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What's your favorite Roundwound?

#101
Toss-up between DR Pure Blues and DR Nickel Lo-Riders.
For me, they have the tight, focused bottom-end, plenty of mids for the mix, and clear articulate highs without the (IMO) harshness of stainless steel. Plus I much prefer nickel for feel and overall sound.
I like the aspects of the hex core in the NLRs, but I find myself liking the feel of the round-core PBs lately.
 
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#103
Gord_oh said:
d'Addario NYXL .105

d'Addario in general is my go to.
Can't stand Ernie Ball anything. They don't last.
Click to expand...


I really, really dig these round wounds as well.

If you like D'Addario rounds of any kind, you owe it to yourself to try a set of these.

I love the way they age with time under your fingers. They don't go dead, but their edge softens and warms - killer strings!

TI flats otherwise.
 
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#105
I had been a Chromes flat wound player for years and years but the arthritis in my fingers got the best of me and I had to find strings with less tension. Ended up trying D'Addario XL's and to my surprise when played with my bands I liked them more than the flat wounds. So XL's are my choice. Although I still find myself looking at my frets to see if the round wounds are filing them to nothing.
 
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#106
klokker said:
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.
Click to expand...

My favorite is the DR Nickel Lo Riders because they do many of those things without the clank.
 
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#108
Ernie Ball Power Slinky's (.55-.110) for me. Love the tension and growl that they have. The other strings I have tried are D'Addario XL's in the same guage. Both have are bright and have a zing when first installed but mellow out over time. And both have the growl I like.
 
#109
Blue Steel forever back when i was working.

After i quit, i changed strings once a year if they needed it or not and my only concern was gauge.

The first time i bought strings after starting back I was buying for MIM and MIA std jazz basses so i picked up six sets of nickel XL's, in the same guage as what comes from Fender, .105~.045 TBH i bought them because i needed three sets and i wanted a couple of backup sets and they were on sale. When i told the counter guy i wanted five sets of XL's he brought six sets to the counter and said they did two for one for those who bought more than four sets. Even more reason to like them.

I've tried a couple other brands but for the price and service life, i'm all in with the nickel XL's.

The only exception in my std j's is the red bass o death. I got it used and it had been set up with DR DDT's in .115~.050. I tried a set of 105 XL's and they felt squidgy and were a bit light in the behind so i now keep it strung with the DDT's.

I havent decided what i'm going to put on my old J Plus next time i need to freshen it up, but i'm thinking about goung back to Blue Steel's as it always sounded so good decked out in a set.
 
#110
Lex P. said:
I had been a Chromes flat wound player for years and years but the arthritis in my fingers got the best of me and I had to find strings with less tension. Ended up trying D'Addario XL's and to my surprise when played with my bands I liked them more than the flat wounds. So XL's are my choice. Although I still find myself looking at my frets to see if the round wounds are filing them to nothing.
Click to expand...

D'Addario XL's are a very popular string for a reason. They just don't get all the hype of some of the others.
 
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#113
I have the plague...so i use nanowebs..all other strings i have used grow barnacles within weeks ,,with nanos i have gone 3 to 6 months between changes ...but i love the sound of brand new strings.
And that puts me in the minority around here...lmao
 
#114
Lex P. said:
I had been a Chromes flat wound player for years and years but the arthritis in my fingers got the best of me and I had to find strings with less tension. Ended up trying D'Addario XL's and to my surprise when played with my bands I liked them more than the flat wounds. So XL's are my choice. Although I still find myself looking at my frets to see if the round wounds are filing them to nothing.
Click to expand...

Interesting. Good to see that.
I just went from Chromes to Sunbeams on my fretless. I've got nerve damage and paralysis issues in my left hand, so tension can be a concern. I'm really happy with the Sunbeams; they sound great and are easy on my fingers. Have you tried them? If so, how do they stack up?
 
#115
Fender Jazz V Deluxe (Aguilar 60's single coils & Audere JZ6pro 4-band pre): Fender 8250 Nickel Plated Steel Taper-wound Medium gauge. They sound great, not overly "zinggy" and since they are tapered, they physically fit perfectly with through-body stringing.

Fender Precision Special Deluxe (P/J active): Rotosound 66 steels. For what I use this bass for, the super-bright character is needed.

Rickenbacker 4003: d'Addario EXL170 Nickel Wound Long Scale - Custom picked gauges to match Rick's factory guages. I just love these in the stock guages on this bass. A little less "zinggy" than steels.

Most others that have rounds: d'Addario EXL170 Nickel Wound Long Scale Medium- Light. Very available, smooth but punchy tone. Did I mention very available?
 

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#116
all on fretless:
roto 66's extra light gauge and TI jazz rounds: like them both.
rotos = that piano thing + the lighter gauge makes them really 'playable' for me.
TI's = nice feel + easy to dial in 'punch'.

also playing around with DR coated rounds and i appreciate them as well = stouter gauge than the TI's and the roto's but really nice automatic mids and punch on my instruments.
 
#118
Here is another vote for DR Stainless Lo-Riders. They are the best string in my opinion hands down, nothing else even comes close. They last forever, have great tension, are a bit brighter than your average nickel string but not as zingy as your average SS string.

Before switching to Lo-Riders I was using Rotosound Rotobass 45's. They are great out of the package but don't last as long as the Lo-Riders.
 
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#119
GHS Pressurewounds ... or the same thing in slightly different gauges ( Smith's Compressors )

middle of the road in several aspects ... tone , feel , flex ... less finger/fret noise because of the outer wraps Oval shape ... which should also be a bit easier on frets/fingerboard ... decent price ... only 1 gauge of low B and high C available ...
 
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