Ernie Ball Cobalt Strings

[WalMan]

In a bit of a thread resurection I have just put a set of EB Cobalt Hybrids (45-105) onto the Tanglewater ClassicJ and added some "After" clips with the Cobalts on to compare to the "Before" with the strings it came with, which I believe were 38-98.

Clips are on my Soundcloud account [url="http://soundcloud.com/aka_walman/sets/overwater-by-tanglewood"]HERE[/url] hopefully.

Just a set of rough noodles but a slight comparison perhaps.

[dave_bass5]

[quote name='WalMan' timestamp='1335993166' post='1639336']
In a bit of a thread resurection I have just put a set of EB Cobalt Hybrids (45-105) onto the Tanglewater ClassicJ and added some "After" clips with the Cobalts on to compare to the "Before" with the strings it came with, which I believe were 38-98.

Clips are on my Soundcloud account [url="http://soundcloud.com/aka_walman/sets/overwater-by-tanglewood"]HERE[/url] hopefully.

Just a set of rough noodles but a slight comparison perhaps.
[/quote]

Nice playing and tone. What's your opinion of them? The P clip seems to have a nice top end to it.

Edited May 10, 2012 by dave_bass5

[Al Heeley]

nice clips, listened to the talkbass ones too, theres certainly more mid range presence from the cobalt set when you listen back to back, but i find after 30 secs my ears get accustomed to the tones. If i was listening blind in isolation from a comparison then i'd struggle to hear significant difference after 30 secs. Strikes me that strings have gone the way of golf club brands - so much pressure each year to wack another silly metal into the alloy then preach pseudo-science about its benefits which are, on the whole not significant, to justify the price tag. Is this really what marketing has become? Are they driving forward new technical innovations? I think not. I'll stick with my regular ernie ball slinkies.

[WalMan]

[quote name='dave_bass5' timestamp='1336666234' post='1649211']
Nice playing and tone. What's your opinion of them? The P clip seems to have a nice top end to it.
[/quote]Ta.

I actually quite like them. Used in anger at a gig last Friday doing classic rocky stuff, and Sunday at a r/h with the Country/Americana band mainly using the P pup in the Tanglewater and the basic rig with no effects (ie bass, lead, GB STM 6.0 & Barefaced Super12T) and the whole thing was sounding pretty damn good and got a load of compliments at the gig, including "it's better than the red one, solid & well defined" (the red one being the US G&L L2500 with an older set of Elixirs on).

It'll be interesting to see what the longevity is like, but if it is as good as the Elixirs, and the price was right (ie around £30 for a 4 string set not the near £50 quoted in some places) I could be tempted to try them on the L2500's as well.

Difficult to compare the two as they are such different basses with the Tanglewater being passive and going into the STM with the gain switch in and the L2500 with the gain switch out, but I did fell the need to change the STM mid band to 220 for the former and 600 for the latter.

Still, all in all in the rock gig context I liked them. They were solid and well defined, but had a nice bit of top to them and sat well in the mix.

[drTStingray]

My Bongo 5HHp has had them since the beginning of March and they are still fine.

They give a mid range bump - they don't sound zingy when you first use them and they wear in nicely - sounds like a no brainer to me, and my Classic Ray 2 band is next in line for them.

There was an earlier post saying people had said they last less than 2 gigs - this is nonsense I'm afraid, unless you're looking for ultra zing, in which case you should be buying something else anyway, because these don't give that (unless you overboost the treble on the amp/bass)!

[WalMan]

[quote name='drTStingray' timestamp='1336691487' post='1649742']
My Bongo 5HHp has had them since the beginning of March and they are still fine.

They give a mid range bump - they don't sound zingy when you first use them and they wear in nicely - sounds like a no brainer to me, and my Classic Ray 2 band is next in line for them.

There was an earlier post saying people had said they last less than 2 gigs - this is nonsense I'm afraid, unless you're looking for ultra zing, in which case you should be buying something else anyway, because these don't give that (unless you overboost the treble on the amp/bass)!
[/quote]Where did you find them and what sort of price? I might have to give a set a go on the L2500

[BB3000S]

I have two sets lying around waiting for my Stingray 4HH to require new strings, judging from the reported impressions and the sound files (thanks a lot!) the Cobalts will be just perfect for the ray. Also, it will be interesting how they feel under my fingers - I find that is almost as important in a band context as the (often relatively small) differences in sound across similar strings of different brands.

[dave_bass5]

[quote name='WalMan' timestamp='1336686266' post='1649653']
Ta.

