Do we convince ourselves that expensive strings sound better?

[chris_b]

[size=4]You could try Dunlop Nickels. They are £10 a packet less than DR but they don't last nearly as long.[/size]

[krysh]

not too sure, but just don't wanna choose wrong (ey it's once a year... )...

[LukeFRC]

[quote name='jackers' timestamp='1326239763' post='1494485']
I recently bought a set of LoRiders, SunBeams and HiBeams from the US (for comparison). Including shipping it came to £16.50 for each set, which is almost 20 quid cheaper than some places sell them in this country. So if you like the LoRiders, then that would be worth looking into
[/quote]
where from out of interest?

[jackers]

[quote name='LukeFRC' timestamp='1326243329' post='1494521']
where from out of interest?
[/quote]

some of the american sellers on ebay. quick postage and great strings.

[brensabre79]

[quote name='jackers' timestamp='1326239763' post='1494485']
I recently bought a set of LoRiders, SunBeams and HiBeams from the US (for comparison). Including shipping it came to £16.50 for each set, which is almost 20 quid cheaper than some places sell them in this country. So if you like the LoRiders, then that would be worth looking into
[/quote]
That does sound appealing. Maybe I'll put in a bulk order then and put the rest in the For Sale section on here

[Dave Vader]

[quote name='Baxter' timestamp='1326230808' post='1494282']
what kind do use, i'm feeling experimental and unwilling to pay 30 bucks for roto 77s
[/quote]

I think Rich uses Status Hotwires (I'm using them at the moment as well) bought direct from Status's website. I use fender 9050s, cos they are also cheap, and I find them a little better balanced

[dave_bass5]

Im the other way, im convinced expencive strings dont sound any better than cheap ones. Ive got DR Black beauties on my Jazz, and have had Neons and Elixirs and a few other £30+ sets, and whiel the coated strings were brought for thier extrneded life i still prefer XL's or, at the moment Fender 150's.
Its all in the tone and feel for me. I like what i like and will pay to get it, but luckily the chepaer strings do it for me.

I di dtry a set of Picato strings a few years ago and also liked them, they were very cheap IIR.

[51m0n]

I like the sound of DR Lo-Riders.

I've doen enogh listening to different strings (Ed Friedman did a great shootout on them) to know that its much of a muchness, but I do really like the sound of my bass with them on.

However I love the feel of DR Lo-Riders, they are flexible enough without being too flexible (Hi Beams!), and far more flexible and less awkward than some (D'addario!), which I find very unpleasant to play.

If someone can find a cheaper set of strings (I get mine from the states too) that sound as good (note, not the same,. just as good) and feel as good or better then I would switch. Of course find this out for myself would cost a load in discarded strings (even if they are cheaper) so its probably a false economy for me since with the use of my meths tube I buy strings every 3 or 4 years.....

[shizznit]

Feel is more important than tone for me personally. I will admit that I prefer the sound of certain brands over others, but I like to have my strings feel silky and clean. I change my strings very frequently because I like the fresh tone of a new set. Coated strings are great value for money even though they are a tad more expensive. I used Elixirs last year and I like the tone and the longevity, but I stopped uing them because the coating felt waxy to me. I am using DR's at the moment which I consider to be the best feeling string out there, but I am not that fussed on the tone. Still trying to find the right balance! Might switch back to D'Addarios again. They are very reasonably priced, feel great and have a lovely perky tone. For me they are the best value bass strings.

[dave_bass5]

[quote name='shizznit' timestamp='1326365287' post='1495964']
Might switch back to D'Addarios again. They are very reasonably priced, feel great and have a lovely perky tone. For me they are the best value bass strings.
[/quote]

Same here, No matter what i try i always seem to end up going back to XL's. The only reason i still have the Black beauties on my Jazz is because they look great on a white Jazz, and i dont really use it so im not fussed about not really likeing them.

Edited January 12, 2012 by dave_bass5

[JTUK]

[quote name='chris_b' timestamp='1326209477' post='1493828']
[size=4]If you can appreciate the difference and that difference is important to you then spend as much as you need[/size]

[/quote]

Agree. I buy Newtone these days as they are a cut-above the DR's I used before that...and for nigh on 17-18 years or so.
I wouldn't say £28 was expensive for a 5 str set anyway. but they are the best strings for me, that I have found...and I've tried a lot
and I am not looking any further.

[lanark]

I think that, on the whole, if you've paid a lot of money for something it's human nature to convince yourself that it's made an improvement way above it's actual measurable effects. You find this especially with high-end home audio equipment - and exotic woods in electric guitars.

It might make a difference, but there's always a point (usually quite low) at which price has no further effect on quality and only has an effect on marketing and bullshit.

[StraightSix]

[quote name='lanark' timestamp='1326465659' post='1497590']
I think that, on the whole, if you've paid a lot of money for something it's human nature to convince yourself that it's made an improvement way above it's actual measurable effects. You find this especially with high-end home audio equipment - and exotic woods in electric guitars.

It might make a difference, but there's always a point (usually quite low) at which price has no further effect on quality and only has an effect on marketing and bullshit.
[/quote]

Ah - the law of diminishing returns...

I use Roto RB40 nickel and find they work well for me - nice feel and good tone with decent life...and only £12 a set.

