D'addario EXL170

[mcnach]

It takes me a month or more before I start liking new strings!

[dmccombe7]

4 hours ago, mcnach said:

 

I think what happens is that the player no longer becomes part of the ground on those basses... If touching a metal part (bridge) quietens the beast, then that's why coated strings are noisier. It probably means you could do something to improve the grounding on that bass.

I checked the earth with my multimeter and it was perfect from bridge to jack socket. I even put tin foil under the scratchplate and attached to the metal control plate to reduce static noise when i rubbed my hand on the plastic plate. I added an additional earth under the bridge and soldered a larger earth on the back of the pots and altho it helped a little its always been like that. Its not horrendous buzz with nickel un-coated but with elixirs it seemed to be an odd thing going on there.

I'm happy with the EXL170's rather than Elixirs which i only put on certain basses because they don't leave the house now.

Dave

[The59Sound]

20 hours ago, bassjim said:

I used the old RB 40 and RB 45 nickel. Cheap as you like. I have a one gig/weekends gigs = one set of stings mindset so £12.00 per gig/weekends worth of gigs. They just needed to do the gig/ weekend and then on to the next set the following week, so longevity is never part of my requirements. 

I find the D'addario strings don't really last any more or less than the rotos and if its a sweaty hot gig then I'll kill either brand  in a night no problem!

But IMO the extra £5.00 or so for the D'addario strings is worth it I think for all the reasons already stated. If I'm feeling poor then I'll go back to Rotos but as a preference its the D'addarios for me. I also  think about what any string is like to play when its dead and mucky. The D'addrios retain all their playability and stay comfortable.

Its when they start boosting prices based on whatever cow poop they feel is acceptable and it goes over the £20.00 price point that I start leaning back to the cheapys, which is what happened with me  last time, hence I'm recently back with the D'addarios.

For a longer lasting string I have found that I have to either embrace the compromises with a stiffer feel or dont do it. If you are a player thats after that higher tension then ok its a good choice.. Personally I'd rather have the lower tension. I too tried the DRs but wasn't wowed enough to warrant the high price tag. If I got em' for free I'd use em' no problem but as a weekend warrior £25.00 is the limit for me.

I think the brightness could also be described as presence? maybe its one of those things that you only can really tell when its you thats playing them and in the circumstances you are in. I play mostly funk, soul, pop and disco covers, don't use a pick, just fingers and slap a bit,  and they work really well for me.

You should really buy some Elixirs/D'Addario EXPs/Cleartones. If you're sweating that much and killing strings, buy some coated one's and save yourself a fortune.