Bass Strings Reviews

exin

exin

New member
Part II of gear-siaoness ... alright i was being lame, i'm sorry. Anyway, it's a no-brainer that bass guitars need strings to play, but what strings do you prefer to use or you just whack? I'm sure some of you guys have preference to strings, or if you have tried some brands of strings before ... do drop a short review on what you like and don't like about it.


Warwick Reb Label Strings - gauge (.135, .105, .85, .65, .45)
One of the cheapest and durable strings i've ever played. Value for money and the tone is excellent. The thing i like about these strings is the tone is gives for that kind of price you pay ... (ard $20+ for a 4-string pack, $25+ for a 5-string pack and $28 for a 6-string pack). My last set lasted me a month before the A string broke .. okay .. this was due to me loosing and tightening the string super often to adjust my neck and also i sent it for servicing so the guy had to unstring it .. imagine the tension on the strings man .. but a normal pack that i use lasted me at least 9 months with 2 times of string boiling.

D'addario EXP strings - gauge (.135, .105, .85, .70, .50)
I'm a crazy over obnoxiously huge string gauges. I must say that this set of strings would be a set i will not really use due to the bad slap tone i get out of it, cos the string gauge is too thick, but all i can say about D'addario strings is that the tension is balanced and it gives you a nice tone to work with. The fingerstyle tone is nice. =)


Rotosound 66 Swing Bass - gauge (.130, .105, .80, .65, .45)
My first set of Rotosound, i wanted to give it a try and it really impressed me. It has a seasoned sound to it, the slap and tap tone of it not as clear as Warwick but the fingerstyle is amazing man. Really nice, warm and punchy. The highs are rolled off a little on this and it gives a nice upright sound when you play over the neck. Very solid feel to it ... the tension of this set makes my 34" bass feel like a 35" .. especially on my low B ... recommended if you play blues, jazz or looking for that warm, round tone.


If you guys have different reviews of what i have just reviewed, just post it here ... doesn't really matter cos it's called a REVIEW. It's meant to be personal. Keep the posts coming in!!!

Cheers,
Jason
 
Currently using Rotosound. Think I boil it before . Can't rem the model and details but my G string is gauge 40. (popper)

Few others I tried was D'addario (thk marcus miller use this brand), Blue steel and etc.

Wanna try DR string. Saw a Bass player magazine on bass string review. Haha they did many testing.

Not much info. sorry :lol:

cheers,

Ben
 
DR's are really good, both my basses are using DR hi beams, and i must say that they really bring out the sound of the bass.
 
I think Marcus Miller has signature strings called Fat Beams.

I'm a cheapo. I use Daddario XLs. 45-100 gauge. I like em cos they have a balance of good lows and clear highs, and dont have the 'plasticky' feel of Rotosounds, which i do not prefer. Also i dont use coated strings because i'm a cheapo + I dont like their feel for sliding, makes me weak.
 
hahaha. ive tried peavy XLS steel wound strings with 0.045-0.105 gauge. i didnt like them at all. the lows were too boomy for me. the mids and lows were just alright. the plus point is getting them for 15bucks a while back when i didnt know anything about strings. hahah. i saw them at SL and i was like "wah peavy ah? must be good. just buy it". they should stick to making amps. hahaha.
 
wraith said:
DR's are really good, both my basses are using DR hi beams, and i must say that they really bring out the sound of the bass.
Click to expand...

i've heard a lot about DR. where did you get em and for how much?
 
Don't just give a one-liner man ;) Anyway. I tried D'addario XLs, didn't really like the feel of them and they sounded they were lacking in the low-end department IMO. I guess I'm not really a fan of nickel-wound strings :?

I was using the Marcus Miller DR Fat Beams set but after Davis ran out of stock I switched to the Hi-Beams (.40) and there's only a very small (almost unnoticeable) loss in low-end, nothing you can't compensate with a very tiny bit of EQ.

DRs are incredibly clear... punchy and with the right setup, can help bring out the growl in say, a Warwick or something. $32 for a set of Hi-Beams at Davis. They usually last me 2-3 months without boiling, but it's good to break them in and not boil them because that's when you get the deepest and warmest tone IMO.

