What a difference a change of strings makes!

[TRBboy]

Genuinely surprised how much of a difference!

I've used stainless roundwounds exclusively for the last few years, and got progressively lighter with the gauge (ending up on super light 40-125 D'addario Prosteels). I was feeling though that the D & G strings were a little "thin" sounding recently though, so when I wanted some new strings this week I decided to go back up a gauge to regular light 45-130, and go for nickels.

WOW!

My bass sounds completely different! I knew there would be a difference obviously, but I underestimated how much! Sounds much deeper and more toneful, and I have to set the eq on my bass completely differently. Obviously they're not quite as snappy and the lows aren't quite as tight, but sounds great. Remains to be seen how long they'll last, I normally get a good 4-5 months out of a stainless set. I'm looking forward to giving them a good try out tonight at band practice.

That is all.

[jazzyvee]

Great choice, I changed my bass strings a couple of weeks ago and put on [b][size=3][color=#333333][font=Trebuchet,]D'addario EXL170-5TP 45-130 nickel strings. I've never used nickel before and these really woke the bass up. [/font][/color][/size][/b]
[b][size=3][color=#333333][font=Trebuchet,]I have Prosteels on my short scale 4 string bass and they are fantastic and I've used d'addario's on my guitars for as long as I can remember.[/font][/color][/size][/b]

[b][size=3][color=#333333][font=Trebuchet,]Previously I'd been trying out [/font][/color][/size][/b][size=3][color=#333333][font=Trebuchet,]R.Cocco RC 5C Stainless steel bass strings but I don't like the feel when they were new. Quite abrasive to the touch, too much finger noise and didn't stay bright very long in fact by the time the rough surface diminished so had the tone. But I left them on the bass for over a year because I wanted to see if I could get a mellower tone for reggae gigs but to be honest the new strings sound better with the top end rolled off than the old strings did with their faded tone and the clarity was where I wanted it.[/font][/color][/size]
[color=#333333][font=Trebuchet,]I have a feeling I will stick with the D'addario strings for a while but the next ones will be stainless steel as I do like the clarity of stainless steel strings and they will probably keep their tone longer. But time will tell. [/font][/color]

[color=#333333][font=Trebuchet,]Jazzyvee[/font][/color]

Edited August 14, 2013 by jazzyvee

[Lozz196]

Yep, a change of gauge can be quite enlightening. Strangley enough, although I like fairly heavy gauges, the best recorded sound I ever had was with light gauge strings (40 - 90).

[xilddx]

Yep. I love my CleartoneEMPs 100-40, they make my bass come alive.

[garyashall]

for years and years i used ernie ball nickel srings on my 5er, recently the music shop i use ( theres only 2 in belfast ) they ran out of ernie balls so i had to buy something else and seeing as the only something else the shop had were dadario 45-135 super brights. got home and on they went.....WOW. after 3 weeks now i can safely say that no other string will ever go onto my bass ( unless one day i cant get them ) but i went back and bought a couple of more sets to be safe. amazing what different strings can do

[risingson]

I love nickel strings, I can't touch stainless steels anymore they're way too harsh. D'Addarios Nickels are great but they just don't last more than two gigs, which is a shame because they're by far my favourite. I'd be open to suggestions to longer lasting possibilities if anyone knows of any brands.

[Lozz196]

I`m currently using Nickel Roto Rounds - they seem to me to hold their tone much better than the steel equivalent.

[jazzyvee]

Anyone got any tips to share about getting a string endorsement deal with D'addario?

Jazzyvee

[TRBboy]

Well, I played it at band practice last night, and now I'm not so sure..... definitely sounds different, more full and rounded, and the D and G strings come through much better. I think I prefer the tightness and definition of the stainless strings though. The biggest issue is adjusting to the increased tension, I really don't know if I can cope with it. I'll gig them tomorrow and Saturday and see how I get on, maybe I'll get used to it.