I actually quite like them. Used in anger at a gig last Friday doing classic rocky stuff, and Sunday at a r/h with the Country/Americana band mainly using the P pup in the Tanglewater and the basic rig with no effects (ie bass, lead, GB STM 6.0 & Barefaced Super12T) and the whole thing was sounding pretty damn good and got a load of compliments at the gig, including "it's better than the red one, solid & well defined" (the red one being the US G&L L2500 with an older set of Elixirs on).

It'll be interesting to see what the longevity is like, but if it is as good as the Elixirs, and the price was right (ie around £30 for a 4 string set not the near £50 quoted in some places) I could be tempted to try them on the L2500's as well.


[/quote]

Cheers. Ive used Elixirs in the past but found them to sound a tiny bit scooped and rough feeling. I did like them though but something that lasts as long, doesn't feel quite as rough would be good, i find my Black Beauties to be too rough so i dont use them.
They do seem to be priced just a little higher than the Elixirs so not too bad if they last a good few months of regular gigging.

Edited May 11, 2012 by dave_bass5

[Al Heeley]

With my chemists geek hat on this afternoon,
Major inductrial use of cobalt is in alloying with Iron (steel)
2 main areas of application - alnico magnets and high speed cutting steel, (eg: tool bits, saws typically containing up to 5% cobalt).
Before inferring from this that Cobalt would be responsible for making strings harder wearing, the cutting steel alloy is also combined with tungsten, vanadium, chromium, molybenum and carbon in additions from 1 to 6% depending on grade. It's more likely that Tungsten and Carbon are the primary contributers to cutting steel hardness, though Cobalt will also contribute otherwise they would not bother to put it in.
Cobalt is also a good magnet (wikipedia tells me so, typically used at between 5 and 24% in AlNiCo magnets) and you could possibly assume that this reinforcement of a strings magnetic properties has a beneficial effect on the treble or mids of a bass string tonal qualities. I'd be interested to know how much of the tonal characteristics of a bass string comes from the method of manufacture, core and wrapping. and how much is down to the chemical composition of the alloys used.
I predict that next year, other string manufacturers will follow suit with new product launches highlinging traces of other exotic metals that are normally present in steel alloys anyway, and attributing near-magical tonal properties to their presence. D'Addario Vanadiums or Rotosouond Molybdenum may be on the shelves soon, and the latter could be cause of much mis-pronunciation mirth at a music shop near you.

[drTStingray]

[quote name='WalMan' timestamp='1336698783' post='1649787'] Where did you find them and what sort of price? I might have to give a set a go on the L2500 [/quote] I'm not permitted to tell you where I got them from - let's say I was very lucky! I would advise you try them - I was astonished at the effect on my Bongo. [quote name='Al Heeley' timestamp='1336742660' post='1650309'] With my chemists geek hat on this afternoon, Major inductrial use of cobalt is in alloying with Iron (steel) 2 main areas of application - alnico magnets and high speed cutting steel, (eg: tool bits, saws typically containing up to 5% cobalt). Before inferring from this that Cobalt would be responsible for making strings harder wearing, the cutting steel alloy is also combined with tungsten, vanadium, chromium, molybenum and carbon in additions from 1 to 6% depending on grade. It's more likely that Tungsten and Carbon are the primary contributers to cutting steel hardness, though Cobalt will also contribute otherwise they would not bother to put it in. Cobalt is also a good magnet (wikipedia tells me so, typically used at between 5 and 24% in AlNiCo magnets) and you could possibly assume that this reinforcement of a strings magnetic properties has a beneficial effect on the treble or mids of a bass string tonal qualities. I'd be interested to know how much of the tonal characteristics of a bass string comes from the method of manufacture, core and wrapping. and how much is down to the chemical composition of the alloys used. I predict that next year, other string manufacturers will follow suit with new product launches highlinging traces of other exotic metals that are normally present in steel alloys anyway, and attributing near-magical tonal properties to their presence. D'Addario Vanadiums or Rotosouond Molybdenum may be on the shelves soon, and the latter could be cause of much mis-pronunciation mirth at a music shop near you. [/quote] The packet states that the blend of iron and cobalt attracts the magnets in your pick ups more than any other alloy available - they certainly clamped on the neodymium poles on my Bongo when I put them on!. They are patents pending.

In smoothness I'd say they feel somewhere between a flatwound and a roundwound. They aren't as rough feeling as a roundwound. The pic of the packet shows the comparative outputs claimed.
[attachment=107703:040320121678.jpg][attachment=107702:030320121673.jpg]

Edited May 12, 2012 by drTStingray

[WalMan]

As a follow up I'm still liking them on the ClassicJ but have noticed an outbreak of "dandruff" on the body, as opposed to the usual "bearding" I see with the Elixirs I use.