I've also tried Hartke strings but they were only so-so. Not really recommended.
 
dude said:
hahaha. ive tried peavy XLS steel wound strings with 0.045-0.105 gauge. i didnt like them at all. the lows were too boomy for me. the mids and lows were just alright. the plus point is getting them for 15bucks a while back when i didnt know anything about strings. hahah. i saw them at SL and i was like "wah peavy ah? must be good. just buy it". they should stick to making amps. hahaha.
Click to expand...
I hate peavey strings as well.
 
Whoops, my bad, hehe, anyhow, here's a somewhat more proper review,

DR Hi Beam "Stainless Steel" (.40 .60 .80 .100 .120)
I paid $42.50 for a 5 string pack from Davis, the strings give off a really metallic and bright tone which really brings out the sound of the bass and IMO gives it that extra "zing". The feel of the string is really superb as well, very smooth and silky but not to the point of a coated string. Previously, my bass was equipped with ernieball slinky roundwounds i think, and somehow, it just made the bass sound so dead, almost to the point that i nearly sent in the bass to check if the pickups were dying or something. No doubt DR's may be quite pricey, but to me, they're worth every penny. Oh, and did i mention that they seem to last forever without losing much of that edge? hahahahahaha
 
i used to love rotosound spacers a long time ago, they are no longer in production. they also had multi colored silk ends for each of the 4 strings, very cool in my opinion. if i am not wrong, they were duff's signature model. right now, i am using regular rotosounds strings .045 gauge. i like em' cos they have a bright sound even when they are 1 or 2 months old, and they can last pretty long. :wink:
 
Anyone here tried LaBella? I remember seeing a local dealer selling it online but couldn't find the link anymore. Anyway I use only the cheapest. :oops:
 
You can ask CrispyEgg, i think he's selling off his near brand new pack. hahahaha, something about the overtones bothering him. :)
 
..

I'm using Thomastik Infeld Powerbass strings. Big and loud and not too metalllic when new. Had it on for abt 9=10 months already.
 
I've bought all my strings online from either ebay, or some online string retailer. I find that the prices are more competitive than what we get here.

Anyways, I used DR hibeams for awhile - very nice tight tone from them... I remember them to be pretty bright as well. Had them on for about 4-5 months...

Then I bought a pack of Ritter swordsteels to try (at an introductory rate), and managed to get a friend to kop a pack when he was at the NAMM show. Those strings are da bomb! The string balance is perfect, and they sound super rich and tight as well. They'll bring out every nuance of tone from your bass :) Only thing is that I can only afford one set a year...

I've got TI jazz rounds on my fretless - swapped out the TI jazz flats that they came with. The flats sound... thumpy. I much prefer the jazz rounds (half-rounds). They bring out a very elegant growl and mwah from the fretless, and they feel nice and slinky too :)

The next time I change my strings, I'm thinking of trying the ones offered by http://webstrings.com - they're really cheap!
 
I also use tap water and boil my strings.

My fren said i so free....

As long as the string is not rusty and still sound good. Acceptable lah

cheers,

Ben
 
I'm another cheapo one too! .. i boil my strings .. ahhah .. this time round i put washing liquid inside. Boil at least twice to get the dirt and grim out.

I think i gotta agree with what 3notesAbar said .. Rotosound got something like a plasticky feel to it .. but i like the finger tone seriously .. the slap tone cannot make it lah .. Warwicks sound nicer ... maybe i'll consider switching back to warwick after i'm through with this set .. but Swee Lee never bring in the 5-string set ANYMORE!!!! .. *roar!!* ... always have to buy the 6-string set and throw away the last string .. waste money man ...

Anyway .. keep the reviews coming .. speaking of DR .. i should give them a shot next time round i change strings ... wonder how will the sound on my bass .. singapore hard to find the strings that you want at times ..

hey cherns, where else online you buy strings? i'm thinking of buying online also ... the retailers in singapore always don't have much stock one ..

i think if i get sick of finding strings in singapore i'll become like Kelvin .. just buy D'addario lah ...
 
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