What a tit, I bought two packets as well!

Anyone want a new pack of D'addario XL nickel wound .045"-.130"?

Edited August 15, 2013 by TRBboy

[White Cloud]

I changed to nickels....loved them until my fingers had an allergic reaction to them and the skin started peeling off!

Stainless rounds for me...humbug.

[Dingus]

[quote name='TRBboy' timestamp='1376596091' post='2176698']
Well, I played it at band practice last night, and now I'm not so sure..... definitely sounds different, more full and rounded, and the D and G strings come through much better. I think I prefer the tightness and definition of the stainless strings though. The biggest issue is adjusting to the increased tension, I really don't know if I can cope with it. I'll gig them tomorrow and Saturday and see how I get on, maybe I'll get used to it.


What a tit, I bought two packets as well!

Anyone want a new pack of D'addario XL nickel wound .045"-.130"?
[/quote]

If you like the nickel , but find the tension too high on the XL 's , have you thought about trying a set of DR Sunbeams ? They are a fantastic-sounding nickel string with a very low- tension feel compared to your D'Addarios and they stay sounding good longer than any other string I have ever used . Even after they die off a bit they still sound good , and they don't go properly dead for absolutely ages . Well worth trying , despite the high price compared to most other strings .

[chris_b]

[quote name='TRBboy' timestamp='1376481317' post='2174473']
....Genuinely surprised how much of a difference!....
[/quote]

+1

I changed my PJ5 from DR Lo-Riders to Lakland flats. The tone filled out and the sound came alive.

It's many, many years since I last used flats and I don't remember them being this good back then!

Edited August 15, 2013 by chris_b

[Lfalex v1.1]

^ I think flats have been subject to some development, at least from some manufacturers.

I, however, need some Elixirs for my Warwick sixer.
I've rented a JCB. Could someone please direct me to the nearest cashpoint machine...?

[skej21]

I had a similar revelation when switching to Fodera nickel strings from D'Addario. The tone is fantastic, great feel and the response is excellent. I always steer clear of steels as I don't like the tone they create and they are much more likely to cause damage to frets. It's just a shame Fodera don't make a 0.35-0.95 gauge set like D'Addario as I love that gauge!

Edited August 16, 2013 by skej21

[TRBboy]

Well, gigged them the last two nights. There's pros and cons to them for me, but mostly the cons outweigh the pros. Should have stuck to what I know!

As a result, I'm selling the unused set if anyone's interested:
http://basschat.co.uk/topic/214848-fs-daddario-xl-nickel-5-string-set-exl-170-5-040-130/

[TRBboy]

[quote name='Dingus' timestamp='1376601022' post='2176812']


If you like the nickel , but find the tension too high on the XL 's , have you thought about trying a set of DR Sunbeams ? They are a fantastic-sounding nickel string with a very low- tension feel compared to your D'Addarios and they stay sounding good longer than any other string I have ever used . Even after they die off a bit they still sound good , and they don't go properly dead for absolutely ages . Well worth trying , despite the high price compared to most other strings .
[/quote]

I think I've come to the conclusion that overall, I prefer the sound of stainless steel. I have found that Rotos are a bit fuller sounding than the D'addario Prosteels, but I like them both.

Just how good are DR's? People always rave about them but the price puts me off (tight arse). I'd quite like to try some, but do they actually sound REALLY good and last a long time?

Edited August 18, 2013 by TRBboy

[ChickenKiev]

I tune my bass to Drop C so I've been using heavy gauge strings for a while. I always go for the Ernie Ball purple bass strings. I think they're called 'Power Slinky Bass'?

Well it was time to change my strings yesterday and so I nipped into town to the local music shop. It's a small shop and has very limited stock, but I can usually find what I'm after as they have a decent selection of strings. This time however, they didn't have any of the 'Purples' so I had to settle with some different manufacturer and gauge. I went for some lighter gauge (45-105) Rotosounds as they were the highest gauge they had and I thought they'd do for now until I eBay the ones that I actually wanted.