Presumably this is a result of my digging in with large 3mm Dunlop Stubbies and the ?coating? coming off. No obvious effect ton the tone, but it's still early days.

BTW I'm not giving this as a negative (at the mpoment) merely a comment on what I have noticed with continued use.

[Guest teamcoy]

I just picked up a set of these on [url="http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/251061089361?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1497.l2649#ht_500wt_1127"]eBay[/url] for £13 which is likely an unrepeatable bargain, especially now that I have posted the link. Doh.

Anyway, I am going to do an A/B with these the next time I restring one of my basses. I normally use Ernie Ball 50-105s as like how they sound, am quite interested to see what if any difference there is with life and tone with the Cobalt 50-105s.

When I get round to it will upload the results for you all.

[Musicman20]

Just ordered a 5 string set of the chap on ebay who has a large store for strings. Much cheaper than the shops...PM me if you want details. Brand new, sealed, etc.

My Ray 5HS is in need of a new set, and I fancied trying something new, but still EB.

[Kev]

My Thumb is now strung with a regular set of these strings. Great first impression, deep loud tone that compliments the Warwick sound wonderfully! Look and feel the same as any other slinky's to me, but there is a definite noticeable voicing in the tone of the string. Cannot comment on how long they will last, but initially they sound as zingy as a slightly played in set of normal slinky's.

[Musicman20]

Very impressed with this seller:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Ernie-Ball-2736-Cobalt-Regular-Slinky-5-String-bass-strings-45-130-/370599422937?pt=UK_Guitar_Accessories&hash=item5649726bd9#ht_2255wt_689

My set arrived very quickly and much cheaper than the shops.

[dave_bass5]

Im ready to order a set of these but noticed there are a few variations. Can anyone shed some light on the differences between the regular, hybrid and power versions?

Cheers.

[dave_bass5]

Sorry, ignore that last post. After talking to Fran he has explained its the gauge thats different.

[mcnach]

[quote name='Musicman20' timestamp='1338495259' post='1675520']
Very impressed with this seller:

[url="http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Ernie-Ball-2736-Cobalt-Regular-Slinky-5-String-bass-strings-45-130-/370599422937?pt=UK_Guitar_Accessories&hash=item5649726bd9#ht_2255wt_689"]http://www.ebay.co.u...9#ht_2255wt_689[/url]

My set arrived very quickly and much cheaper than the shops.
[/quote]


I bought a set from him a couple of weeks ago, which arrived pretty quickly. Waiting to be installed in my Stingray anyday now.

[dave_bass5]

I looked at that seller but went with Soundslive. They are only a few pence dearer, and although its free delivery mine have already been despatched :-)

EDIT: Actually Soundslive are a few pence cheaper now.

Edited August 6, 2012 by dave_bass5

[Roland Rock]

What are these like in terms of feel? I'm after something that's not as bumpy/rough as a regular round wound, yet more modern sounding than flats.

[Grand Wazoo]

[quote name='Roland Rock' timestamp='1344403143' post='1763889']
What are these like in terms of feel? I'm after something that's not as bumpy/rough as a regular round wound, yet more modern sounding than flats.
[/quote]

I've got to say I've had them a month now on my P bass and they'ew luvvly! The feel of them is no different to ordinary roundwound strings, I myself was dreading the possibility that they might have been coarse to the touch as their "coated" strings are but these are perfect in feel, now the sound of them is different from any other strings you've ever tried, they are definately focused to the mids and perhaps they boast a much defined presence, but to be honest my passive Fender American Standard needed exactly that! So it suits me perfectly. I'd say give them a go, and rest assuresd you will not have to worry about the feel of them but you'll have to decide if the sound is what you are after becasue they certainly are a departure from ordinary strings.

[dave_bass5]

Yep. agree with Fran as far as the feel goes. Ive just put some on my P and i love how smooth they are, although im coming from Dr Black Beauties and they are pretty rough.

As for tone, i's say they are pretty close to Elixirs, not sure i like that but im going to stick with them. They certainly seem to have a lot of depth to them, good for the more modern songs we play.

[Roland Rock]

Great, thanks for the info. They sound well worth a punt

[Roland Rock]

I got a set for my new five string. I don't have a huge experience with roundwounds, but have had Elites, R Cocco, regular EBs, Rotosound, Fodera, maybe one or two others. Anyway, these are really really nice. I read a review somewhere that they are not massively bright, more mid-focused, and I'd tend to agree. Just right for me.

[mcnach]

I put a set on my Stingray. I'm liking them a lot. A bit higher tension than my usual D'Addario EXL170, but they feel nice. Quite bright, higher output, and noticeably midrange rich. I think they suit the Stingray very well. So far so good!