Warwick Red Label strings, anyone tried 'em?

[stingrayPete1977]

I need to restring 4 five string basses, I'm not overly fussy with strings so I'm looking for alternatives to my usual EB ones at around £30 a packet.

£13.60 for the .130s I like they look worth a try, if they are ok I'll bulk buy a few sets.

Anyone tried them or got any other suggestions? (not Rotos, I can't stand them!).

Ta

[6feet7]

I had DR Sunbeams on my Warwick Starbass V (in the for sale section at the moment but wasn't getting the sound I wanted, so put some red labels on. It took a few days for the feel to 'feel right' but I can see no reason to go back to £30 - £50 strings as the Warwicks sound brilliant

[stingrayPete1977]

That's good to know thanks!

[Roger2611]

I have used them a few times, there was nothing to dislike about them, if I can't get Elites I would happily use them again

[Beer of the Bass]

I've tried them; they're bright, clanky, slightly rough feeling, which is more or less what I expected from Stainless Steel rounds. They did remind me a lot of Rotosounds, but I've not had a set of those in years.

[Thunderbird]

Red labels are fairly good and I think gear 4 music are the cheapest supplier in the UK atm

[Grassie]

They are my string of choice. They seem to last longer than other brands (for me anyway). 😊

[AdamWoodBass]

I really like them and they've been my go-to backup strings for a while now. I tend to keep a spare set lying around because at £13 a set it's a worthwhile spare to have in your gig bag. They perform great but need a little playing in so they don't sound too brittle. They go dead quicker than the usual DR's I use but then you could buy 3 sets of Warwick Red labels for the cost of a sing set of DR's.

[stingrayPete1977]

Sounds promising then, thanks guys I'll get a set and try them out, I used Elites for years too Roger. I'm not mega fussy, I'd rather have zingy that I can cut than dead within a week.

All my basses are active (even my Double bass ) the strings are probably a year old or more on all of them, probably been boosting the treble to get longer out of them

[Geek99]

Recommend

[Painy]

I didn't like them at all personally. To be fair though I love Rotosounds so the Red Labels will probably be ideal for you .

[ribbetingfrog]

I tried them on my Warwick. Sounded nice, bright but I like that.
They felt a bit too rough for my liking.
Not bad for the price but I wouldn't buy them again.

[stingrayPete1977]

[quote name='Painy' timestamp='1489954922' post='3261100']
I didn't like them at all personally. To be fair though I love Rotosounds so the Red Labels will probably be ideal for you .
[/quote]

You can have all my old ones then, they sound like 2 day old Rotos

[stingrayPete1977]

[quote name='ribbetingfrog' timestamp='1489955125' post='3261102']
I tried them on my Warwick. Sounded nice, bright but I like that.
They felt a bit too rough for my liking.
Not bad for the price but I wouldn't buy them again.
[/quote]

Have you found anything in the middle worth trying?

[Macker5]

I have used many sets of them. Seem to recall paying about £7.50 a set from Thomann a few years back! Very good value even at twice the price!

[stingrayPete1977]

All strings look to have gone up in price since I last swapped them!

[Skybone]

I use Warwick Red Label Stainless Steels for a while. They were good, lasted well, but for a 34" scale set of strings, the taper on the lower strings started before the nut.

I started using Fender 7350M Stainless when they were cheaper than the Red Labels. IIRC, the last set(s) I bought were something like £13 each. They sound good, last well and I think they're serious value for money.

I have used more expensive strings in the past Ernie Ball, Roto's, Elites, the Fender's are at least as good as. You may notice some difference if you're used to some of the higher end brands, but I think that the Fender's are pretty good.

Edited March 19, 2017 by Skybone

[40hz]

Red Labels reminded me a lot of Roto's when I used them. Coarse and rough, died quickly and eat frets.

[bassjim]

[quote name='stingrayPete1977' timestamp='1489960542' post='3261147']
All strings look to have gone up in price since I last swapped them!
[/quote]
since my last moan here on BC about price increases, some have come back down. Hmmmmm.......

[mcnach]

[quote name='stingrayPete1977' timestamp='1489942753' post='3260980']
I need to restring 4 five string basses, I'm not overly fussy with strings so I'm looking for alternatives to my usual EB ones at around £30 a packet.

£13.60 for the .130s I like they look worth a try, if they are ok I'll bulk buy a few sets.

Anyone tried them or got any other suggestions? (not Rotos, I can't stand them!).

Ta
[/quote]

I like the stainless steel red labels (they also do nickels). They are kind of rough, which doesn't seem to bother me, but when I then switch to my usual DR Fat Beams my fingers smile at me

They're my go-to string when I want a cheap set that still feels and sounds good, for example on a new bass that I'm not sure yet I want to keep. They're pretty bright to start with, as most steels, but they soon settle into 'the zone' and last a while. I always have a couple of sets in my gigbag for emergencies too.

[mcnach]

[quote name='Skybone' timestamp='1489963466' post='3261173']
I use Warwick Red Label Stainless Steels for a while. They were good, lasted well, but for a 34" scale set of strings, the taper on the lower strings started before the nut.

I started using Fender 7350M Stainless when they were cheaper than the Red Labels. IIRC, the last set(s) I bought were something like £13 each. They sound good, last well and I think they're serious value for money.

I have used more expensive strings in the past Ernie Ball, Roto's, Elites, the Fender's are at least as good as. You may notice some difference if you're used to some of the higher end brands, but I think that the Fender's are pretty good.
[/quote]


The Fender 7350M strings are nicer than the Red Labels, I agree. They are much smoother to the touch and again the overly bright sound (like all steels, to me) dies away soon and they sound great afterwards. I keep alternating between preferring Red labels or 7350 as by 'value for money' strings. When a set of DR Fat Beams cost between £35-40, these other strings become very attractive, although my main 2-3 basses still get the DRs.

[stingrayPete1977]

Spoilt for choice now then! I'll get a set of each and see which I prefer, they all feel rough compared to my double bass strings anyway

Edited March 20, 2017 by stingrayPete1977

[skidder652003]

been gigging the 4 string version of these, so far no complaints, still zingy after 4 gigs and 4 rehersals, don't let the label put you off
[url="https://www.thomann.de/gb/harley_benton_valuestrings_ebass_5_string.htm"]https://www.thomann....ss_5_string.htm[/url]
but don't take my word for it!
https://www.thomann.de/gb/harley_benton_valuestrings_ebass_5_string_reviews.htm?lang=2

Edited March 20, 2017 by skidder652003

[stingrayPete1977]

I've just sniped a set of Ernie ball .130s on eBay for £16! The seller just drip feeds them onto there, probably stolen!

[BigRedX]

[quote name='6feet7' timestamp='1489943239' post='3260987']
I had DR Sunbeams on my Warwick Starbass V (in the for sale section at the moment but wasn't getting the sound I wanted, so put some red labels on. It took a few days for the feel to 'feel right' but I can see no reason to go back to £30 - £50 strings as the Warwicks sound brilliant
[/quote]

The StarBass supposedly comes with Red Labels and the strings fitted to mine when I bought it were great. I tried Black Label, but didn't notice and significant improvement, so I went back to the Reds. One thing to note if you are looking at 5 string sets is that the low B is tapered, but the taper ends 50mm from the ball-end so it might not sit on the saddle (which is what you want ideally).