Well lets just say I don't think I'll be getting Ernie Balls ever again!

^_____^

[Ghosts Over Japan]

[quote name='TRBboy' timestamp='1376818808' post='2179352']
I think I've come to the conclusion that overall, I prefer the sound of stainless steel. I have found that Rotos are a bit fuller sounding than the D'addario Prosteels, but I like them both.

Just how good are DR's? People always rave about them but the price puts me off (tight arse). I'd quite like to try some, but do they actually sound REALLY good and last a long time?
[/quote]

I'm bombed down by out goings costs quite often so it's rare for me to get a new set of strings but when I do I get DR's, They really do last and I Spent 2-3 years on buyings Medium Gauge prosteels before this (Still great strings by the way) but I brought a bass that came with DR's on and the difference was incredible, and more importantly, I could do a few gigs with my old band (Death metal... sorry guys ) and the sweat would destroy a set in two gigs + practices in between.

I can usually ride out around 5-6 months with a set of DR's (I do clean my strings monthly and I only do bedroom jams now just to confirm, but 5-6 month is a lot of bedroom playing!) and they still have a nice "Zing" to them and they still feel nice!

Yes I'm a tramp when it comes to buying strings but DR's last a long time so in the long run, I (from my personal experience) end up saving quite a large amount of money.

Cai

Edited August 18, 2013 by Ghosts Over Japan

[ChickenKiev]

[quote name='Ghosts Over Japan' timestamp='1376852651' post='2180002']


I'm bombed down by out goings costs quite often so it's rare for me to get a new set of strings but when I do I get DR's, They really do last and I Spent 2-3 years on buyings Medium Gauge prosteels before this (Still great strings by the way) but I brought a bass that came with DR's on and the difference was incredible, and more importantly, I could do a few gigs with my old band (Death metal... sorry guys ) and the sweat would destroy a set in two gigs + practices in between.

I can usually ride out around 5-6 months with a set of DR's (I do clean my strings monthly and I only do bedroom jams now just to confirm, but 5-6 month is a lot of bedroom playing!) and they still have a nice "Zing" to them and they still feel nice!

Yes I'm a tramp when it comes to buying strings but DR's last a long time so in the long run, I (from my personal experience) end up saving quite a large amount of money.

Cai
[/quote]

Haha. Last time I changed mine was the middle of December..

They were practically like stone.

Some lovely fresh ones on now though .

[Ghosts Over Japan]

[quote name='ChickenKiev' timestamp='1376857915' post='2180108']
Haha. Last time I changed mine was the middle of December..

They were practically like stone.

Some lovely fresh ones on now though .
[/quote]

might of been like stone but that's a hell of a long time for any strings to last so if you were happy up until then, that says very good things about them!

[ChickenKiev]

[quote name='Ghosts Over Japan' timestamp='1376863129' post='2180196']


might of been like stone but that's a hell of a long time for any strings to last so if you were happy up until then, that says very good things about them!

[/quote]

I wasn't that happy, but I was skint! Haha!

I just looked down one day and noticed all the slime on the fretboard and the strings. I'm now back to clonky sound of new strings and loving it .

Edited August 19, 2013 by ChickenKiev

[Ghosts Over Japan]

[quote name='ChickenKiev' timestamp='1376927350' post='2181014']
I wasn't that happy, but I was skint! Haha!

I just looked down one day and noticed all the slime on the fretboard and the strings. I'm now back to clonky sound of new strings and loving it .
[/quote]

As long as you're happy now haha I do love pro steels though, they'd definitely back on my bass if I couldn't get DR's!

[TRBboy]

I've got the super light Prosteels back on now, much better!

[Dandelion]

Diaddario balanced tension nickles on mine. As recommended by PRIMEbass. Sort of soft feeling strings. A revelation after roto steels.