Do we convince ourselves that expensive strings sound better?

[JTUK]

How hard can it be to set up a string winding workshop? The kit would be the easy part. Expertise and dilligence are more the key, IMV.

I do certainly believe that the quality of the metals has been a contributory problem in duff strings to me...IME..recently.

That is why I now use Newtone..little U.K workshop knocking them out to-order if you want something different or a few off the shelf ranges.
Very impressed with the overall package in terms of feel, sound and they are lasting.
I put a set on one bass that gets used quite a bit, before xmas..and I am not someone who prefers a dull sound at all.
It is all about attack for me and this is critical in the higher frequencies which is where brighter strings score, IMO.

Also, I like these little operations where they know every little process of their work as they are the ones doing it.

There may well be a handful of huge string winders doing everyone elses winds, and just repackaging them but it only takes a few duff sets...pr strings, which I've had to stop
me going to the same brand.

I was a exclusive DR user for around 17 years and they were the best string for me...up until I sarted getiing a duff string here and there and other little things that seemed to have changed.

I know straight away whether I like a string..just as I know straight away if the bass I've just picked up with fit me.
If these little things matters and you focus on them, you know ...if they don't, you wont.

Edited January 18, 2012 by JTUK

[brensabre79]

Good answer JTUK

Interested to try the Newtones, I've been exclusively DR for a few years but like you I've had the odd set that didn't last more than a gig - which at the price is disappointing. I'm happy to pay more for something that sounds and feels good as well as lasting a long time, but lately I'm not sure the DRs are doing that for me. There have been supply problems for a while in the UK though and it may be the sets I've had have been old stock.

[LawrenceH]

[quote name='brensabre79' timestamp='1326880601' post='1503039']
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.
[/quote]

If corrosion rather than physical deformation is the main factor ageing your strings, doesn't something that coats them (like fast fret? don't know what's in that tbh) help extend their life? Or just wiping them down with isopropyl wipes after playing, rather than waiting for them to corrode before soaking them in it?

[brensabre79]

I started using Fast Fret recently, it does seem to help when I remember, but probably no more than wiping them in snake oil. I think the act of wiping the sweat off before putting it in the case for 24 hours does the most to preserve the strings. But in terms of roughness, something that disperses sweat would be required on the coarser grades of steel because a cloth won't get into the microscopic nooks and crannies...

[LawrenceH]

[quote name='brensabre79' timestamp='1326895020' post='1503328']
something that disperses sweat would be required on the coarser grades of steel because a cloth won't get into the microscopic nooks and crannies...
[/quote]

I suspect that's right, which is why I wondered about a solvent perhaps followed by a lubricant like fast fret to fill the holes and help prevent the sweat getting in in the first place. FF definitely leaves the strings coated in something. I guess, if you find strings are helped by boiling/soaking in solvent, then gunk physically impeding the strings plays as big a part as actual corrosion. If you used a coating agent then it'd have to have appropriate viscosity etc not to do this.

[BigRedX]

[quote name='brensabre79' timestamp='1326882379' post='1503084']
Actually here, they were cheaper!
[url="http://www.guitarbasspro.com/ritter-swordsteel-strings-4string-set-p-2010.html?zenid=kqee85r1m65e5pj1a6mbundqo4"]http://www.guitarbas...e5pj1a6mbundqo4[/url]

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
[/quote]

Actually unless the price went up significantly since the last time I looked, they are marginally more expensive than buying from Ritter direct and that's before you add international shipping, VAT on import and clearance fees (neither of which you'd have to pay if buying from Germany). I think I'll wait until Jens gets his on-line shop back up and running before I make a decision.

[Musicman20]

I have used all sorts of high end strings, and the normal sets like Rotos. The Roto 66 Swing Bass sets were a little boring, died off quickly in an unpleasant way, and felt awful. Not keen on Elites either.

I've tried TI Jazz flats and they are great.

I have one set of DR sunbeams that I havent used yet.

For me, as I play either Fender's or Musicman basses, I find EB strings are perfect for Musicman basses. Probably because they go hand in hand.

The latest American Standard stock strings are fantastic. A step up for Fender IMO.

High end boutique strings aren't always better; it depends.

[brensabre79]

Well I got my Ritter Strings from the US, - I've tried emailling Ritter direct from the contact address on the website but in nearly a month have had no reply... No sign of the online shop opening soon either.

I tried a £5 set off eBay before that.
THe £5 strings were OK, but they did feel a bit rough and the sound (tone and volume) wasn't terribly consistent between the strings, i had to adjust my amp a bit to compensate. They lasted a couple of gigs in terms of tone but they did not feel all that pleasant to play to be honest and the feel went long before the tone did. I could have put up with it because tonally they lasted almost as long as the DRs and my compressor sorted the volume inconsistency to some degree but....

...then the Swordsteels arrived.
They were instantly very smooth to the touch, and felt superbly balanced in terms of tension and volume across the strings. The tone is consistent across the strings too, but more importantly the tone is superb. Where the tone on the cheaper strings was quite harsh in the treble region before they died, the Swordsteels have an almost bell like ring to them, superb sustain. The treble is not at all harsh either, just sweet sounding. Like when you tap a fine crystal wine glass.

I've had these on for four gigs, and I have been wiping down consistently with fastfret after each show, they are still ringing out beautifully. There was not as much percieved treble in the sound to begin with as its a very smooth sound, but it was there and still is. So I'm going to see how long these last. And i [i]AM[/i] going to order some more.

So to answer the OP, it seems in some cases we do convince ourselves that expensive string sound better. I have to say though that the difference between the cheap ones and expensive ones for me was extremely noticable, and not just the sound but the playability and longevity too. I doubt these Ritter strings will last 10 times longer than the cheapo ones (they cost around 10x more after importing from the US), maybe they'll go 4 or 5 times longer, but they [i]do[/i] sound 10x better, to me.

So if anyone knows of somewhere I can get these Ritter Swordsteel strings within Europe I would be extremely grateful (and so would the planet!)