TRBboy Posted September 23, 2019 Share Posted September 23, 2019 Hi folks, I've used the stainless ones for quite a while now, but was just wondering if anyone has experience with both and could say how the Nickels compare? I know that usually, nickel will be a bit warmer and smoother than stainless, but I'm sure I read somewhere that people had actually found the SS version of these to have a bigger, warmer tone? Thanks for any opinions! 😊 Oli Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
funkyjimbob Posted September 23, 2019 Share Posted September 23, 2019 Hey! I switched to the nickels a while back and much prefer them. find them a lot less aggressive and I would say the nickels have the warmer tone with my basses. My two main basses are Warwicks though so they are naturally quite aggressive sounding. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hooky_lowdown Posted September 23, 2019 Share Posted September 23, 2019 I can't believe people said the steels have a warmer tone than nickels. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TRBboy Posted September 23, 2019 Author Share Posted September 23, 2019 4 minutes ago, hooky_lowdown said: I can't believe people said the steels have a warmer tone than nickels. I know, I know, completely counter intuitive, but then these strings do feel, respond and sound a bit different to anything else I've used. Thought it might be a thing anyway, but probably not. 😂 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
M@23 Posted September 23, 2019 Share Posted September 23, 2019 I'm trying the nickels, I like the sound and tension. They're very coarse/rough on the fingertips though, compared to D'Addario nickels I normally use. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TRBboy Posted September 23, 2019 Author Share Posted September 23, 2019 Just now, M@23 said: I'm trying the nickels, I like the sound and tension. They're very coarse/rough on the fingertips though, compared to D'Addario nickels I normally use. The SS ones fell rough to start with too, you should find that goes fairly quickly though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LewisK1975 Posted September 23, 2019 Share Posted September 23, 2019 Been on 45-105 Super Bright Nickels for ages now. Love the sound, lower tension and feel of them. Seem to last well for me too. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TJ Spicer Posted September 23, 2019 Share Posted September 23, 2019 I’ve used both. I used to string my “smooth jazz/Fusion” basses with steels but nowadays just prefer the nickels on everything. Still super bright but more warmth and thickness in the mids for me. Nickel has just always been my sound despite my departures and attempts to prove otherwise! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TRBboy Posted September 23, 2019 Author Share Posted September 23, 2019 Thanks for all the input guys, think I'll definitely go for nickels this time! Out of interest, has anyone tried both the 40's and 45's, and is there much difference? I've always used the 40's, and I LOVE how easy they are to play, but just wonder if the 45's would provide a slightly fuller sound, whilst still being fairly easy to play..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hooky_lowdown Posted September 23, 2019 Share Posted September 23, 2019 You probably won't feel the difference, I switch between 40s and 45s all the time. 😁 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TRBboy Posted September 23, 2019 Author Share Posted September 23, 2019 3 minutes ago, hooky_lowdown said: You probably won't feel the difference, I switch between 40s and 45s all the time. 😁 Cool, thanks! So 45's will basically feel the same, but will they sound a bit fuller or not? If not, I may as well stick with 40's.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hooky_lowdown Posted September 23, 2019 Share Posted September 23, 2019 Yes, the strings will sound fuller. Though you can get a fuller sound simply by changing the capacitor to something between 0.05 and 0.1. 👍 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TRBboy Posted September 23, 2019 Author Share Posted September 23, 2019 Ordered the 45 nickels, looking forward to trying them! 😊👍 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TJ Spicer Posted September 24, 2019 Share Posted September 24, 2019 You can dig into the 45s a bit more, little more tension. I actually prefer the bottom end on the 40s but I’ve had a big batch of 45s to get through. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TRBboy Posted September 24, 2019 Author Share Posted September 24, 2019 4 minutes ago, TJ Spicer said: You can dig into the 45s a bit more, little more tension. I actually prefer the bottom end on the 40s but I’ve had a big batch of 45s to get through. Interesting! That seems kinda counter - intuitive? They do have a huge bottom for light gauge strings though. I love the feel of super lights so much, they just feel so easy to play! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TJ Spicer Posted September 24, 2019 Share Posted September 24, 2019 3 minutes ago, TRBboy said: Interesting! That seems kinda counter - intuitive? They do have a huge bottom for light gauge strings though. I love the feel of super lights so much, they just feel so easy to play! Yeah I was shocked by that too as I only started playing 40s after bass gear started shutting down and weren’t getting any more strings in stock. It’s just a different kind of low end to my ear. I think it may actually be that there’s a little less fundamental in the 40s making the low end “puffier” and bloom more, more like a an optical compressor sound (which is a big part of my setup). But I am now desperately searching for weird words to describe the difference so it’s all in the realms of personal experience haha 😂 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TRBboy Posted September 24, 2019 Author Share Posted September 24, 2019 6 minutes ago, TJ Spicer said: Yeah I was shocked by that too as I only started playing 40s after bass gear started shutting down and weren’t getting any more strings in stock. It’s just a different kind of low end to my ear. I think it may actually be that there’s a little less fundamental in the 40s making the low end “puffier” and bloom more, more like a an optical compressor sound (which is a big part of my setup). But I am now desperately searching for weird words to describe the difference so it’s all in the realms of personal experience haha 😂 Yeah I get what you mean, a fresh set of SS 40's do have quite a 'compressed', modern, sound to them Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris2112 Posted September 28, 2019 Share Posted September 28, 2019 I usually use stainless steel on active basses and nickel on passive basses. What I have found in all my years of using stainless steel strings that those Dunlop Super Brights were the harshest sounding strings I've ever tried fresh out of the packet, but they soon mellowed to a nice crisp tone that actually lasted very well. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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