I'm tempted by this thread to try some DR Lo-Riders and also Picato sounds interesting...

[Lozz196]

Well seeing as I like the sound of old Roto Rounds (at least 6 months old) and just keep a slight bit of life in them by applying Fast-fret once a week, my answer to the original question is, I don`t

Edited January 13, 2012 by Lozz196

[dave_bass5]

[quote name='lanark' timestamp='1326465659' post='1497590']
I think that, on the whole, if you've paid a lot of money for something it's human nature to convince yourself that it's made an improvement way above it's actual measurable effects.
[/quote]

At least with strings you're not wasting too much only, unlike those who "need" expensive basses before they will even attempt Mustang Sally ;-)

[fluffo]

I bought a set of peavey strings yesterday and the E string was as dead as the strings I took off the rest are fine.
A tenner and a waste of money I would rather spend £15 and know I'm getting.
The hartke ones were great but I've had A few sets with a dead string and very unbalanced,I guess I'm just a tight bastard who won't learn by his own mistakes.

[dave_bass5]

Why not just get the seller to replace them. You should be covered by the law for this sort of thing.

[BigRedX]

It all depends what you are looking for. If you're after standard round-wound nickel or steel strings for a 34" scale 4-string bass tuned E-G then you should be able to find something in the cheaper price range that suits you. After all string manufacturers have only had almost 50 years to get this right - so they'd have to be pretty crap the mess that up, right?

It's when you want something different from the norm that prices start to go up - extra low or high strings, different scale lengths, tapered windings, flats, half-wounds or strings for drop tuning. None of these sell in the kinds of quantities that your average 34" 40-100 4-string round wound set does.

It has little to do with the quality of the string and lots to do with the number of sets the manufacturers except to shift.

[danhkr]

I use Elixir, not because they sound particularly better than cheaper strings, but because they last 4, maybe 5 times as long. They've also got a really smooth feel due to the coating.

Generally, aside from absolute dirt cheap sets which the majority I've found to be clanky and rough, I've found most £12 to £30 sets are much of a muchness. Roto RB's and Fenders for example are to me as good as Slinky's, D'addario etc, but can be picked up for nearly half the price. Pricey strings that did sound particularly good were DR and Dunlop, but again they didn't really last long enough to justify the cost unlike Elixirs.

I guess even if I could get 3 or more decent sets for the price of one Elixir set, its still 3 times more string changing and breaking in etc. So yeah, probably one of the most expensive sets is my preferred choice, but apart from them, I'm not sure you always do 'get what you pay for'.

[Immo]

I'm finally convinced that tapewounds are the strings made for me. I love their a bit honky sound, their softness and the 'less-tense' feeling. They also last much longer, so I guess that will be my choice for life. They're quite more expensive than typical strings, but they're totally worth it.
Oh, and the Rotosound striungs were always grat for me - 66's are perfect choice for my T-40. I couldn't imagine better strings for it. They're also expensive (at least in Poland), but really good.

[bertbass]

Apparently, there are only half a dozen or so string manufacturers in the whole world and they make all the different brandes of strings.

[brensabre79]

[quote name='bertbass' timestamp='1326823886' post='1502470']
Apparently, there are only half a dozen or so string manufacturers in the whole world and they make all the different brandes of strings.
[/quote]
That is true Bert, but they are made to different specifications depending on the end label.

I'm running an experiment at the moment. I ordered a set of 45-105 strings for £5 off eBay, stuck them on my bass and did a gig. I've been using DR LoRiders for 2-3 years. The main differences are that these cheaper strings are rougher to touch, I felt the pain of this 2 hours in! The overall tone was different, not so much dynamic range of the string (when I dig in it just doesn't give much more) and the D string was significantly quieter than the EA and G for some reason... BUT they were perfectly useable and they didn't seem to go dull in an instant. I expect that the dodgy D was from that pack only but the chances of getting a slightly dodgy one in each pack would be higher.

I think for those who have corrosive sweat (like I do) the preference for the more expensive strings is also that they last longer - this is likely because the surface of the steel/nickel is smoother, so less sweat can get itself in there and start the corroding process.

So for part 2 of my experiment I have ordered a set of Ritter Swordsteels - which based on this theory have a very smooth grade of steel... Let's see how they do.

[BigRedX]

[quote name='brensabre79' timestamp='1326880601' post='1503039']
So for part 2 of my experiment I have ordered a set of Ritter Swordsteels - which based on this theory have a very smooth grade of steel... Let's see how they do.
[/quote]

Where from? The Ritter on-line shop which AFAIK is the only source of these strings is down until some time in February.

[brensabre79]

http://www.bassandbeyond.net/ritterstrings.html

[brensabre79]

Actually here, they were cheaper!
http://www.guitarbasspro.com/ritter-swordsteel-strings-4string-set-p-2010.html?zenid=kqee85r1m65e5pj1a6mbundqo4

i know it seems stupid ordering something made in Germany from the US but couldn't find them anywhere in Europe! I've been in touch with Jens Ritter about getting them direct but I've heard they are more expensive this way!! With the dollar exchange rate at the moment its a lot cheaper to buy a lot of things from the US... not very green though

Edited January 18, 2012 by brensabre79