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Worst string manufactuer you know
- Thread starter Thir13teen
- Start date
I'll add another billion. Yeah, I've used XL's forever and want to experiment (who ain't searching for this 'holy grail' tone that really doesn't exist?)...but still, IMO, D'Addario is the classiest guy on the block.
Man, I played XL's, then Slow Wounds (before they dropped them for some ungodly reason) for years and years before I followed the siren song of DR and Ti. Now I'm gassing for XL'S again.
Did you ever hear this?:
"When Slowounds were first introduced (about 8 years ago) they were produced on newly developed machines that made a more consisent, better string. They were wound at half the speed of the XLs, which were still being wound on older machines at the time. As our technology improved and we continued investing in better machinery (all designed in our own engineering dept by the way), the XL strings were being made on the same machines as the Slowounds."
"Slowounds were still wound at speed, but everything else including the materials used (besides silking) were identical. There just wasnt enough of a difference between these two nickel round wound sets to warrant carrying both or winding the XLs at speed. The machines we now use are so consistent that the winding speed has little to no effect on the quality of the strings."
I'm GASing for a set of Sadowsky Black Label flats and I'm so sick, I'm thinking of buying another Precision (used...I ain't ready for meds yet) to put them on.
Another example that TB "Fuels the bass guitar industry". << I made that up.
Another example that TB "Fuels the bass guitar industry". << I made that up.
Surprized at the DR hate... I've tried many other breands and have always come back to them for 20 years.... oh well different strokes.... Blue Steels has to have been the biggest let down.
jazzyitalian
Supporting Member
DR's are not overrated. They're as good as their price. I mean, they cost less than others and so, you get what you pay for. The more you pay, the better the string. That's the general rule that seems to play out most of the time.
In terms of bad strings I seem to recall that Dean Markley came out with it's Jimi Hendrix branded electric set for guitar. They all had a defect in the A or D string. They lost intonation somehow after being stung on the guitar. So they couldn't stay in tune. Markley stopped production. Yet they didn't go one step further to recall them. So there are a lot of people holding bad strings. Too bad.
In terms of bad strings I seem to recall that Dean Markley came out with it's Jimi Hendrix branded electric set for guitar. They all had a defect in the A or D string. They lost intonation somehow after being stung on the guitar. So they couldn't stay in tune. Markley stopped production. Yet they didn't go one step further to recall them. So there are a lot of people holding bad strings. Too bad.
I'll agree on EB strings. Love their basses. But those strings sound dead after a week
Never seems much of an issue to the pros I've met. They play one common string that will always be easy to source when on the road (just in case) and then dona deal whereby they get given them. I thought I'd read Stu Hamm used D'Addario but he says he uses GHS. But he does get given them like the Hartke amps he uses. But to be fair he does like them first and then do the deal. Super specialist strings seem to be the territory of the enthusiast not the pros. I guess if you are working in a City Investment Bank or Brokerage you can afford the gold plated / last a lifetime strings!
I've only used D'Addario strings for the last dozen years and not had a problem - just the ordinary ones in either 100 or 105s. I found rotosound a bit harsh on my fingers, but they sounded great. I'm being tempted to the dark side - flatwounds - anyone use them all the time? Might just do one bass and try itbat a few gigs to see how it mixes in.
I've only used D'Addario strings for the last dozen years and not had a problem - just the ordinary ones in either 100 or 105s. I found rotosound a bit harsh on my fingers, but they sounded great. I'm being tempted to the dark side - flatwounds - anyone use them all the time? Might just do one bass and try itbat a few gigs to see how it mixes in.
- Sep 5, 2011
- 774
- 130
- Disclosures
- Uncompensated endorsing user: fEARful
I started with Warwick red labels (when I was really yound and broke) - got some rotosounds66 for christmas somewhere back that time.. since then, I am sold to Rotosound - kind of makes my sound.
Got 66s on my homebass and 55 preassurewounds on my main bass (more thumb, less sustaine, perfect amount of ZING on the frets)
I tried D'addario strings.. XLs and flats.. Although I liked the flats regarding their feeling, the sound does not match my play completely. Their halfwounds where a complete desaster for me. Never found my way with DRs and Dunlop, too...
What I really hate are ELIXIR nanocoat strings!! My Ibanez SR605 was equipped with a set of these when I bought it.. damn, they where out-of-the-box-new but sounded already dead!! Plus, all this coating-shizzle makes a bloody mess on the natural finish and the fretboard all the time. Maybe it's me, but I never saw any advantage in this coating.
Got 66s on my homebass and 55 preassurewounds on my main bass (more thumb, less sustaine, perfect amount of ZING on the frets)
I tried D'addario strings.. XLs and flats.. Although I liked the flats regarding their feeling, the sound does not match my play completely. Their halfwounds where a complete desaster for me. Never found my way with DRs and Dunlop, too...
What I really hate are ELIXIR nanocoat strings!! My Ibanez SR605 was equipped with a set of these when I bought it.. damn, they where out-of-the-box-new but sounded already dead!! Plus, all this coating-shizzle makes a bloody mess on the natural finish and the fretboard all the time. Maybe it's me, but I never saw any advantage in this coating.
i am with you on that. somebody's got too much time on their hands. shouldn't we all be playing our basses instead?
Friends,
I played Rotosound Swing Bass for years and have tried a LOT of different strings out of curiosity over that time. I play D'Addario these days as much for convenience of obtaining them locally in a pinch as for their tone - they're OK, but I still prefer Rotos.
I tried several sets of GHS Boomers years ago and despised them - they're the only string I remember as being particularly bad. They sounded fantastic out of the package - they were almost TOO bright, which I never thought I would say about any string. That said, they were also stone dead after an hour of playing and I broke two of them before switching sets. Thinking it was a fluke, I tried another set - same results - insanely bright but died quickly and I tended to break them with astounding frequency. After trying one last set with the same results, I swore them off permanently.
----
Kurt
I played Rotosound Swing Bass for years and have tried a LOT of different strings out of curiosity over that time. I play D'Addario these days as much for convenience of obtaining them locally in a pinch as for their tone - they're OK, but I still prefer Rotos.
I tried several sets of GHS Boomers years ago and despised them - they're the only string I remember as being particularly bad. They sounded fantastic out of the package - they were almost TOO bright, which I never thought I would say about any string. That said, they were also stone dead after an hour of playing and I broke two of them before switching sets. Thinking it was a fluke, I tried another set - same results - insanely bright but died quickly and I tended to break them with astounding frequency. After trying one last set with the same results, I swore them off permanently.
----
Kurt
