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Your favorite broken in rounds?

#24
dbsfgyd1 said:
Best advice, try as many as you can and use what you like. You don't have a lifetime commitment to strings, which is why they designed bass so you can easily change them.
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First off totally agree with everything in your post. Second this point makes me a little sad I am confined to the string options I have at the moment, if I never found Newtone I really would not have much variety or ability to get custom gauges at all outside of Kalium and I'm sure a lot of you know how that goes.

Hopefully as multiscale gets a little more mainstream some new options will trickle in.
 
#27
I've tried dozens of kinds of strings over the years. I keep coming back to my trusty D'Addario XL nickels. They just work. I played a gig last night and I was just grinning at my tone in my IEMs. (Mesa TT800 didn't hurt either.) But those strings get the job done every time for decades.
 
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#28
two fingers said:
I've tried dozens of kinds of strings over the years. I keep coming back to my trusty D'Addario XL nickels. They just work. I played a gig last night and I was just grinning at my tone in my IEMs. (Mesa TT800 didn't hurt either.) But those strings get the job done every time for decades.
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XL nickels I think were the deciding factor for me in realizing that I prefer nickel over steel for the most part. Used very few steel sets since then. I still need to try NYXLs because they sound like something I would be into, it's just the winding length :(
 
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#30
Dead rotos sound great on a Jazz bass, a la Joe Dart. I also have been enjoying Pure Blues when broken in, although I do like them better when they're new and snarly. I used to really like Dunlop NSBs from about 1 week in to about 3 months, and have a pack in my parts drawer that'll go on a bass real soon- I've just got to decide which one.

Never cared for D'ad XLs or EB Slinkys. I've tried about a dozen times and I just don't get it- they sound great for other guys, but never for me.
 
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#38
JimmyM said:
I hated dead rounds till I used Dunlop SBNs. Now I love them.
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Pretty much my experience with this Newtone set I've got on now. They aren't dead dead yet acoustically but they aren't new either and they sound great. Honestly a less bright set might be the way to go on a Dingwall for myself anyway, I feel like it helps warm up the higher strings and keep them from becoming so brittle.
 
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#39
Without a doubt, DR nickel Lo Riders. Once they mellow out they sound full and still have enough definition to not be muddy and they easily last me two years. They're kind of stiff feeling so, if you prefer a more supple feel, then I found DR Sunbeams to have a similar tone and lifespan, but with a softer and more flexible feel. However, I MUCH prefer the stiffer hex core Lo Riders. YMMV, of course.

Some others I like a lot and for similar reasons are Ken Smith Burners and GHS Pressurewounds (PWs are a little more flexible than I prefer, but nice sounding and with a long lifespan). I haven't used GHS Boomers in a long time, but my recollection is that they also sounded really nice after losing the new string zing.
 
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