I know this will give a ton of varying answers but I wanted to see what is the favortes in TB land. What makes them your favorite and how would you describe the tone?
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What's your favorite Roundwound?
- Thread starter Bassworship1
- Start date
DR SS lo-riders. Aggressive, edgy, cut through the mix with enough zing to have the gnarly Ampeg thing if you want it. Clean and clear bottom end with enough warmth but not thick or dense.....clean low. Not vintage. They aren't my favorite strings solo at all, and I actually like flats the best, but these just work really well for the band I'm in right now. Clear and sweet, aggresive low end that doesn't muddy the mix. You may have to watch your technique to keep the squeal down when you're changing hand positions. But it's worth it for me.
The exact string I was going to say as well...
Stainless Steel DR Lo Riders: taut, growly, smooth on the fingers, and last a long time.
Best Rounds I've tried are the Warrior Nickel Rounds. I've tried alot of different rounds and these are the best sounding rounds I've found to date.
I use Roto Swing bass 66's on my fretless jazz. You know, if they were
good enough for Jaco then.... ( actually it's his signature non-custom-shop bass,
and it sounds great with these strings )
good enough for Jaco then.... ( actually it's his signature non-custom-shop bass,
and it sounds great with these strings )
Oh yeh, forgot to mention: The Roto roundwounds will keep me out of jail if I ever
get fingerprinted for a pawn shop bass heist: They will never be able to read my LH finger tips
get fingerprinted for a pawn shop bass heist: They will never be able to read my LH finger tips
For aggressive rock or prog: Rotosound Swing Bass 66s.
For everything else: DR Sunbeams or Pure Blues depending on the bass.
For everything else: DR Sunbeams or Pure Blues depending on the bass.
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Infeld Superalloy. Having tried all the major manuf. in nps strings, these are above all of them.
Expensive for people west by the atlantic ocean; but definitely worth the price.
Expensive for people west by the atlantic ocean; but definitely worth the price.
I'm also a huge Lo Riders fan and, while I like the stainless steels, I love the nickels. The reasons?
- I like a stiffer than average feel, which they definitely have
- I like the solid low end and warm low mids and the highs are clear without being harsh and clanky (especially once they're broken in).
- I like the long life I get out of them.
- They're the only strings I've tried that have sounded fantastic on each bass I've put them on.
- I like a stiffer than average feel, which they definitely have
- I like the solid low end and warm low mids and the highs are clear without being harsh and clanky (especially once they're broken in).
- I like the long life I get out of them.
- They're the only strings I've tried that have sounded fantastic on each bass I've put them on.
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Rotosound SB 66. I love the tension and stiffness. I already have callouses on my hands, so the roughness is a non factor (except for my frets) and they have a great midrange bump that is just... Perfect for what I want out of a bass sound.
Settled down Dunlop nickel plated rounds, I guess they are dark and thumpy/clear and articulate at the same time
Was Rotosound Swing Bass 66 forever until
1) Got thin-necked Greco LP clones that couldn't handle the tension of "normal" gauges
2) Got more than a few basses to keep new strings on
SOUND? Amazing for a short while, tuning from E to D on the E string kills the zing faster(yep, did that too)
A year of experimenting found ALICE 606L's(similar to Rotos) to work nicely. Bought many, used many. THEN they changed their production methods for the 606 making the tension feel and actually become "higher" so NOS here is being used while new experiments take place....again.
Sound? Close to Rotos but not quite as "thick" or full. They do work well in a band situation(i.e. almost impossible to tell the difference during performances).
Why? Price, sound, and extremely consistent feel on all the basses with the old production sets.
PS: These(the old production ones) also hold up well when used and abused on a Kahler-equipped bass.
1) Got thin-necked Greco LP clones that couldn't handle the tension of "normal" gauges
2) Got more than a few basses to keep new strings on
SOUND? Amazing for a short while, tuning from E to D on the E string kills the zing faster(yep, did that too)
A year of experimenting found ALICE 606L's(similar to Rotos) to work nicely. Bought many, used many. THEN they changed their production methods for the 606 making the tension feel and actually become "higher" so NOS here is being used while new experiments take place....again.
Sound? Close to Rotos but not quite as "thick" or full. They do work well in a band situation(i.e. almost impossible to tell the difference during performances).
Why? Price, sound, and extremely consistent feel on all the basses with the old production sets.
PS: These(the old production ones) also hold up well when used and abused on a Kahler-equipped bass.
big fan of d'addario pro-steels as I like the brightness and the twang when slapping but can easily picture them being too sharp for some. DR sunbeams are fantastic for a more mellow tone - had a set on my fretless before moving to flats and they were great ☺
After 30 years of playing (jeez, when did i get old?), I use the DR's for 4's and the Fodera's for my 5. I used to use the SS DR's but I've recently switched to nickel. I've used the Fodera SS and Nickel's on my 4's which sound great but they don't last quite as long as the DR's. I've always loved the tension of the DR's.
First off, I'm not a big fan of rounds. For what I like to play, flats - or tapes - usually work much better. But, I do have rounds on some basses. So, my favorite rounds?
- EB Hybrid Slinkys. Any new-to-me 34" scale bass gets these as soon as the function check is done. They're cheap, consistent in quality and tone,and I like the feel. Sometimes they give me just the sound I want; so, there they stay. If they don't, then I move on, tone-wise. They don't sound like anything special, but sometimes that generic bass "thump" is just what I want...
- GHS Bass Boomers; the short scale ones. My Kramer Duke Deluxe had these on it when I got it - I love them. With these, and the Duke's weird Dimarzio "Twin-J" pickup, I get the smoothest Jazz Bass tone I've ever heard; or I can split the pickup into P-Bass mode, and it will rock your socks off. The Duke won't ever wear anything else...
- DR Sunbeams; short scale again. I have these on a Warmoth Mini-P. I'm kind of... undecided... about them. They don't sound bad; I rather like the tone, actually. But, to me, they feel like I'm playing a cheese grater; which I don't like. I haven't ruled them out completely, but... I'm going to try some La Bella or GHS Precision flats on that bass real soon. So, I'm not throwing the DRs away, but...we'll see....
- EB Hybrid Slinkys. Any new-to-me 34" scale bass gets these as soon as the function check is done. They're cheap, consistent in quality and tone,and I like the feel. Sometimes they give me just the sound I want; so, there they stay. If they don't, then I move on, tone-wise. They don't sound like anything special, but sometimes that generic bass "thump" is just what I want...
- GHS Bass Boomers; the short scale ones. My Kramer Duke Deluxe had these on it when I got it - I love them. With these, and the Duke's weird Dimarzio "Twin-J" pickup, I get the smoothest Jazz Bass tone I've ever heard; or I can split the pickup into P-Bass mode, and it will rock your socks off. The Duke won't ever wear anything else...
- DR Sunbeams; short scale again. I have these on a Warmoth Mini-P. I'm kind of... undecided... about them. They don't sound bad; I rather like the tone, actually. But, to me, they feel like I'm playing a cheese grater; which I don't like. I haven't ruled them out completely, but... I'm going to try some La Bella or GHS Precision flats on that bass real soon. So, I'm not throwing the DRs away, but...we'll see....
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