders on my 3EQ Stingray. If you're looking for a tight, compressed sounding midrange, I'd say go for the Lowriders (or DR Black Beauties/Extra Life-- those are on my Stingray right now). They definitely age well; I had my Lo-Riders on for six months before I changed them. I guess to my ears, the DR's help flesh out the midrange (something like 250-800Hz) on the Stingray and add some low-mid growl.

If you're looking for a really bright, aggressive, slightly scooped sound, I'd probably say go for the Slinkies-- especially if you tend to favor a pick (or slap, if you like a really bright slap sound) over fingerstyle. Just take care of them by wiping down after playing, and they'll stay that way for awhile. These strings, especially when new, tend to add a lot in the higher end of the spectrum (1k and above).

 

rotosound swingbass 66. i use a set on all my basses. Sound great, last long, feel pretty good. i love them. pretty versatile too.

 

Roto 66s are growl monsters. Also Elixir Nanoweb (while expensive) match really well with Sting Rays, and they last forever.

 

DR highbeams 45-105. On my Ray's It's growl-city!

 

I've used Hybrid slinkys and been pretty satisfied because they're cheaper than DRs, but whenever I get the chance to spend ona gig that pays better or when I record, nothing measures up to Hi Beams for me!

 

I like Rotosounds and they sound great, but after about a month's time they die out and it's a thuddy tone from then on. I'm a Lo-rider guy now, punch through the mix and my guitarist's chest with those low mids .

 

So far I have tried (MM SUB):

EB Slinky - traditional "Sting Ray" sound IMO, could get bright on EQ
EB Hybrid - Great finger style - couldn't pull off traditional slap w/ them
Elixir - a darker versatile - sick slap tone w/ a 100 E I had an awesome setup
Smith Rock Masters - very versatile, but E string went dull/lifeless quickly
DMS Blue Steel - too bright had to tone down the treble when slapping ???

I am yet to find a set of strings that sounds bad between the 2 band preamp (SUB) and the WalkAbout's preamp. I don't do much adjusting either. On the amp I only cut frequencies and do all boosting via on board electronics.